Legacy of Jarik Shan V4: A Jedi in Exile
by xxTheTruMan196
Summary: After the fall of the Republic and the Jedi Order, Jarik Shan has been traveling across the galaxy in search of Ahsoka, and comes across individuals on an unknown planet, as well as revelations from the Force that will change his life forever. Read as he helps spearhead the beginning of the Rebellion, and make strong alliances and friendships.
1. Story Introduction!

**STORY CHRONOLOGY:**

-LOJS V1: Beginnings

-LOJS V2: The Clone Wars

-LOJS V3: Revenge of the Sith

-LOJS V4: A Jedi in Exile

-LOJS V5: Rebirth

* * *

 **A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...**

* * *

 **LEGACY OF JARIK SHAN**

 **Volume 4: A Jedi in Exile**

It is a time of growing darkness! With the end of the Clone Wars and the ultimate victory of the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, the galaxy has been launched into a new age with the rise of the Galactic Empire.

After their attempts to confront the Sith head on, Jedi Masters Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Jedi Knight Jarik Shan, have gone their separate ways, facing the future on their own. In the wake of this separation, Jarik Shan becomes an important figurehead in the creation of a small rebel movement alongside Senator Bail Organa, in the hopes of one day creating a Rebel Alliance to fight against the tyranny of the Galactic Empire. While doing so, he also searches the galaxy in the hopes of locating his best friend and one true love, Ahsoka Tano.

But the time of darkness has only just begun, evil is growing. As the Empire rises in power, so too does its goal to end the threat Jarik poses to Palatine's rule once and for all. And beyond the Sith, there are even greater dangers that Jarik Shan has yet to face...

* * *

 **[ AUTHOR'S NOTE ]**

* * *

 _Hey there readers! It's time to begin the next chapter of the Legacy of Jarik Shan! This takes during the time period of the Galactic Empire!_

 _Before reading this story, I highly suggest reading the_ 'Legacy of Jarik Shan V2: The Clone Wars' _and_ 'Legacy of Jarik Shan V3: Revenge of the Sith' _if you haven't already. If you don't read that then you most likely won't understand a few things in this story. The prequel to those stories is_ 'V1: Beginnings,' _which is being worked on slowly but surely. The reason why V1 isn't finished yet is because it's not as important to the overall main story; it's kind of more accurate to call it a prequel to the series, lol._

 _Before we continue... I DO NOT OWN STAR WARS! ONLY MY OC CHARACTER JARIK SHAN IS OWNED BY ME! THE REST IS OWNED BY DISNEY AND LUCASFILMS._

 _(P.S. this story includes other franchises in it, one of which is How to Train Your Dragon, making it a bit of a crossover story. However aside from HTTYD, the rest of it is very subtle and small. It's predominantly a Star Wars story, which is the main focus. Just wanted to let you guys know in advance in case you were confused.)_


	2. Ch 1 - The Rescue

**14 BBY - 5 years after the Great Jedi Purge**

 **Wobani - Bryx Sector**

She was on the hunt, by the orders of Lord Vader and the Emperor. Her target was a young girl of age three that held Force abilities, and she was determined to capture her prey, and kill anyone that stood in her way.

She landed her TIE Fighter on the outskirts of the town of this backwater world, and exited her ship, slinking through the night in the direction of the small town. She was Second Sister, the most powerful Inquisitor after the Grand Inquisitor himself. And she would not fail.

As she snuck through the small village, she was repulsed by how anyone could choose to live in such a place, choosing to live in their own tiny community instead of in the glorious Empire. But it was no matter. As soon as she retrieved the child she would be out of there, and maybe she could call for an orbital bombardment if she felt like it.

Then she finally came upon the house, and she reached out with the dark side of the Force.

There!

She could clearly feel the child's Force signature, and it certainly showed potential. With purpose, she strode up to the front door and kicked it down, activating her crimson lightsaber.

Immediately, a man ran into the room with an angry look on his face, brandishing a knife, a look that quickly turned to fear.

"W-what are you doing here?" he asked fearfully.

"Your child. By the orders of the Emperor you shall deliver it to me or perish." Second Sister demanded through her mask.

"Please, she's our only daughter! You can't take her!" the man pleaded. Second Sister strode forward with a scowl.

"You have no choice in this matter," she growled.

From another room a woman emerged in fearful confusion.

"Honey, what's-" she starts to say, getting the Sister's attention.

"Run Helen, leave! Please!" the man cried out, rushing towards the Sister. She immediately slashed the man's arm off. He cried out in pain and shock before Sister silenced him with decapitation.

The woman screamed in horror and anguish, rushing back into her room. Second Sister followed calmly, like a cat following her prey, knowing she had nowhere else to go. Upon entering the room, Sister looked upon Helen desperately trying to pry open the window, her crying daughter held tightly.

This couldn't be allowed. Second Sister used the Force to slam the window closed, knocking the woman back down to the floor.

"Mama!" the child cried out in terror as she was thrown from her mother's arms. Helen crawled over to stand protectively in front of her child.

"How cute," Second Sister laughed mockingly. "But she is coming with me!"

"Never!" Helen cried out.

Second Sister shrugged. "Very well."

She then stabbed Helen in the abdomen, and she gasped in pain. Her daughter cried out in fear and horror.

"Mama!"

Second Sister deactivated her lightsaber and grabbed the small child's arm harshly, picking her up.

"You're coming with me you runt," she said.

The small child continue to cry and struggle as Second Sister forcibly carried her through the house outside. Passing by the hacked off body of Helen's husband without a care only made the little girl sob and scream harder. Eventually, Second Sister was fed up and had enough of the annoying cries.

"Shut up!" she snarled, smacking the girl's head with her lightsaber hilt.

The girl cried out in pain but got the message, quieting to lower sounding sobs, but she still continued to try and free herself from the Inquisitor.

* * *

He was crouched on the side of the street, eyes narrowed as he watched the commotion. To his great regret he hadn't made it in time, as evident by the screaming child and the Inquisitor storming out of the house, practically dragging the toddler with him. He may not have been able to save the family, but he will certainly save the child from the horrors of the Emperor.

Rushing out from cover he jumped through the air, causing the Inquisitor to look at him in surprise before he slammed his foot into her mask, using the Force to enhance his kick. She flew back into the wall of another house, crying out in pain and rage. The little girl was thrown into the air, and she screamed in fear before the man caught her gently.

"Shhh, you'll be alright, you're safe now," he soothed her, calming her mind with the Force. She instantly quieted down and looked at him with scared, yet curious eyes.

"Who are you?" she hesitantly asked. Before he could respond the Second Sister leaped back to her feet.

"Jedi!" she growled out, activating both ends of her lightsaber furiously. He set the girl on the ground beside a house.

"Stay here. You'll be alright, I promise you," he said gently.

The little girl nodded her head, preferring the nice man over the scary masked creature any day.

The Jedi then stood up confidently and pulled out a dark, slightly curved silver cylinder from his belt. He pressed a red button, causing a brilliant sapphire colored blade to spring forth.

"You won't be taking anyone today Inquisitor," he said firmly.

"Then you will die like her parents!" Second Sister roared, lunging forwards.

The Jedi met her charge with his own blue blade, and the two entered a blade lock before Sister backpedaled, swinging her lightsaber in an attempt to cut him in half. The Jedi dodged the attack before unleashing a counter with his own blade, slicing through the air. She blocked it, and the two exchanged in a quick flurry of strikes and parry's, although Second Sister was slowly forced backwards. She snarled angrily and activated her sabers spinning feature, swinging at the Jedi wildly.

He dodged out of the way, backing up again and occasionally deflecting a strike from the twirling saber. All the while the young girl watched in awe and fear, wanting the nice man to win.

Eventually in her rage, Second Sister miscalculated her next strike, causing her to overshoot her attack and stumble. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Jedi rushed forward and grabbed the lightsaber with his left hand despite the spinning red blade. To Second Sister's shock, the Jedi's hand caught her saber and gripped on tightly, forcing it to stop spinning, the machinery groaning in protest. She looked at his ridiculous strength in shock before he swung his saber down, slicing the hilt in half with his own blue blade. He then swung out his left hand, and Second Sister thought she saw a gleaming silver from metal before his fist connected with her mask, knocking her to the ground where she fell unconscious.

Satisfied, the Jedi deactivated his lightsaber with a sigh, his expression grim. He looked over at the little girl, who ran over to him happily, glad that the scary creature wasn't a problem anymore. Her face then returned to fear, and she ran towards her house.

"Mama!" she cried out, moving faster than a three year old should be capable of.

The Jedi rushed after her quickly, hoping to save the girl before more Imperial's arrived. They entered the house, where he spotted the father's corpse lying, his arm and head separated from the body. The little girl was standing there, sobbing hysterically. The Jedi then sensed a weak presence in the Force from the other room, and steered the young girl away from the destruction.

"Let's not look at that little one," he spoke gently, leading her to the back room. Remembering the state of her mother, the young girl rushed into the room, the Jedi following after her.

There, laying on the ground by the window, was Helen, and she was taking in pained breaths, her daughter sobbing by her side. The Jedi immediately moved forward and knelt beside the woman, taking in the state of her wounds. He closed his eyes sorrowfully as he realized she wouldn't make it.

"I'm sorry," he spoke softly to Helen.

Helen gasped painfully, her gaze shifting to the Jedi and she slightly widened her eyes more than they already were.

"J- Jedi…" she coughed out, trying to raise her head. The Jedi shushed her and gently forced her to lay back on the ground.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make it in time," the Jedi said regretfully to Helen.

"What- (cough) what's your name?" she asked weakly. Her daughter continued to sob, holding onto her mother's hand tightly.

"Jarik Shan, miss," he responded.

Helen coughed again. "Jarik… take care… of my daughter- (cough) will you please?" she pleaded desperately.

"Mama don't leave me!" the little girl cried. Helen stroked her daughters hair sadly.

"You'll be alright… Mara, he'll take care of... you," she spoke painfully, her eyes starting to glaze over before she gazed sternly at Jarik.

"Promise me you… will take care of Mara Jade!" she pleaded desperately, coughing harshly.

Jarik nodded his head determinedly. "I will, don't you worry about that. Just rest," he assured her gently.

Helen smiled in relief, before her eyes closed for the last time, and her body went still.

"Mama? Mama please wake up!" Mara pleaded desperately, shaking her mother. "Wake up mom!"

The sound of Imperial's approaching caught Jarik's attention, and he looked out the window with narrowed eyes before raising his arm to his head.

"R5, prepare the shuttle for take off," he ordered his astromech. R5 beeped in confirmation and Jarik closed the transmission, putting a hand on Mara's shoulder.

"Mara we have to go," he told her.

"No! I won't leave Mama!" she cried out fiercely, holding Helen's still form.

"We have to go Mara! She wouldn't want you to stay here, please Mara!" Jarik said sternly, but trying to be comforting at the same time. When she refused, Jarik sighed before grabbing Mara gently but firmly.

"I'm sorry Mara, but we have to leave her!" he said.

"NOO! She'll wake up! She always does!" Mara cries out, struggling against Jarik as he rushed out of the house.

"She's gone Mara, she's gone," he replied, struggling not to cry himself. No family should ever have to suffer through this pain.

Mara finally stopped struggling but let out an agonizing wail, as Jarik carried her away from the home and the Second Sister, just as Imperial Stormtroopers began to swarm the place. Mara cried into Jarik's shoulder as they ran through the forest towards his ship, where R5 was waiting to take off.

* * *

 **12 BBY - 7 years after the Great Jedi Purge**

 **Undiscovered planet - Unknown Regions.**

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the III sighed angrily, trudging through the dirt back towards his house. The moment he left the forge, Snotlout and the twins immediately pounced and started making a fool of him, calling him names and shoving him to the ground. Gobber wasn't there to stop them since he was at the Great Hall. His father wouldn't be of any help either.

Even at seven years of age, most of the kids were already developing some muscle or Viking skill, but not Hiccup. He was seven himself yet had no Viking talent or skills whatsoever, besides his intelligence and creativity, which nobody cared about.

He looked up at the two setting suns longingly before entering the house, thinking about his current situation in life. He remembered some old books that Gothi once allowed him to read, which showed their people's history. One story that really fascinated him was when the gods themselves apparently came down from the heavens and taught them the Norse language a few millennia ago, and rumors were they even constructed a Temple on a long lost island.

The gods also named their world of great archipelago's and oceans Ahch-To, which every Viking takes pride in the name, no matter who they were. To them the name of the world Odin gifted to them was holy, and should not be insulted in any way, otherwise it would be considered blasphemy. Hiccup has always loved this tale the moment he heard of it, and he wished he could be so fortunate as to be like the rest of his peers.

With these thoughts, he entered his house to get ready for bed, and the next day of torment tomorrow.

* * *

 _So how's that for a twist in the story? We've got Mara Jade rescued from what she would become as the Emperor's Hand, and then the planet that the HTTYD universe resides on is actually Ahch-To!_

 _Weren't expecting that planet to come into effect this early huh guys? The reason I thought of this is that the planet Ahch-To is a massive archipelago of islands like HTTYD, with a climate that fits perfectly with Berk and the HTTYD world._

 _I will admit when it comes to Legends content I haven't really read very many of the books at all. The only one I've read completely is the Revan novel, and I've started some on Heir to the Empire, so don't expect my knowledge of events that I'm mixing into the Shaniverse from Legends and CANON to be perfect. And this includes character personality as well. Most of this applies to Legends content after ROTJ; things relating to the Old Republic have always held much more interest to me than things in the New Republic ever will. I like lore and history, and Star Wars has so much of it! :)_

 _If you have any suggestions for how Mara Jade should act as a person let me know! And please try to stay as in character to her personality from the books as you can, not some made up version of her personality._

 _Thanks for your support of the story! I'm glad you all have enjoyed Jarik's story so much since I started!_


	3. Ch 2 - Searching for Tano

**_4 Years Earlier (18 BBY)_**

 **Ord Mantell System; Jarik POV...**

The Slicer. That's what they used to call me, way back during what already feels like forever ago, during the Clone Wars. I was The Slicer, great Jedi Commander and heroic warrior apprenticed to the Negotiator.

Now, I am still called The Slicer, however now it has a completely different meaning. Instead of being the holonet given name of a war hero, it is now the name of a traitor and enemy of all the free citizens living in the galaxy. A terrorist who craves violence and death.

Yeah, Imperial propaganda is some wonderful stuff to read on, if you're able to read one of their articles. Actually that's all you can read if you are one of the average, low ranking people of the Galactic Empire under Palpatine's reign. Propaganda that spouts wonderful and amazing things about the Empire and its need to bravely protect and serve the people, when that couldn't be any further from the truth. It was absolutely sickening. I almost let R5 angrily destroy and blow up a small post office that displayed a poster of him with a bunch of lies, only keeping him at bay because it would draw attention, and I didn't want to have to flee from the planet right now.

Staying hidden from Stormtroopers, Inquisitors or worse was hard enough already. I've already run into two weak Inquisitors, who I escaped easily, but set worse enemies on my path immediately. I also no longer wore my Jedi robes, as that was a dead giveaway of who I really was, but I still wore a black cloak and hood to stay cautious. Of course even that was a little risky, because common sense has you wonder when a cloaked figure is ever not suspicious.

I then accidentally bumped into someone walking by, stumbling slightly.

"Hey, you just watch yourself!" the guy I bumped into threatened angrily, jabbing a finger at me. Beside him an Aqualish male said a few words I couldn't understand, although he seemed angry as well. I was momentarily stunned by the grotesque face the guy I bumped into had, looking recently scarred and cut violently before I responded.

"Sorry, my mistake, won't happen again," I said briskly, walking away from the violent pair.

"It better not!" the man yelled at my retreating form, and I rolled my eyes in annoyance. Criminal scum, absolutely revolting with how many forms they come in. Oh what has the galaxy come to?

Anyways, I was here for a reason, and part of it was on my mission to locate Ahsoka, or if possible uncover information for Senator Organa's small but slowly growing rebellion of trusted allies. Now, searching for Ahsoka on Ord Mantell may seem strange and very unlikely, and it isn't because I'm searching for Ahsoka, rather it's about the possibility of any information that might direct me to her. R5 was waiting in my ship, keeping it secured from anyone who might try to take it, as well as being on standby for any information I uncover and send him to analyze.

In the last few months before the Empire's takeover, the criminal group known as the Shadow Collective had fought a battle here with the Separatists, capturing Dooku and Grievous, much to my surprise when I learned that last week. And since Maul was the person who ruled the Shadow Collective, any knowledge about them could tie in with a clue to what happened to Ahsoka when Order 66 occurred on Mandalore. It was the best lead I had so far, considering it's only been 5 months since I parted ways with Obi-Wan and Master Yoda.

Searching the crowded street, I continued to walk along before spotting my target: a human male wearing customized armor. It was detailed so that it wouldn't stand out at all when in public areas, but I could recognize it as being similar to Mandalorian armor. That of the Death Watch, and this guy had to be a part of them. His armor has faded red colors, so they definitely weren't a part of Bo-Katan's group, since red armor was used by the ones who followed Maul. I watched him walk down the street before following discretely after he was a good enough distance away.

He traveled down the street, glancing around before slipping down a side alley, which was most likely his hideout or something. Whatever, time to interrogate a criminal.

I glanced around at the different people walking through the street, spotting a small patrol of Stormtroopers before crossing the road to the other side. Once there, I slipped into a small alleyway and made sure I was clear of any potential witnesses. I then leaped up with the Force to the middle of the building height on my right, landing on the windowsill, which I made sure nobody was inside to see me. Pulling out my lightsaber, I activated it quickly and stabbed the window lock before quickly deactivating it, pulling the window open. I crawled inside before shutting it with the Force, glancing around to make sure nobody was nearby.

"R5, I'm in. Get me a scan of this building," I order quietly.

He beeps in response and a few moments later, a 3D hologram of the dingy apartment complex appears on my comlink, showing the layout of the building. I zoomed in on it, searching around the ground floor for the Mandalorian, and spotted him in the elevator shaft, heading up to the third level. Smiling to myself, I exited the small room I was in and rushed through the hallways to the stairwell, opening the door. I was on the 5th level, so I leaped over the railing and fell down the small shaft, reaching out with my left arm to grab onto the wall, flipping myself in front of the door for floor three. I pulled up the hologram again and saw him exit the elevator, heading for room 327.

Exiting the stairwell, I followed his progress with the map, and once he entered his room, I made my move. Closing down the hologram and deactivting the door, I walked up to room 327 and knocked.

"Housekeeping!" I called in a humorously shrill voice.

I could sense his bewilderment, irritation and most importantly, suspicion as he walked over to the door slowly. Most likely a blaster in his hand. He slowly opened the door, and I gave him just enough time to peek out at me before I punched the door with my mechanical arm, the extra strength knocking the door aside at astonishing speed. He goes flying back into the room, and I rush inside the apartment, leaping into the air and bringing both of my fists down onto his unprotected head, his helmet left in the corner.

The effect is instant, and he gets knocked unconscious. I stand up, wincing slightly as I roll and flex my left arm.

"Oh, good plan but now my arm needs fixing," I mutter in irritation, not looking forward to having R5 check it out. He takes every opportunity to discretely shock me while doing so, and I've given up trying to get him to stop. What a punk. Imagine if he and Revan's droid, HK-47 met each other. That's a nightare worse than Darth Sidious.

* * *

It took a few minutes for the guy to wake up, and he did so groggily, blinking his eyes in confusion. I had already tied him up in the desk chair, and removed any weapons he could've had on him. He had a lot, considering his Mandalorian status, unsurprisingly. He tries to move his hands, and upon realizing they were cuffed, he looks up angrily.

"What's going on? What is this?" he demands.

"An interrogation," I said simply, leaning back in another swiveling chair nearby.

He gazes at me with narrowed eyes. "Who are you?" he asks.

In response, I pull down my hood. My hair had gotten a little bit longer, since I had let it grow out ever since becoming Knighted. For one, it helped to change my looks over time, making me harder to identify, and two: I think it looks cool. Master Qui-Gon certainly looked like a pro with long hair, although I probably won't go that long.

He widens his eyes before glowering angrily at me. _"Chakaaryc! Demagolka!"_ he seethes angrily in Mando'a.

I roll my eyes in exasperation, not at all surprised by him spewing curses that I could not understand at me. Honestly, you'd think these guys would have something better to do than furiously hate a guy for the actions of his very, very long dead ancestor who lived more than 3000 years ago.

"Oh my Force will you shut up already?" I exclaim. "I don't care for your stupid insults, or your retarded hatred of me just because I'm related to Revan. How about we get on with it alright" I say sarcastically.

"And what would a slimy _di'kut_ want from me?" he sneers.

"What I want to know, is what happened during the Siege of Mandalore when Order 66 occurred." I ask him calmly.

"Why?" he demands angrily. "What's it to you?"

"I'm looking for a friend, and I would like to know what happened when the clones turned on the Jedi. Also, how did Maul escape?" I demand.

He laughs mockingly. "You'll get nothing out of me!" he declares, spitting at my face. I lean out of the way, cringing in disgust before whipping back around to face him with a bewildered expression.

"You sir are disgusting." I comment.

"A whole planet of _duse_ would be less disgusting than you!" he shouts.

I stand up suddenly, fed up with this guy and whip my lightsaber into his face, placing the blade emitter directly onto his forward, he stills instantly, glaring up at me with murderous eyes.

"Since you won't go the easy way, perhaps a Mandalorian would respond to a show of force?" I suggest, my voice dangerously calm.

He grins up at me. "You wouldn't dare kill a defenseless man _Jetii_ ," he declares smugly. I remain silent for a few moments before removing my lightsaber from his head, backing up slightly.

"You're right, I wouldn't kill a defenseless man," I say in agreement, and he smirks at me. I suddenly activate my lightsaber and swing it, scratching his arm. He shouts in pain, the flesh burning. It's a fairly easy wound to heal, but that doesn't mean it won't hurt.

"Jedi Code never said I couldn't hurt you a little bit," I remark casually, deactivating the lightsaber.

"You're crazy!" he yells.

"No, I'm just a simple, emotional teenager who is hunting for his girlfriend," I remark sarcastically with a roll of my eyes. "You gonna talk yet?"

"Never!" he spits out.

I sigh in disappointment, placing my lightsaber back on my belt. "Fine. Then I go the very difficult way," I say in resignation.

Closing my eyes, I reach my hand out towards his face and call upon the Force, pressing it down on the man's mind, basically in a more intense version of the Jedi mindtrick. He starts to hiss in pain, his head turning slightly red from the pressure, but still he doesn't give in. Focusing harder, I press down on his mind, searching for memories of the Siege of Mandalore, and he begins to yell in agony out before falling unconscious. I retract my hand, breathing heavily, but I got what knowledge he had of the incident. I never tried that before, and found I didn't like doing things that way with other people, but it all turned out okay in the end. I may not be as gifted in the Force as Ahsoka, but I had gotten a lot stronger ever since I became a Padawan.

Activating my lightsaber, I slice through his restraints, freeing him as he lays in the chair. No need for me to bother with him, and by the time he undoubtedly tries to inform the Imperials about my presence here for some sort of reward or satisfaction from my capture, me and R5 would be long gone.

"Get the ship ready R5, I've got what I needed," I tell him through the comlink.

* * *

Me and R5 had already blasted past the checkpoints in the city, home free to leave Ord Mantell by the time R5 picked up radio chatter concerning reports of a Jedi, beeping over at me accusingly. I shrugged in response.

"Hey, we're already gone, relax. I know where we're going next," I reassured the astromech.

Beeping disbelievingly, he swiveled around towards the back of our small ship, however beeping over to me snarkily beforehand, saying that my arm needed to be checked out. I groaned, not looking forward to the checkup, much to his amusement, before inputting the coordinates to our next location, where some sort of clue relating to Ahsoka was buried in the ground.

We were headed back to Mandalore.

* * *

 _The ship landed in the hanger of the Jedi Temple, and the door opened, which gave the young toddler, and newly discovered Force wielder Jarik Shan a good view of the place. He took everything in with wide eyes, and the Jedi Knight that found him brought him over to another nearby ship, which had just landed. The ramp lowered to reveal Jedi Master Plo Koon with a young Togrutan girl the same age as Jarik._

 _The two Jedi exchanged greetings and spoke with each other, while the younglings moved nervously up to each other, curious, yet hesitant and nervous about meeting new people._

 _"Hi, I'm Jarik. Who are you?" he asks the girl shyly with wide, innocent eyes._

 _"I'm Ahsoka," she replies timidly._

Deep in my memories and asleep, I let out a small, longing smile as I remembered the first time I had ever met Ahsoka. Back when everything was fun, with no war, no chaos, no Sith. Just our youngling clan and the anxiety of possible pranks

* * *

 _I bet you guys can all guess where this is going huh? Yeah!_

 ** _Mando'a Translations:_**

 _chakaaryc -_ rotten; low-life; generic adjective to describe an undesirable person of dubious ethics

 _demagolka -_ someone who commits atrocties; a real-life monster; a war criminal

 _duse -_ rubbish; waste; unclean things

 _Jetii - Jedi_

 _di'kut -_ idiot, useless individual, waste of space


	4. Ch 3 - Conflict on Mandalore

The ship dropped out of hyperspace just outside of scanning range from any Imperials that may be surrounding Mandalore. The ship that I used nowadays was a VCX-150 freighter, developed by Corellia of course, because who doesn't enjoy their ship building companies? R5 was in charge of making sure the engines and machinery were in the best condition possible, while I kept up on electrical circuits and communications abilities within it. Despite behind older, slightly beat up and at times sketchy, it still ran satisfactory, able to go at fast enough speeds to outrun Imperials.

"Wow. Certainly got quite the audience," I remarked warily. In orbit around the planet were three Imperial Star Destroyers, the full cruiser class. Not a good sign.

R5 expressed his complaints next to me in the cockpit. "Yeah I know it looks bad but we've gotta go through this!" I stress urgently with him.

He beeps angrily again and I let out a sigh. "You know, if we don't do this, we don't see Ahsoka again. And I know for a fact that you absolutely adore her, so you're going along with this," I tell him sternly.

He sinks glumly on his axels, letting out a low beep before going quiet, much to my satisfaction.

"Good. Time to sneak past a blockade," I say confidently.

* * *

What losers. For such a strong and mighty Empire capable of many great feats and boasts, that's all they are; hollow words. I'm willing to bet my Force bond with Ahsoka that the majority of its high ranking military officers are a bunch of arrogant, incompetent punks who only got their ranks through privileges with family or close friends. I was prepared to patiently, but agonizingly wait out the blockade, speeding towards Mandalore before shutting the entire thing down, allowing my burst of speed to continue flinging me towards the planet, gravity helping the journey along as well.

However R5 informed me that the Star Destroyers apparently weren't searching very hard at all for unauthorized ship access, so I gunned the engines straight underneath them, not suffering any problems at all. I doubt they even noticed me! Then once I reached the surface near the capital city, there was another Destroyer docked with it. This time I didn't take the risk and landed far from the dome, although not so far that it would be over 45 minutes of walking. Walking down the exit ramp, I pulled my hood back up, making sure my lightsaber was well hidden in my cloak.

R5 beeps at me again questioningly, and I turn to look at him. "Do you want to come along this time, or stay with the ship?" I ask him.

He beeps again, heading back inside and I roll my eyes. Whatever.

I exit the ship, and the ramp closes as I take a good look at my surroundings. Barren, destroyed land ravaged by centuries of war are all that greet me, dust blowing through the wind. The domed city capital of Sundari loomed in the distance, the single Star Destroyer parked there. With a sigh, I trudged forwards to brave the hot desert climate towards the dome, wondering what sort of clue I would find here in Mandalore.

* * *

 **Capital City Sundari, Mandalore: 3rd person POV...**

He stood there, overseeing the excavation that was by the limits of the city, far from anyone's view, and thought carefully about what was to come next. He knew who was coming, based on the report from that former Death Watch member hoping for a reward and satisfaction, of which he would get none. And he knew exactly who was coming.

Jarik Shan.

The Jedi was no doubt searching for the one he had a close connection to, drawn here by something, of which he had already found after Order 66, when he was appointed to his task. And using the objects he found would lure the Jedi into a trap, as his Force bond with the late Ahsoka Tano would sense the presence of them.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

After what felt like forever, I had finally gotten close to the city itself, so now was when I had to be extra cautious and careful with what was going on. The entrance to Sundari was far up by the docks, which was an obvious no for me, which meant I had to go through more secretive ways in order to find a way inside. Frowning, I glanced around the place warily, feeling there had to be some sort of defense of shield around the dome, regardless of the Star Destroyer hovering nearby. I could still hear the massive thrusters roaring as they kept the ship in the atmosphere and docked even from all the way down here.

"R5, anything I should be concerned about here?" I ask through the comlink.

He beeps back in reply, saying that his scans are picking up a faint energy pulse coming from the dome, and theorizes it to be a ray shield. Sighing in irritation, I thank him before rushing up to the wall as fast as I could, stopping just before it. I picked up a small pebble, tossing it against the dome wall. immediately, the pebble disintegrated into dust, being vaporized by the shield, which I could glimpse a small red light come from where the pebble hit.

"Ok, time to work my magic," I mutter, pulling a device out of my pocket. I hold it up, pressing a few buttons, and a small scanner comes out, the blue light reflecting out of the wall. Judging the strength and energy used to power the ray shields, my wonderful little device properly accounts for it and brings out four little modified electro-magnets. I'll be able to use these to temporarily deactivate the area radius within the square long enough to cut a hole through the wall.

I place the four magnets on the wall carefully, large enough for me to get through, and they sizzle slightly before setting properly, activating a thin laser which connects to all four. The area within that square is now empty of a ray shield.

Immediately, I pull out my lightsaber and activate it, cutting through the wall as fast as possible. The electro-magnets begin to beep quietly and I cut through faster, since the shields are about to come on soon. If I keep the shield blocked for too long then the Imperials would begin to notice, which I do not want.

Finally, I finish the cut, and slam into the wall, pushing through the thick metal. The moment I get passed the outer layer, the ray shield comes back on just a few centimeters away from me, and the electro-magnets are destroyed, falling off and too the ground, now useless. I let out a sigh of relief before pushing the cut up section again, going all the way through. The metal falls to the ground in front of me, and I enter the dark area, probably a forgotten section of the outer edges of the city that nobody would ever visit. Better for me.

* * *

A few minutes later, I was now in an area where there were some people milling around, in a more industrial area of Sundari. Like I suspected, there were Stormtroopers patrolling the streets, with civilians shuffling along orderly, giving the Imperial troops a wide berth. I have my hood up, my lightsaber concealed once again and walk through the streets as casually as possible, staying out of the crowded area. I still don't know what I'm supposed to be looking for, but there has to be something somewhere around here. I'll search the entire dome if I have to, although I am most definitely not looking forward to that possibility.

I then sense a small shift in the Force... lightly, but something. I shift my head slightly with a frown, probing along it before coming to a conclusion. What it is, I don't know, but I am going to trust in the Force to guide me. I begin heading down another direction away from the other people before a Stormtrooper rounds the corner in front of me, and makes for my direction. Great.

"What's your destination?" he demands, a little rudely.

"Just heading for my workplace. I'm late as it is sir," I respond meekly, keeping my head bowed in a submissive posture.

"Let me see your identification," he tells me.

Now that won't do. Not at all. Looking back up, I focus on the Force and wave my hand by his head. "You don't need to see my identification."

"I don't need to see your identification," he replies in a trance.

"I must be on my way with no interruptions."

"You must be on your way with no interruptions."

"Carry on."

"Carry on, carry on," he says, waving me forwards.

"Thank you kindly sir," I say with a smile, walking past him. Once I go by, he continues on his way as well, not remembering his meeting with me at all. Absolutely genius.

I continue through the city, feeling along with the Force for whatever I should be looking for. To my delight, the sensation I am getting is slowly getting strong, however I can't make out what it is yet. Luckily I'm in the more abandoned areas of the city, so I don't have to worry about Stormtroopers getting in my way again as much. I've heard rumors that those guys suck at their jobs anyways. Clone troopers were said to be much better...

I still slightly in remembrance of the good friends and great fighters under my command in the Clone Wars, before shaking my head, continuing onwards. There wasn't anything I could do, and it was not their fault. Sidious played us all, even his own apprentice Count Dooku. I have to wonder how Boil is doing, if he found Rex and whoever else was still free of the Empire's control.

Turning around a few more corners, the area begins to be filled with more dirt than roads and cracked streets, which is interesting. And the sensation from the Force that i'm am getting is only growing stronger. I then widen my eyes in surprise at the familiarity I'm finding from it, taking comfort in the Force from this. What is over there?!

Moving on quicker, I follow the pathway to its destination, eager to know what I will find.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

Following along with Shan's progress, he smiled to himself. He had the Jedi right where he wanted him, lured into the trap that he had set up. Soon it would be time for him to make his move, and bring Shan to the Emperor and Lord Vader. The former Grand inquisitor Barriss Offee failed. He would not.

"Ready the trap," he says into his comlink, moving out.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

I was absolutely dying to know what there was for me to find now, yet I could sense I was very close! I turned another corner around an abandoned old building made of stone to find a door. Easily slicing through it, I entered the room, finding a small courtyard surrounded by tall stone walls on all sides. Most of the place was covered in dirt and dust, small crates left discarded from whatever the room used to be. But what was in the middle had my attention immediately.

A small grave stone, with different markings on it. I frowned, moving forwards when I sensed this was what the Force was leading me towards. I couldn't understand it. A grave stone...?

That's when a tiny bit of gleaming silver just visible in front of the grave stone caught my attention. I focused in on the metal shine, before widening my eyes in disbelief. Immediately a reached a hand outwards, pulling on the silver metal with the Force. It dislodged itself, flying towards me and I caught it my left hand, gazing at it in absolute wonder and awe.

This was Ahsoka's lightsaber!

I couldn't believe it. I carefully ran a hand down the metal, sensing the kyber crystal within. It immediately reacted to my presence, shining gently into the Force, and the crystal within my own lightsaber sang in response, as they connected again after bring apart for many months.

As I was doing this however, I jerked my head up, sensing a warning through the Force before reinforced doors slammed down all around me, replacing the otherwise old and cracked stone with thick impenetrable walls. I whipped around after sensing a dark presence in the Force, finding someone step through the door I had entered earlier. And he was tall.

"I see you've found Tano's lightsaber young Shan," the Pau'an stated with a smirk, hands behind his back.

I scowled, sensing the dark side swirling within him, and his glowing yellow eyes was all the confirmation I need to assure myself that this was another Jedi hunter, although I was already more wary of him than the other laughable slack jobs I had come across previously.

"Who are you?" I demand, holding Ahsoka's lightsaber tightly in my hands as I turned to face him.

"I am the Grand Inquisitor," he states, stepping forwards and bringing his right arm forward. In it was held the same lightsaber design I had seen the other two wielding, a blade that had a circular attachment around the hilt, which could extend further for it's spinning feature. The red lightsaber sprang to life from his weapon, and he held it at his side, mirroring a Makashi stance. Well at least I now know what he uses.

"Welcome," he says with a smirk, fangs in his mouth visible.

I activated Ahsoka's green lightsaber in my hand, holding it up to my side. "I'll have you know that I won't be so easy to defeat," I warn him.

"Oh I'm well aware of your abilities, having been able to defeat Barriss Offee on Mustafar, and I assure you it won't happen here," he says confidently.

Narrowing my eyes, I rush forwards and swing my lightsaber at his side. He catches it with his own blade, and we exchange a quick series of blows with each other. I take notice of the fact that he fights very similar to Count Dooku, although not at the same skill level as him of course. Seeing this, I mae a quick jab towards him, which he sidesteps, swinging for my unprotected side. Anticipating this, I jump over him I lash out with my green saber, which he blocks by activating his second lightsaber, now holding a saberstaff. I land behind him and whip around, pulling out my own blue lightsaber, getting into a Jar'Kai stance as the Inquisitor turns around, brandishing his saberstaff.

"You use Makashi?" I observe.

"Quite so. You've stayed in practice as well," he also notices.

"Doesn't hurt when I have to take out people like you," I say challengingly.

"Admirable, but confidence can only get you so far," he remarks, rushing forwards again.

I bring up both of my lightsabers, blocking both ends of his before shoving him back, twirling my blue blade around and swiping at him. He deflects the attack, bringing the other end of his saber up for an vertical swipe, and I sidestep out of the way, bringing Ahsoka's blade down on him. He easily blocks it, and we continue our small bout, circling around each other before he kicks me in the stomach, sending me back a few feet.

"Is that all you've got young Padawan?" he says mockingly.

I eye the door behind him and answer with a smirk on my face. "No. And I'm also a Knight for your information."

Thrusting my hands forwards, I unleash a powerful Force push. He widens his eyes and leaps to the side, while my blast continues onwards, smashing into the closed door and blowing it off of its hinges. Deactivating my lightsabers, I immediately run out of the room, and the Inquisitor follows after me, anger pouring off of him.

"Secure the city!" I hear him say into a comlink. Great. I press a button on my own comlink, signaling to R5 that I need an evac immediately. He won't be happy that's for sure.

I vault over a large crate and continue running, before another destroyed section of wall is suddenly flung into my path, I skid to a stop, whipping around and activating my blue lightsaber as the Inquisitor slams his down onto mine. He pushes me back into the wall, and I grit my teeth as he attempts to shove our lightsabers into me. Thinking fast, I let go with my mechanical hand and shove him back, jumping up onto part of the wall and then using that as momentum to hurl myself like a spear at the Inquisitor. He bats my attack to the side, and I land on the ground with a roll, leaping back up to dodge his next attack before jumping on top of a building.

I continue running away as fast as I can, and once more he continues to follow after me at a furious pace while we exit the abandoned parts of the city. I was looking desperately for an exit, and once we got into an area where people were milling around, some looked up at me and gasped in surprise as I jumped from building to building, the Inquisitor following. Stormtroopers on the ground looked up as well and began to fire their blasters at me. I deflect the shots while running along, glancing around before spotting a speeder hanging around nearby.

Not caring for who is nearby, I leap over towards the speeder and hop on, firing the engine. I look up to see the Inquisitor's lightsaber hurtling straight towards my face, and yelp, quickly brining my lightsaber up and slamming the saberstaff away, where it falls on the ground a few feet from me. I see the Inquisitor jump towards the ground, calling his lightsaber to him and gun the engines, lifting the speeder from the ground.

Immediately I take off, and he watches me go with fury in his eyes while I give him a two fingered salute.

However this isn't over yet I'm sure, as he no doubt will call for reinforcements to chase me down, which means I have to leave Mandalore fast. Obvious Ahsoka's lightsaber is what I came here for, probably something she had to give up to make it seem like she was dead.

Not a few moments later three speeder bikes whip around the corner and chase after me while I fly through the bustling speeder lanes on Mandalore. Stormtroopers open fire, and I deflect a fw shots away from me to the best of my ability, searching for the docks in order to get out of the city. If I wasn't there by the time he arrived, we both agreed that he would be forced to leave me until I found a safer spot for him to pick me up.

I continued to draw closer to the direction of the docks, and more Imperial speeder backs began to enter in on the chase, making it more difficult to deflect or evade the constant blaster fire while also concentrating on driving. IT felt like ages after going through multiple turns and open areas before I noticed the docks in the far distance. As predicted, the large doors that keep the place sealed off were closed, and a large group of stormtroopers were there waiting, even what looked to be Mandalorians dressed in the colors of the Empire.

They aimed their blasters all at me and I scowled, pressing up the speed on the speeder bike. They opened fire, but I managed to weave around the blaster fire, internally agreeing with the rumors I had heard. Aside from the Imperial Mandalorians, these stormtroopers sucked at shooting. Once I was close enough, I aimed the speeder at the center of the door, gunning it to full power before leaping off at the right moment, slashing through the speeders engine in the middle of my flip. The Imperials in front of me all leaped out of the way of the speeder, which exploded in a huge fireball upon hitting the large doors. My lightsaber slash through the engine would have made it even more unstable, causing a larger explosion upon contact with the wall.

Thankfully, the explosion was large enough that it provided a way for me to exit from the inside of the dome, and I took the chance, running for the hole while the Mandalorians flew after me, since some had jetpacks. Just out of my view, I could see the Grand inquisitor leaping out of a drop-ship before running in my direction. R5 you better be there when I get out of here.

Entering into the broad daylight, Stormtroopers outside patrolling the platform took notice of me running and opened fire. I deflected the blaster fire back as I continued to run for the very edge of the docks, stopping once I had no where left to run. I glanced back to find the Inquisitor and several Mandalorians headed straight for me. My comlink beeped in reply, and I smirked, turning around to look at them before leaping backwards off of the platform. Beneath me was the ship, R5 waiting just below the docks. I landed on top, getting inside through the emergency hatch while R5 blasted off to orbit.

Entering the cockpit, R5 squealed angrily at me and I rolled my eyes. "Yeah yeah, you can complain later, now let me drive!" I say, sitting in the pilots seat.

Just around the planet, the tree orbiting Star Destroyers turned to my direction, unleashing TIE Fighter's from their hangers, flying straight for me.

"You got a hyperspace jump?" I ask my astromech as the TIE's open fire. I roll the ship out of the way, pressing the trigger to fire back at them, although these guns were not very good. He beeps in reply, and the Star Destroyers move in closer, turning their turbolasers to us.

"Then punch it!" I exclaim.

He turns the plug in his astromech socket, beginning our hyperspace jump, and just as the Star Destroyer's open fire with their cannons, our ship blasts off into hyperspace.


	5. Ch 4 - Clones and Clues

**5 months later...**

Ever since my encounter with the Grand Inquisitor on Mandalore, I've decided to lay low for the time being. Especially since Vader is still alive, and will no doubt be searching for me and Obi-Wan with everything he has for revenge. When I found out, I was shocked and horrified at the fact that we brought Luke to live on his home planet of Tatooine, but eventually thought better of it. From what I knew, Anakin loathed Tatooine, and anything that ever related to going back there, most likely because of his upbringing as a slave. So I had forced myself to calm down and trust in the Force that everything would be alright.

"So how is the search going?" Senator Organa's voice asked me.

Oh yes, I was currently met up with him on the Tantive IV to discuss how things were going at the moment. Right now the groups who would rebel against the Empire were exceptionally small, with it really only being under Bail's command. I helped out with finding people to recruit whenever I could, however I was still mostly focused on finding Ahsoka. I continued to lightly touch her lightsaber under the desk as I replied.

"Slow, at the moment. I'm trying to lay low after that fiasco on Mandalore," I told him.

"I won't be able to keep you hidden forever you know," he points out and I nod in understanding.

"I know. That's why I leave periodically from time to time, mostly just being me and R5," I say.

"Well, have you found any clues?" he asks me curiously, sitting down at the desk. "I've been busy the last few months with lots of things.

I take his word for it, and hold up Ahsoka's lightsaber for him to see. He eyes it in surprise. "Is that what I think it is?" he asks.

"It's her lightsaber," I confirm. "She must have buried it before escaping Mandalore to give the impression that she was dead."

"But you know better?"he asks knowingly.

"Hmm hmm," I say in response.

We're silent for a few moments before he speaks up again. "I may have an idea, and it possible lead. I don't know if it's a Jedi, much less Ahsoka, but it's something."

"What is it?" I ask, intrigued.

"Scattered around the Outer Rim, small acts of kindness dotted here and there in no discernible pattern: pirate ship thwarted, food delivered to a planet, but what got my attention the most," he said, glancing around warily before leaning closer. "...Imperial reports of Jedi activity on Raada," he said quietly.

I widened my eyes in surprise. "Are you sure?" I ask him. "Is it a definite?" the possibility of another Jedi survivor, or of this being Ahsoka herself was wonderful news. Even if it isn't Ahsoka, to know I had found another Jedi would be wonderful.

"i can't be certain of anything, but I sent two trusted pilot's, Chadri and Tamsin to meet them, as well as R2," he told me.

"Discretely of course?" I say.

"Yes, although they don't know the possibility that it is a Jedi," he informs me.

"Probably for the best," I decide. "If they knew that the person they were looking for was a Jedi, it would be dangerous for them and for the Jedi."

"That's what I thought as well," he says before checking his chronometer. "I have some business to attend to shortly," he says, standing up. I get up from the table as well.

"Well, I hope your meeting with the Jedi goes well, if you even get the chance too at all," I say, bidding him farewell as I head out the door to my ship.

* * *

After leaving the Tantive IV, me and R5 headed out for another wonderful clue to Ahsoka's whereabout's right now. I probably wouldn't have discovered it if it weren't for the help of R5's constant surveillance on radio chatter, which he speaks about with much smugness. All I know is that someone on the planet Bardotta had caught wind of her location, but hasn't said anything except to the person he was communicating with. She was also mentioned in code form as the 'Fierce Commander.' It wasn't much to go on, not by a long shot, but it was more than anything else I ever had before. And I was willing to take it.

That's why I am now currently walking through a small town on the planet where the transmission was last heard. Currently, R5 was watching over the ship while I traveled through the town, wearing my robes and hood up to conceal my identity as always. Stormtrooper squads patrolled through the streets as usual, and up ahead at the end of the road there was even a scout walker. Not a good sign. I'm not entirely sure of what or who I'm looking for, but made sure to carefully reach out through the force for any indication of the person I was looking to find.

Then I felt it. Recognizing the type of person that was walking, I stiffened in surprise and displeasure before moving in the proper direction for who was at the end of it. Once I got close enough I had visual confirmation of who I was feeling.

The person I was looking for had a beard, with a cap on his head and a heavy coat, but there was no mistaking the look of a clone. I narrowed his eyes angrily and suspiciously, discretely striding towards him through the crowd of people. To my brilliant luck, the clone decided to turn down an alleyway that was separated from other people. All the more easy for me to interrogate this guy.

I turned down that direction and sneaked along the walls, using the shadows to my advantage. The clone then began to tense up as he realized he was being followed, but it was too late for him to do anything.

I jumped into action, leaping forwards and kicking him in the face, causing the clone to stumble into the wall. I rushed forward and put my left arm against his throat while pulling out my lightsaber, pointing the hilt at his head.

"Scream, and your finished!" I whisper harshly. The clone stopped moving, already knowing the warning I was implying. Then to my surprise and suspicion, the clone's eyes widened with a hint of recognition.

"Commander Shan?" he asked me. I pressed my arm closer against the clones throat. "Who wants to know clone?"

"Commander, it's me! It's me Rex!" he says quickly.

Hearing him say that, I widened my eyes in surprise, not expecting that. He definitely looked different, however I couldn't trust him fully yet.

"And why should I believe that you are Rex?" I ask him suspiciously.

"I helped Ahsoka escape from Mandalore," he started to say, and I allowed him to continue. "The rest of us clones… we were controlled by chips in our heads! I learned this from Fives before he was killed!" Rex explained, doing his best to stay non-hostile.

"What happened?" I asked him.

"We were just about to apprehend Maul when the Order came. My brothers turned on Ahsoka and fired at her. I ordered them to stop but, they of course didn't listen. So I shot them down and helped Ahsoka escape," he explained. "Before leaving Mandalore, we buried many of our things, including Ahsoka's lightsabers."

"Yeah I know. I found your grave sight," I told him.

Rex nodded. "It was a way for us to keep people from thinking we were alive. She thought it was for the best."

Thinking this over, I nodded and let go of his throat, putting my lightsaber away. Good to know that Rex was still his good self. "Nice to know you're still in one piece Rex," I remark.

"Glad to hear it commander," he says with a small smile.

"Oh no, I'm not a commander anymore so you can just stop saying that," I said with an eye roll, and he nods in understanding before frowning.

"Speaking of which, how did you figure out I was alive and where I was?" Rex asked me in confusion.

After a moment's hesitation I replied, trusting him but still wary. The Empire had eyes and ears everywhere after all. "I… picked up a trail that was hard to follow. Barely caught wind of a clue in a transmission with the words, 'Fierce Commander."

Hearing this, Rex widened his eyes in recognition. "I said that. When I was sending a message to Commander Wolffe!"

"Commander Wolffe?" I question with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes sir- um, Jarik. I managed to convince him to remove his chip as well before the Order came," he quickly explained to me.

I nod my head, already knowing this from Boil. Speaking of which... "And has Boil found you yet?"

Before Rex can answer, a shout at the end of the alley comes to our ears. "Rex!" Someone cries out.

We turn to look, and to my surprise two clones are there, one with a cybernetic eye and the other very familiar... The clone with the cybernetic eye, who has to Wolffe raises his blaster at me, about to open fire and I tense up.

"Whoa whoa whoa, easy there Wolffe!" his partner says, and I recognize it to be Boil, much to my pleasant surprise.

"But he's a-" Wolffe goes to protest.

"It's alright Wolffe, we're all friends here," he says placatingly, and I relax after Wolffe lowers his blaster, although hesitantly.

"Well, it's nice to see you still alive and in one piece," I comment to Boil.

"You as well commander," he replies, and I roll my eyes again.

"How many times do I have to remind you?" I mutter to myself.

"Woah, a Jedi?" another clone voice calls out, although it sounds slightly messed up. I glance to the side to view another clone step out of a building, eyeing me with fascination. I raise an eyebrow as I take notice of the state he's in. He looks like he's been through a bunch of crap a some point, skin still scarred heavily in some places, and his mentality through the Force was a little on the loopy side. I'm sure he's still very good and intelligent, it's just more like he's on constant alcohol or something, probably because of whatever battle he went through.

"Gregor, not so loud will ya?" Rex scolds irritably.

"What? I haven't seen one in years Captain!" he cries out with a grin.

"Wait, Gregor, as in Clone Commander Gregor?" I ask in surprise, remembering the mission that R2 went on with a few other astromech droids.

"Ah ha! That's the one!" he exclaims.

Boil coughs into his hand. "Excuse me sir but, shouldn't we take this somewhere more... private?" he suggests.

I glance around and nod my head, and so does Rex. "Yeah, good idea. We have a place nearby, and were just about to leave tomorrow actually," Rex tells me.

"Alright, well lead the way guys," I say, gesturing forwards.

* * *

"So... you're leaving for Seelos tomorrow?" I ask for confirmation. The five of us were all gathered in the main room of their apartment, although Wolffe was standing against the wall nearby, a little distrustful. I wouldn't blame him considering these tough times.

"Yeah. Gonna spend our retirement there." Rex tells me.

"Isn't Seelos basically an empty dustball of salt and desert?" I point out.

"Sure is, but we're gonna be living it up in a tank and everything!" Gregor says enthusiastically. I shake my head in amusement.

"Leave to you guys to spend retirement in a freaking tank," I remark.

"Well you can never be to careful commander. Never know when we might need to defend ourselves from some baddies out there," Boil says with a grin.

"Yeah, 'baddies,'" Wolffe says quietly.

"Right," I say in response. "So... do you have any idea of where Ahsoka might be Rex?" I ask him.

He sighs in response. "Wish I did, but we haven't had contact since splitting up from Mandalore, although I heard rumors of Jedi activity over there." Rex replies.

I grin sheepishly. "That... may have been my fault when I found your grave site," I replied, rubbing my neck.

"Wait, really?" Rex asks in surprise.

"Yeah. I told you already remember?" I remind him.

"Well, how did you find that?" he asks in bewilderment.

I shrugged. "Got a tip from someone, led me to Mandalore, then I followed the trail towards your grave site, finding this in there," I told him, showing Ahsoka's lightsaber before putting it back in my cloak. "And I'm sure they believe you two to be dead, so I wouldn't worry about them looking for you. They tried to trap me using Ahsoka's lightsaber."

Rex sighed in relief. "Glad to hear you made it out ok," he says.

"Was it deadly? What kind of action went on over there?" Gregor asked eagerly.

"Well, they tried to trap me, but I escape, and blew up a docking bay door in the process." I told Gregor, and Boil scoffed.

"Bet I could've made a bigger explosion then what you might have done," he says challengingly.

"Trust me Boil, you wouldn't have," I told him, thinking about the Grant Inquisitor. They didn't need to know about the Inquisitor's yet, since it didn't concern them. It's not like the Inquisitor's were hunting clones after all, much less ones believed to already be dead.

"Well, I better get going then," I say, standing up. "Nothing more for me to do here."

The others stood up as well. "Glad to know you're still alive commander," Boil says happily.

"And if you do manage to find Ahsoka, let her know I'm doing alright," Rex asks me, and I nod my head in response.

"You got it."

* * *

After returning to the ship, parked on the outskirts of the small town, I entered the ramp towards the cockpit, where R5 was waiting. To my surprise, the ship's control console was blinking, signaling an incoming message. I click the button to accept the call, and a hologram pops up. It was Senator Organa.

"Senator? What's going on?" I ask him in confusion.

 _"We've found her,"_ he says briskly, and too the point. I blink my eyes in shock, stunned and unsure if I heard him right.

"Wait, are you serious?!" I exclaim in surprise, and eagerly.

 _"Yes. We spoke with each other, and right now she's headed back to Raada,"_ he tells me. _"However there's a bit of a problem."_

I narrow my eyes. "What problem?"

 _"She and I believe that someone is waiting for her; a gray creature that carries a lightsaber. I believe it to be one of these Inquisitor's you spoke of,"_ he informs me.

I widen my eyes in worry, before narrowing them in determination. I won't let Ahsoka face this guy alone. "I'll be there as fast as I can."

 _"So will I, to take in refugees from the planet. May the Force be with you,"_ he tells me, disconnecting the transmission.

This is it; I know where Ahsoka is. As well as an Inquisitor. It's time to reunite with her once and for all.

* * *

 _Whooo things are getting serious, the big reunion comes next chapter omg! :O Also, Ahsoka novel references. If you haven't read that book by E.K. Johnston I highly suggest it, because it is awesome! Also Rex, Wolffe, Gregor and Boil whooo._

 _I just remembered something I forgot to say about this story. Because it takes place over so many years of time, it's going to be done in different parts, like Act 1, Act 2, etc. Right now we're in Act 1 phase, which is Jarik reuniting with Ahsoka and finding Mara Jade, like you read in the prologue. Act 2 is when the HTTYD world comes into play. :D_

 _Thank you guys all so much for the support!_


	6. Ch 5 - Showdown on Raada

_Just as a note before hand; I do not own any of the dialogue that was written in the Ahsoka novel, aside from small changes to fit my story! That work belongs to E.K. Johnston, author of the book! Give credit to him for his epic novelization of Ahsoka's story!_

* * *

 **Ahsoka POV...**

I walked through the streets of Raada, waiting for the creature to come out. I wasn't disappointed.

"Jedi!" he said, his voice harsh and echoing all around me. I felt around with the Force, narrowing my eyes in an attempt to find him.

"You have something that I want," I said back firmly, hoping he would talk back. If he did so it would be much easier for me to rescue Kaeden, and retrieve the crystals which sang to me, feeling so close now.

"Poor little Kaeden Larte," he said again mockingly. "So hopeful that her Jedi friend would come for her. I had to tell her that the Jedi don't have friends. Jedi don't have attachments of any kind. They're heartless and cold and don't eve understand what love is."

I honed in on his location, focusing on the Force. I grinned to myself as I began to sense his true location. "I don't know who taught you about the Jedi," I remarked. "But they seem to have left out a few things. You should ask for better lessons." I thought about Jarik, about our Force bond, and about our feelings for each other, thoughts which filled my heart with giddiness and love. The creature was wrong about us.

"I told Kaeden that you weren't a real Jedi," he mocked. "I told her that you were probably so scared of me that you were twelve systems away and never coming back. I'm happy to be wrong," he says gleefully.

As soon as he said that, I sensed him jump off of the roof behind me and whipped around once he landed. Even in person I had no idea what kind of creature he really was, the typical description of gray fitting him perfectly. He was tall, and obviously very strong, wearing armor along with a helmet. However his face shield was up, which I smiled internally at. He needed to have the shield up to see me for the battle, while if necessary, I could find him blind with the Force.

The creature activated his lightsaber, which hummed dark, so different from my lightsaber crystals, which I could sense so close now! Swinging his lightsaber harshly, he attempted to slice me apart, but I dodged out of the way, clearing my mind of any distractions. He struck again, and I used my skills to predict his movements, deflecting his attacks by shoving his arms away, throwing him off balance or ducking and dodging out of the way of his blows. He grew furious, doubling his efforts even harder.

Despite his lack of finesse or true skill, he made up for it in brute strength and power. However that was all he seemed to rely on. I let him push my back, continuing to deflect or weave around his attacks before using the front step of the house behind me to leap over his head. He swung his lightsaber wildly in my direction, but missed messily. I landed in a crouch behind him, getting back into my ready stance.

"Impressive," he says.

"You're easily impressed. I'm just getting started," I replied. "I know someone who would be laughing at you right now," I stated with a smirk.

He growled angrily, and my smirk fell when I sensed multiple beings approaching; stormtroopers. They must have heard or spotted our commotion, and began to line the walls around me, aiming their blasters and firing. Leaping to the side, I ducked down a side street, the red lasers hitting off of the walls while the creature followed after me. I turned around the face him, and he began to make his lightsaber spin. It was strange, but I was not intimidated. I've faced much worse than him.

"What are you?" I demand. "Who made you like this?"

"I serve the Empire," he states simply.

"Well you certainly have a sense for drama," I mutter sarcastically.

Reaching out for him, I focus on the Force, remembering my lessons that Anakin taught, my connection with the Force, my love for Jarik, our sparring sessions, and sense for the creature's balance as he moves forward to swing at me. Raising my hand, I unleash a burst of the Force, jarring his balance and hold of the lightsaber, causing him to stumble backwards, shocked at my power over him, although not yet defeated.

"I have a sense for power," he boasts. "And you do not have enough to resist me for much longer, weaponless as you are."

That was where he was so wrong. Despite not having a lightsaber, no Jedi was ever without a weapon. We carry the Force, which is greater than any blaster or lightsaber one could wield. But before I could do anything, a massive surge in the Force behind me makes me widen my eyes in shock, sensing the familiar presence of the wielder. I ducked, and the Force energy traveled over me and slammed into the creature, sending him back down the alley with a surprised and angry cry.

I turned around, and nearly cried. There was Jarik, right arm outstretched, a relieved look with tears on his smiling face, emotions bleeding wildly through our bond as we met each other's presence again for the first time in so long.

 _"Jarik!"_ I cried out across our bond, rushing for him and leaping into his arms, wrapping my around his neck. _"You found me!"_

He wrapped his arms around me as well and we held each other tightly, letting our relief and emotional feelings speak for themselves, being unable to convey it in words.

 _"Was there any doubt that I wouldn't?"_ he managed to say back snarkily. I half laughed and cried, at that. We finally found each other again...

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

I couldn't express in words how overjoyed and relieved I was to have finally found Ahsoka after all this time, and it felt so good to have her in my arms again, it was just the perfect moment.

Unfortunately our reunion was broken when the Inquisitor growled, reactivating his saberstaff as he stood back up, glaring at us furiously. Me and Ahsoka separated, and I glared at the Inquisitor as he stepped forward, activating his blade's twirling feature. I pulled out my own lightsaber, activating it and prepared to face the Inquisitor, ready to defend Ahsoka with all my power before she laid a hand on my chest, stopping me from stepping forwards.

"Wait, this is something I have to do," she told me.

I eyed her incredulously and skeptically, but through the bond I could sense her confidence and trust in the Force, so I complied, allowing her to step forwards.

"You should have let your friend protect you girl," the Inquisitor said mockingly.

"Wasn't it you who said Jedi have no friends?" Ahsoka retorted back.

Despite the situation, I couldn't help but laugh at the comment, finding this guy to be another pushover. Certainly not as dangerous as the Grand Inquisitor.

Speaking of which, he growled furiously and stepped forwards, holding his lightsabers as if to intimidate us, however we were not afraid. When together, we were never afraid. He continued to step forwards, and that's when Ahsoka breathed calmly, stretching out her arm towards the Inquisitor's blade, calling on the Force. Sensing her intent, the Inquisitor attempted to pull his lightsaber back, but she gently laid her fingers on the hilt.

It immediately cracked at her touch, and I widened my eyes in surprise. We all could sense what was going to happen next. She turned away quickly, and I pulled her back, wrapping my left arm around her along with part of my cloak, attempting to shield her from the blast with my body. The lightsaber exploded in a mess of light and noise, and there were bright spots in my eyes before all went quiet. I blinked furiously to get the spots out of my eyes before glancing back, seeing the Inquisitor laying on his back out in the street.

"Huh," was all I could say, rather dumbly.

Ahsoka stepped forward, staring down at him almost sadly. "If he could fight with the face shield down, he might have survived," she said, kneeling beside him.

"Well, good thing he was just another pushover right?" I say, before noticing her sifting through the destroyed lightsaber hilt. "What are you doing?"

She pulled out two crystals from the lightsaber, and answered. "These crystals, they sing to me," she said, touching them delicately. "So familiar... I think they're meant to be my new lightsabers."

"What about your old one?" I question.

"I had to let them go. But trust me, these two crystals connect with me, feel them," she says, holding them out.

I stretch out my senses and realize she's right. The crystals do sing to her, and I can feel it clear as day across the bond. When I move closer, they react to my presence as well, although not as much as they do to her. I smile to myself. They are just like her old lightsaber crystal.

The sound of approaching Imperial's drew my attention and I looked up, sensing Stormtroopers and much more approaching. I glanced down at Ahsoka at the Inquisitor's destroyed hilt, as well as the array of parts scattered in front of her.

"Well, do what you need to do. I'll distract the Imperials," I say firmly.

She looks up at me in surprise. "What? Jarik wait, there's too many of them!" she protests. "I don't want to lose you again!"

I offer her a smirk. "Don't worry, it'll be fun. If R5 played his part then there should be a whole mess of traps all around this place," I say mischeiviously, backing up. "Oh, and since you're making new ones, I hope you don't mind if I use this!" I say.

I pulled out my lightsaber as well as Ahsoka's green one, activating both of them before running towards the approaching Stormtroopers, jumping up on top of a building while she stares at me in absolute shock.

 _"You found my lightsaber?!"_ she exclaimed across the bond in stunned bewilderment.

 _"Sure did Sweetie Horns!"_ I replied happily, engaging myself in the thrill of the upcoming battle. Leaping onto another building I spotted the platoon of Stormtroopers and got into a ready stance as they looked up at me in surprise.

"Blast him!" their commanding officer ordered. The Stormtroopers immediately took aim and opened fire, shooting off numerous red laser bolts at me. I swung my lightsabers, deflecting the shots and sending a few back, hitting some of the troopers in return. I flipped off of the building and onto the ground, deflecting blaster bolts and quickly moving sideways before ducking down a side street. As expected, the Stormtroopers followed after me.

I grinned and pressed a button on my gauntlet once they entered the small alleyway. Immediately an explosion occurred, blasting a few troopers away with surprised and pained cries as I continued to run down another street. I don't know what Ahsoka was doing right now, rescuing that Kaeden girl or something that Senator Organa told me about, but she better finish up soon.

I continued on with my scandal, leading the stormtroopers on a desperate chase in order to catch me, blowing them up or shocking them in the different traps that R5 so gleefully set up secretly after landing. I may not enjoy his excessive glee for pranks and mischievous acts against me, but right now I was so glad that droid decided to actually put his bullcrap to good use.

 _"Jarik, I've rescued a friend of mine! Meet me at the main pub in the town!"_ Ahsoka informed me over the bomb.

 _"Got it,"_ I replied.

Determining where the main pub was, which was labeled as Selda's, I set off one more trap for the Imperial garrison before disappearing into a smoke bomb. Can't have the Imp's follow me to the pub now can I? Sneaking through the town, I came to a stop in front of the correct building before rushing inside to stay as hidden as possible. Immediately someone at the bar whipped around to face me and shot a blaster. I yelped and leaned my head to the side, glaring at him in bewilderment.

"Shoot my head off why don't you?" I say incredulously.

"Selda it's alright! He's a close friend of mine!" Ahsoka says placatingly.

"Who is he?" a girl with a broken arm demanded, eying me suspiciously.

"And what's with the weird cloak and armor get up?" a younger human girl asked, bearing a resemblance to the injuried girl.

I rolled my eyes in exasperation. "'He' is right here you know," I remind them.

"Jarik, this is Kaeden, Miara, and Selda," Ahsoka introduces, gesturing to each of them in turn. "Everyone, this is Jarik Shan, my best friend," she introduces.

"Hello," I say, waving my hand.

"Sorry for almost blasting your head off," Selda apologizes. Kaeden continues to stare at me with suspicious eyes, and Miara eyes me up and down weirdly.

"So, we ready to leave?" I ask Ahsoka.

"We were just about to," she replies.

"Good," I reply, listening outside. "Because things are about to get real intense in a minute."

"Why?" Miara asks in confusion.

"Evacuation, and also, Bail is coming to pick us up with a small group of Rebels, so we'll be having a showdown," I inform them.

"Oh thank the Force he made it," Ahsoka said in relief. "So, you gonna go and do your thing again?" she asks knowingly. I smile mischievously again.

"You bet. I haven't had this much fun since escaping the droid army on Florrum," I joke, and she rolls her eyes.

"Only you," she mutters.

With those parting words, I activate my lightsaber and rush out the door, not missing the shocked looks at the other three send me. Once outside, I run towards where the majority of the Imperial troops would be, allowing Ahsoka to take charge of evacuating the people since she knows hem better than I do. Overhead, I notice three small starships from Bail's fleet enter the atmosphere and head for us, bringing a small smile to my face. A squad of A-Wing fighters arrive as well, making short work of the few Imperial TIE's that were flying around the town.

Approaching the main force of Imperial troops, I notice hey have a few hover tanks, and some of them were gunning for the people headed towards the landing rebel ships.

Narrowing my eyes, I pull out my green lightsaber as well and head for the tanks. The Stormtroopers around them spot me, and with great alarm begin to open fire. I deflect the shots, continuing to run at them before leaping into the air, flipping over them and landing on one tank. Startled, the pilot attempts to pull a pistol on me but I use the Force to throw him out of the tank, and then slice the controls. It shuts down, and the surrounding troopers begin to bombard me with fire again.

Seeing that there are more troopers then I could deal with at the moment, I jump off of the tank and take cover behind a nearby building. One of the A-Wings gets shot down and crashes into the Imperial facility nearby, and I watch it fall sadly, mourning the pilot's sacrifice. Another A-Wing was shot as well, but the pilot managed to eject much to my relief.

Then to my surprise, another tank nearby suddenly swiveled away from me, which was confusing until I heard Ahsoka cry out.

"No!" she yelled.

The tank's turret instantly deformed as she used the Force to manipulate the metal, crushing it and rendering the tank useless. I rushed over to the spot where her cry cam from, evacuees rushing past me.

"Get to the ships, go!" I told them, moving over to where I saw Ahsoka kneeling next to someone. He was obviously very injured, probably hit by the tank blast, and she hoisted him over her shoulder, grunting from the effort.

"Need some help?" I offer her.

"No, I've got it. We're taking off," she said, rushing for the ship nearby. Blaster bolts whizzed by, and I turned around, deflecting the shots back at a pair of troopers, hitting them in the chest before we made it up the ramp.

"R5, we're clear. Take off and meet up with the fleet," I said through my comlink. A few confirming beeps were my reply as we entered the hanger of the Tantive IV. On board, Kaeden and Miara screamed upon seeing the extent of Vartan's injuries. Captain Antilles was nearby and saw the problem.

"Get a medical stretcher! And get us out of here!" he ordered.

"Here, I've got him," I tell Ahsoka, taking the guy from her shoulders and holding him, my prosthetic limb providing extra support before a few people came by with a stretcher. I lowered him onto the meidical stretcher, and they carried him away to get him treated properly. Ahsoka put an arm around my shoulder, sighing in exhaustion but relief. They had made it.

"This certainly isn't how I expected our reunion to be like," I remarked.

"When does anything go like how we expect?" she asks rhetorically, and I roll my eyes.

Kaeden then walks over, eyeing us with a strange look I can't pinpoint before she speaks again.

"So... you're a friend of Ahsoka?" she asks me.

"Yeah. We've been friends since we were three," I reply casually. "And judging from what I've seen today you two must be pretty good friends if she didn't hesitate to rescue you in a heartbeat," I recall with a grin.

Ahsoka and Kaeden looked at each other with small smiles, although I raised an eyebrow upon sensing something a little bit more from Kaeden... oh well.

"You know," she began, talking to Ahsoka. "When you got to Raada, I thought you'd fit right in. I hoped you would stay," she says.

"I've never been able to stay anywhere for long." Ahsoka admits. "Even... before I moved around a lot."

"Oh you don't say Sweetie Horns," I mutter sarcastically, and Ahsoka glares up at me half-heartedly. Kaeden snickers.

"Sweetie Horns?" she asks.

"My pet nickname for her," I say proudly.

"Don't be so proud of that. Yours is even better little Jari," she teases with a smirk, and I groan in annoyance.

Kaeden giggles before her face falls before she stares at the two of us knowingly. "You two love each other, don't you?"

We glance at each other, and I notice a small glint of guilt in Ahsoka's eyes before she responds. "We do Kaeden."

She nods, a little sadly, and I deduce that she probably harbored similar feelings for Ahsoka as well, who didn't return them, even though they are very close. Well, not my place to judge. "Oh," she says, a little sadly.

"I'm sure you'll find someone though," I reassure her, using words of encouragement. "There's plenty of people out there in the galaxy."

"Just listen to your feelings. That is something the Jedi teach as well you know," Ahsoka says, recalling a previous conversation they had that I wasn't there for.

"At least we have that in common." Kaeden responds with a small smile of gratitude. "Thanks you guys. I guess I don't mind finding out the galaxy is a big place anymore. I think I can handle it now," she says confidently.

"I know you can." Ahsoka says with a smile.

We were silent before Kaeden asked us another question. "Will we ever see you again Ahsoka? And... you as well Jarik, I guess?"

Ahsoka glances at me and I raise my hands defensively. "Don't look at me you're the one who knows her," I point out.

She roll her eyes in exasperation but replies. "Well, I think it will be a while," she admits. "But like you said, the galaxy is a big place."

"Thank you." Kaeden said gratefully.

"Anytime," she replied.

* * *

Much later, R5 had docked the ship with the Tantive III after it had left a nearby moon on Coruscant, just before the starship entered hyperspace. Ahsoka and I had already snuck on board beforehand at her request, much to my amusement, and stopped just outside of Bail's quarters, already in the antechambers.

On the other side, I could hear him speaking to someone, and with a start I realized it was Leia. Geez. Just about a year old and she was already talking across a call with her adopted father, at least intelligently enough for him to understand and respond with intelligent phrases. Absolutely smart I tell you.

I glanced at Ahsoka briefly, remembering she did not know yet before shaking the thought from my mind. Right now wasn't the time, but I would tell her later, when it was safe and we had a secure time to discuss things.

"I know, love, but it's more secure if we just talk without any visuals to trace." There was a pause, and we couldn't hear the answer, although I know Ahsoka desperately wanted to hear it. "tell you mother i'll see you both soon enough," he says, disconnecting the call.

"Do I have another Jedi break-in to report?" Bail called out, and Ahsoka laughed.

I eyed her in exasperation. "Let me guess, you broke into his office the last time," I deadpanned.

"Yup!" she replied cheerily as we entered the main office, sitting down in two chairs when he waved us in. "Showing your vulnerabilities to put me at ease Senator?" she asks.

"The whole galaxy knows I'm a family man, Ahsoka Tano," he replies. "The Empire is counting on it. They think it means I'll be more amenable to certain suggestions."

"Which is ironic, because you're secretly the worst problem for them right now," I remark with a grin.

"True," he says with a small laugh.

"Don't you worry about her?" Ahsoka asks in concern. He shrugs, although I can see the tightness in his posture and in his eyes.

"She's already a lot like her mother," he replies, giving me a brief, but knowing glance which I share. I get the feeling that Ahsoka notices, although she doesn't answer, letting the statement pass by.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about what you're doing to fight the Empire," she says to us.

"Not much at the moment. Although while I'm involved, I've mostly been looking for you, so Bail's gonna have more knowledge on that stuff," I admit, a little sheepishly. She eyes me with a raised eye marking, but she sends me warm feelings of gratitude across the bond, and I send back my own happiness to her as well.

"He's correct on that," Bail says in agreement. "From the report Captain Antilles sent me, there were only fifteen casualties during the Raada evacuation: one of his A-Wing pilots and fourteen evacuees."

"It's unfortunate, but it could have been much worse," I say sadly, used to the harsh reality of war. Me and Ahsoka both were, and while Bail wasn't, he understood the difficulties and reality that not everyone will survive.

"I did manage to take out the gray creature just after Jarik arrived. I get the feeling he isn't the only one." Ahsoka says gravely.

"An Inquisitor," I inform them. "Servants of the Empire used to track down and destroy Jedi, or any other related matters." Ahsoka nods in understanding, a look of worry on her face.

"Was he talented?" Bail asks. "I remember your reports Jarik about the previous Inquisitor's you faced."

"He had some training, although mostly relies on brute strength. If he was going to be facing Jedi, or someone with our level of training, he wouldn't be much of a threat. I took him on and defeated him without my lightsabers." Ahsoka says before turning to me. "You've encountered him before?" she asks quizzically.

I shake my head. "Not him personally, but there are others out there like him Ahsoka," I tell her, my voice getting serious. "The real threat among their ranks is the Grand Inquisitor."

"The Grand Inquisitor?" Bail asks.

"Yeah. I fought him on Mandalore when I found your lightsaber Ahsoka, and he is certainly very dangerous," I respond.

"How so compared to the gray creature?" Ahsoka asks me.

"I'd say about the skill of a qualified Jedi Knight. He's strong, fast, skilled with a lightsaber, as well as very intelligent. He used your lightsaber to lure me into a trap, nearly succeeding in capturing me," I warn them both.

"That is concerning." Bail says grimly. "We'll do what we can. But what about Raada?"

"Well, the farmers can't go back." Ahsoka says, slumping into the chair a little bit. I put a reassuring arm around her shoulders as she continued. "If they tried, the Empire would wipe them off the moon's surface without even landing first."

We spent the next few minutes discussing the situation on Raada, and how to proceed with finding new lives for the evacuees, finally deciding that they can provide support for the growing rebellion as farmers to grow food. Ahsoka also shared her new white lightsabers, which I had eyed in awe, sensing the energy within her crystals. It thrummed with pure Light, reaching out to her old lightsaber and mine as well, already forming a bond with them, as my crystals reacted to them as well with gentle pulses. Ahsoka and I could both feel it, and there were smiles on our faces as the crystals all connected with each other, further strengthening our own bond. After that, we came to the problem of communication between us, and I had to admit that it wasn't very great, and could use some work. Bail and Ahsoka both agreed with my assessment completely.

"I think I can help you with this, I think." Ahsoka says.

"How?" Bail questions.

"During the Clone Wars, I worked with people, Jarik especially, ordering troopers, took orders even with a lack of experience. I watched politics on many different worlds, train people to fight. I had the Jedi to back me up through it all, but I still think I could do nearly as good of a job." Ahsoka remarks thoughtfully.

I nod my head in agreement. We both share similar ideas with each other, and come to an unspoken conclusion between us. "Same here. You know I'm already a skilled slicer of course, and that could be put to great use. I can slice through almost anything, except for high security level files of utmost importance, and could provide you with well secured channels for communication."

"That would definitely be of great help." Bail says in agreement. "Do you wish to recruit people?"

"Not, exactly." Ahsoka replies. "Though if we find good people, we'd certainly try and bring them in. I want to take your recruits and find missions for them. Jarik could search for intel, and keep the channels and our files secure while I listen to what people need, and what people can do to help out."

"You want to take over running my intelligence networks," he deduces.

"Who runs them now?" Ahsoka asks.

"Actually, nobody really," I admit.

"Which is a big problem of course," Bail adds.

"Then that's where we'll start." Ahsoka decides with a smile. "I suppose since you already have a ship Jarik, I'll just bunk with you and R5, although it may be necessary to have my own personal ship as well in the future."

"We can modify a small craft for you easily enough." Bail says with a smile. "I know just the droid for the job."

"You mean R2?" I ask.

"Who else? I miss the little guy." Ahsoka says fondly. "Thank you Senator. It's good to have a mission again."

"Of course. What should I refer to you as, since you'll need a code name when dealing with other operatives," he points out.

Me and Ahsoka share a look, mentally debating over something before coming to a conclusion. I think it sounds awesome.

"Fulcrum," she says. "You can call us Fulcrum. Whether its singular or plural, can be left up to debate."

"Adds to the mystery of who we really are as well," I say with a smile.

"Then welcome to the Rebellion... Fulcrum."

* * *

 **Isle of Berk, Ahch-To; Unknown Regions**

 _ **3rd person POV...**_

Valka Haddock rushed into the house with fear in her heart as she spotted a Stormcutter dragon crawling inside. Slamming the door open, she yanked a sword off the wall and rushed to Hiccup, prepared to defend her son with her life before stopping in surprise, stunned by what she saw.

The dragon... wasn't attacking Hiccup. Rather, it was playing with him, more delicately than she ever thought dragon's were capable of. And Hiccup enjoyed it, laughing and waving his arms around at the massive claw in his face, the dragon eyeing him tenderly with wide, adorable eyes.

The Stormcutter then glanced to the sight at the sight of her and quickly moved away, accidentally scatching Hiccup's chin in the process. Hiccup began to cry, and Valka back up fearfully, sword half raised, although lowering it as she continued to gaze at the dragon. This wasn't a vicious beast... but an intelligent, gentle creature, whose soul reflected Valka's own. the dragon eyed her happily, pupils growing wide before an axe flew in between them, at a war cry.

The dragon roared in rage, turning angry again and looking over at Stoick the Vast, who leaped to the side as it breathed fire.

"Valka! Run!" he yelled, dodging the hot flames.

However she rushed to the dragon, pulling on its wing to get it to stop. "No, don't!" she pleaded. The Stormcutter turned to her, a growl rumbling from its throat and Valka backed up, wary and confused.

"Hold on!" Stoick shouted, jumping across the flames to Hiccup, picking him up safely in his arms. Valka's cry behind him got his attention, and he grabbed his axe, turning around to see the dragon fly off with Valka in its grip!

"Ahh! Stoick!" she cried out.

"VALKA!" he bellowed in horror, rushing forwards, but it was too late.

"Stoick!" she cried in terror, her form rapidly growing smaller as the dragon flew off with her, never to return.

"Valka..." Stoick said quietly in horror, tears falling from his eyes as grief overtook the normally stern and proud Viking chief. In his arms, little Hiccup watched his mother disappear into the night, eyes welling up with tears as he cried.

* * *

 _Well that was an intense chapter huh? Ahsoka and Jarik are finally reunited! Yay! :D Also that moment in HTTYD when Valka is taken away by Cloudjumper. That was a sad moment. And just to clarify, it happens at the same time as Jarik and Ahsoka reuniting. Gives you a sense of what's going on in the wide universe, as well as connecting the dots for you guys._

 _Hope you enjoyed this chapter, now on to the next one! :)_


	7. Ch 6 - A Proper Reunion

After our discussion with Bail about how we would be operating for the Rebellion, Ahsoka and I had returned to my ship to separate. I promised him that I would contact them when we were ready to set up the intelligence network, although right now me and Ahsoka had some serious catching up to do. And R5 as well apparently, since the moment the ship entered hyperspace he came squeaking out of the cockpit to Ahsoka's side happily.

"Hey there little guy!" she greets happily, rubbing the top of his dome. "How have you been?"

He beeps excitedly, shaking on his axels a little bit and I roll my eyes at his response. "No you weren't," I say knowingly.

R5 swivels his dome around to glare in my direction, beeping angrily and I merely grin back at him. "Oh stop it Jarik he couldn't have been that bad," Ahsoka says.

"'He couldn't have been that bad she says,'" I say sarcastically. "For you maybe. Whenever it's just me and him, he's a nightmare."

He beeps again at me and Ahsoka laughs. "Well, have you two stayed out of trouble? You better have," she threatens with no bite.

R5 grumbles a little bit but responds, saying it was tough but manageable, although he left out his secret enjoyment of making my arm checkups as uncomfortable as possible. He has a morbid sense of humor. Eventually he lets out a long beep, rolling out of the room now, back to his usual 'I-don't-care' self once the hype of seeing Ahsoka again died down.

"Well he certainly hasn't changed." Ahsoka observes.

"No kidding," I reply in angreement. "So, how was Raada?" I asked her, sitting in a chair in the ship's main room, which me and R5 converted into a living space. She sat down across from me.

"Eh, a little rough but I guess I was fairly set. At least until the Imperial's arrived," she says.

"Is that because you did some Force stuff on accident? Because Senator Organa did uncover a report about confirmed Jedi on Raada," I tell her.

She shakes her head in response. "No, that was after the Empire arrived. We were in a resistance op against them, but things went south, forcing me to reveal my powers in order to escape."

"That's sounds exciting," I say.

"What about you? What have you been doing on your search to find me?" she asks. "And how did you even find my lightsaber?"

"Well, I interrogated a Shadow Collective member, finding out about some sort of clue to your existence back on Mandalore. I arrived there discretely and found your lightsaber of course, when the Grand Inquisitor showed up as you know. After that I layer low for a few months until finding Rex," I inform her.

"You found Rex?" she asks in pleasant surprise. "Is he doing alright? We separated after escaping Mandalore."

I nod my head. "Yeah he's fine. Commander Wolffe, Boil, as well as the clone Commando Gregor are all with him as well. They got their chips out."

"That's wonderful," she says in relief. "I was worried he wouldn't make it by himself. It's good to know he isn't alone."

"Uh huh... he told me to let you know he's alright," I tell her, and she nods with a small smile on my face.

I subconsciously roll my left shoulder before cringing as the prosthetic creaks, letting off a couple of sparks on the upper arm. I haven't gotten it fixed recently... oh that sucks. Hurts too. I grab my arm with my right hand in an attempt to soothe the pain.

"Oh this hurts," I hiss between clenched teeth.

"You alright?" she asks me in concern.

"Yeah I'm fine, just haven't gotten my arm checked up in a while," I tell her. "Better go get R5," I grumble to myself reluctantly.

"No, you don't have to. I can help you with that," she says, standing up after me.

"You sure?" I ask with a raised eyebrow. She gives me a look.

"Of course I can you dimwit! I've always been more of a mechanic than you. Besides, a girl has a right to worry about her boyfriend," she says, slugging my right shoulder lightly.

"Is that what we are now?" I ask, in slight surprise. I love her as well but, already?

"Is there a problem?" she demands.

"No, no problem!" I respond quickly. "Just surprised is all."

She beams up at me cheerily. "Good! Now where are the tools I need to fix it?" she asks.

"In my room," I told her.

She led me through the ship to where my room was, opening the door. Inside I had a simple bed, with a storage cabinet on the wall and a small desk nearby. On it was the holocron I retrieved from the Temple when Master Yoda, Obi-Wan and I infiltrated it, as well as a datapad with a list of different things relating to secret locations, hidden intel, or some other crap I'm not going to bother with right now.

She sat me down on the bed and opens the cabinet, pulling out the tool kit before sitting beside me. I took off the cloak I was wearing that conceals my identity, revealing the entirety of my metal arm. Small wisps of smoke were coming from it.

"Looks pretty bad," she observed, carefully taking of the arm's outer covering to reveal the wires underneath. I tenses up slightly before forcing myself to relax. She noticed however and stops what she was doing.

"Am I doing something wrong?" she questions.

"No, R5 is the one to blame for that. He has a morbid enjoyment of making the checkups irritatingly uncomfortable," I reply.

She eyes me with a look. "Are you kidding me? Why does he do that?"

I shrugged casually, a little stiff in the left shoulder. "It's just the kind of droid he is. If my arm has a serious problem, then he goes carefully, but if it's just a regular maintenance check then he's brutal."

Ahsoka shakes her head with an exasperated sigh, getting back to work again in the wires. "Sometimes I question the sanity of you two."

"Well, that's R5 for you," I respond.

We don't talk in comfortable silence for a little while as she fixes the problems my arm has before Ahsoka speaks up again. "Back on Mandalore... you said you figured out why they hated you so much?" she asks curiously.

I blink in confusion, before remembering what I said back then. Wow, already about a year since that happened, geez.

"Oh yeah, I did..." I say, hesitating slightly on how she would react. "A few months after you left... me and Master Yoda both went on two separate 'Force' journey's, I guess you could say, and I figured out that I'm..." I stop nervously, but continue at her gesture. "I'm actually... the Last living descendant of Revan."

Her hands stop in surprise as she gaped up at me, not expecting that. "W-what?!" she exclaims in shock before narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "Are you pulling some kind of joke on me?"

"No no, it's true!" I say quickly. "I'm actually related to Revan. And the two Jedi Bastila, and Grand Master Satele from the Old Republic... they're my ancestors as well. Bastila was his wife," I tell her.

She doesn't respond, her eyes wide as she takes in this information. I then realize that I never told Obi-Wan about this either but, meh. Whatever, too late now. I watch her nervously, wary of her reaction to my heritage.

"So... are you... okay with that?" I ask her meekly.

She pulls herself out of her shock before looking back at me. "Am I okay with that? Of course I'm okay with you, why would you ask that?" she questions in bewilderment.

"I was just worried you would... be upset at learning I'm related to a former Sith Lord," I say quietly.

"Don't be ridiculous Jarik!" she says. "Even if I was mad about that, he died over three thousand years ago, so being angry at you is just dumb. I still like you!" she reassures me.

I sigh in relief. "Glad to hear it, thanks," I say gratefully.

She smiles at me. "Don't be so stupid next time!" she scolds me. "Or else I'll have R5 fix your arm."

"Yes ma'am!" I say immediately, uncomfortable at the idea of R5 messing with my arm again.

* * *

After Ahsoka finished fixing up my arm, she put the tools away and I got up from the bed as we headed back to the main room. I opened the small fridge I managed to place on board and pulled out a couple of food bars, tossing one to Ahsoka. I felt like we hadn't eaten in days.

"I have to admit, it's a pretty nice set up you managed to snag here," she remarked, taking a bite out of the bar.

"Could be better, but I'm happy with it. Allows me to move around a bunch yet have a decent living space." I tell her.

"Yeah," she replies slowly, a question forming in her mind. "Do you know if... any of the others survived?" she asks, and I tense up immediately, dreading this question with all my being. How do I tell her...

"Well... Obi-Wan and Yoda both survived with me," I reply slowly. "Shortly before parting they granted me the rank of Jedi Knight," I say.

"Well good for you!" she says, genuinely happy at my accomplishment before getting serious again. "And... Anakin? Is he alright?"

I couldn't look her in the eyes. How do I tell her that her Master and close friend is responsible for wiping out the Jedi Temple and being one of the most evil people in the galaxy?

"Jarik, do you know what happened to him? Please tell me!" she says pleadingly, and I sigh in response.

"I... I don't know what happened to him Ahsoka," I say quietly. "I honestly don't know."

In a way that is the truth, from a certain point of view, but it absolutely pains me to say it, and I feel guilty about it as well. I make sure to keep those feelings hidden from Ahsoka, although she still eyes me suspiciously.

"The last I saw of him was at the Temple... before it was attacked," I say, once again a version of the truth. I met Anakin Skywalker before the Temple attack, and didn't meet him ever again, only Darth Vader. "I'm sorry Ahsoka," I say quietly, guilt-ridden.

She's silent, and I can't tell what she's thinking before she moves over to give me a hug. "It wasn't your fault... but I'm glad you told me this," she says quietly.

 _'No I didn't,'_ I think guiltily, but I accept her embrace, returning it as well.

* * *

Later that night, I showed Ahsoka to another room next to mine which she could use for whatever she wished. It had a bed like mine, with some storage cabinets, and she thanked me for it gratefully. R5 was doing some crap elsewhere in the ship, I don't know, but I know he wouldn't damage the ship, taking some prode in it himself, so I don't care. I was currently wearing my night clothes, more comfortable to sleep in and lying in my bed, staring up at the ceiling when the door opened.

I looked over to see Ahsoka enter the room quietly, dressed in her night clothes as well.

"You alright?" I ask her.

"Yeah I'm ok," she responded. "To be honest, after being alone for so long, I'd rather sleep with you as well if that's okay with you," she admits.

I smile in reply and nod, shifting over to one side of my bed. "Sure, I'm fine with that," I say.

She smiles as well, laying down on the bed beside me and pulling the covers up. Then she snuggles closer to me and wraps her arms around me, laying her head on my shoulder. I tense up in surprise for a moment before relaxing, wrapping my right arm around her as well in response with a small smile on my face. We drifted off to sleep comfortably, and I wouldn't trade this moment for a thing.

* * *

 _Aw some more cute scenes with Jarik and Ahsoka, and now they open up more to each other completely! So happy! Also R5 is the little repair bully with Jarik's arm. :O_

 _Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for all the support you've been giving my series! :)_


	8. Ch 7 - Intelligence Gathering

_**3 Years Later (15 BBY)**_

 **The Knight Hawk (Jarik's ship); Jarik POV...**

 _The sound of a bird hooting gets my attention, and I look over to see the convor sitting on one of the gates, much to my surprise._

 _"You again?" I ask out loud, heading in its direction. The gate that the convor appears to be standing on has some sort of symbol at the top. In the center was a small circle, flanked by four long trapezoids with two on each side, and surrounding that all was a circle._

 _"You're connected to the Daughter?" I ask it. "Why have you been watching me? Have you been watching Ahsoka?"_

 _It chirps again, fluttering its wings as it looks down at me, almost as if in a yes fashion._

 _"Well... why?" I ask in confusion._

 _The convor looks down at the gateway it's sitting on, which starts to glow with a golden color. I raise an eyebrow in surprise and confusion but continue to watch the gate. The golden glow then moves to form a figure in the center, and behind him is a whole line of many different people, male and female, all human. The man standing before me reminds me of Revan, but I get the feeling that it isn't. He's wearing golden armor underneath a black cloak and cape, with his hood down. A golden version of Darth Revan's mask was clipped to his belt, and two lightsabers that looked eerily similar to mine were hanging from his belt as well. What surprised me the most was his face and how similar it looked compared to me, with brown hair reach just past the shoulders, some of it braided, and a thin beard and goatee covered his face._

 _"Who are you?" I ask the figure hesitantly._

 _ **"I am you,"** he replies. I blink in shock, not expecting that answer._

 _"You... what? How can you be me? I'm me!" I say in bewilderment._

 ** _"Because... I am your_** _ **destiny!"** he suddenly shouts, his whole figure changing instantly. His golden armor and pristine robes turn dark and terrifying, rips in the cloak, and a silver, crimson colored overcomes the golden mask. What scares me the most is his eyes suddenly gleam a bright and evil gold color, glaring angrily at me with fury, all the while the lines of people behind him fade away, revealing a shadow of Darth Revan standing behind him._

 _I back away in fear as the older, evil me activates a blood red lightsaber, and steps forwards, swinging it directly for my face. I raise my arms to block the blow in terror..._

I shoot up in bed, coming out of my sleep with a gasp, breathing heavily. That was a nightmare I just had, something I've been receiving on the rare occasion during the past few months, and it always had that horrifying ending to it. The dream began the same as always, starting back when I journeyed to that strange plain of existence, a 'World Between Worlds' as I've decided to call it, when I met my future self. Yet instead of going on as it id originally, my future self would suddenly transform into a terrifying Sith, with a shadow of Darth Revan visible behind him.

I glanced over at Ahsoka, who shifted in the bed a little, disturbed by my sudden awakening but otherwise remaining quiet. I quietly sighed in relief, glad to have not awakened her. Slowly shifting my position, I move to get up when a tired hand grabs my shoulder. Looking behind me, I see Ahsoka half awake, staring at me with lidded eyes, although plenty aware of what's going on.

"Jarik, what's wrong?" she asks slowly, still a little bit tired.

"It's nothing Ahsoka, go back to sleep," I say gently.

"Bantha fodder and you know it," she retorts with a small frown, sitting up in the bed as well. "Is it that same dream again?" she deduces.

Sighing in defeat, I nod my head. She knows me too well for my own good. "Yeah, it is. I just don't understand why I keep seeing it," I admit, a little helpless.

Ahsoka slides across the bed until she's sitting behind me, and wraps her arms around me while laying her head on my shoulder. "I can't answer that for you. Maybe it's some sort of test? I don't know, but what I do know is that you would never turn to the dark side," she says confidently.

"But what if there's something that could make that possible? Even after I shut him out, the shadow of Darth Revan still seems to haunt me," I say nervously.

"You defeated him once, you can do it again," she says firmly, gently stroking my right arm. "And from what you told me, you also managed to resist the influence of 'Snoke,' or whoever he is on your journey," she points out.

I let out another uncertain sigh. "I guess," I admit quietly.

"Whatever it is, you can worry about it later." Ahsoka tells me. "But right now, just rest, and don't think about it. We do have a busy job after all," she advises, and I smile slightly in amusement at the reminder of us founding the Fulcrum Agency.

"True," I admit.

She smiles happily. "Good. Now come on, back to sleep. Just don't think so hard about it Jarik, you'll be fine. I know you will," she says, pulling me gently back down to the bed.

I let her do so, laying back down on the bed and pulling the covers back up, although this time Ahsoka stays with her arms wrapped around me again, as she helped calm my worried mind over the Force bond. I sent grateful feelings back to her, drifting off into a more comfortable sleep with Ahsoka snuggled close to my side, and I had an arm around her as well.

* * *

The next day, me and Ahsoka were both back to work as Fulcrum agents, having already eaten a small bit of food for the morning. Over the last three years, we had gotten newer looks, Ahsoka especially. She had dropped her burgundy, crimson smuggler type of outfit that she wore on Raada to a more clean, battle armor outfit. She had a new headpiece diadem, colored silver and blue with a bright colored diamond shape in the center. Her lekku had grown longer, now reaching down to her midsection front and back, and her white facial markings had also shifted slightly as well with the passage of time.

Speaking of which, we made the symbol for the Fulcrum agency based off of her head markings, which I think looks pretty cool.

A dark gray dress with burgundy brown colored leggings was her main form of clothing, and armor pieces over her chest, arms and skirt covered most of them. She also wore armored boots as well, and her lightsabers hung from her hips, the handles now a much more polished and clean design compared to when she first made them, being obviously rushed. Basically, I think she looked awesome, true warrior status with her own agile grace and beauty to go along with it.

I had changed my outfit a little bit as well, although not as drastically as Ahsoka had. I wore a black shirt and pants, with a light fitting, silvery colored armor over it. The armor was designed to be protective, but light enough to wear I could maneuver around in battle with athletic skill. Over that was of course my Jedi cloak and hood, which I enjoyed to wear. On my forearms were armored gauntlets with a comlink, small screen projector, and useful for dire situations in a mission. And if it weren't for my gleaming metal fingers, you wouldn't really realize that I even had a metal arm.

My hair was also longer, reaching down to shoulder length, usually in a loose ponytail behind my back (imagine Thor from MCU). From time to time Ahsoka would like to fiddle with my hair, finding it weird but fun to mess with since she didn't have any hair herself. Obviously.

Anyways, our job as the head founders of the Fulcrum Agency had us work for the Rebellion with constant moving around the galaxy, acting more in the shadows than on a battlefield, which still wasn't too often for most rebel cells besides small skirmishes because of the fact that the Rebellion didn't have armies yet, despite all of the volunteers we receive to our cause. Our recruitment level was satisfactory, slowly but steadily increasing as the years went by, but even the entirety of all the rebel cells put together wouldn't be enough to battle against a large enough force of Stormtroopers. And still the Empire wouldn't be bothered, the loss of the biggest army needed to wipe us out merely a fraction of their military might.

Lucky for us that Stormtroopers are stupid shots. The clones were so much better, yet I had to wonder what happened to them now, since the Empire doesn't use clones in their military anymore. Their story was just too downright tragic, it was sickening. Already slaves to Darth Sidious months before birth, their only function to wipe out the Jedi before being discarded in the end like trash.

As Fulcrum agents, we had our work split up between us fairly. My job was to uncover valuable intel and intercept Imperial files, while Ahsoka sorted through the data and gave out missions to various rebel cells scattered throughout the galaxy, mostly in the Outer Rim. Most of the rebel cells didn't even know others existed, which was the protocol so that if they were captured they couldn't reveal anything about the Rebellion as a whole. As for the possibility of them telling the Empire about Fulcrum, I already had that well taken care of. Any of our transmissions to rebel cells were near impossible to trace, and whenever Ahsoka gave out the missions, her voice was altered by a scrambler and the hologram appeared only as a cloaked figure, impossible to make out.

"Huh, that's interesting," I remarked.

"What is?" she asked curiously.

"From what I'm seeing, there is a possibility that there are old, abandoned Separatists outposts scattered throughout the Outer Rim," I told her.

She raised an eye marking at me. "How'd you figure that out?"

"Wasn't easy that's for sure," I replied with a shrug. "It's mainly from older reports in the database that I managed to uncover. Might be worth looking into."

She nods in agreement. "Yeah. It's not like we're that well equipped against the Empire, even with Bail's wealth being a major support. Anything we can find is worth something, especially if the Rebellion grows into a full out Alliance at some point," she says thoughtfully. "What planets?"

I looked at the datapad file with narrowed eyes. "Well... some of them I'm not sure about yet, but two definitely are Hypori and Vandos."

"Hypori was a massive producer of droids right?" Ahsoka asks.

"Yup. Droid factories scattered all over. What's even better is that it's in the Hutt territories," I inform her.

"A place harder for the Empire to have any influence," she finishes with a smile. "That's good to know."

We give each other small smiles at the discovery. If we managed to snag weapons, ammunition, even ships from the abandoned Separatist factories, that would be a major help in building up the Rebellion to having more of a fighting chance against the Empire. Imperial Stormtroopers weren't the best soldiers, not by a long shot, but they were numorous, so many that just a small unnoticeable portion would be enough to wipe out all the Rebels currently in the galaxy. Not to mention an Imperial Star Destroyer is a very dangerous ship, even on its own. Just one Star Destroyer is powerful enough to take on three Venator class cruisers from the Clone Wars and still come out on top.

My holopad beeps again, with an encrypted Imperial message that R5 just found and sent me. I read it, my gaze filled with worry at what it said.

"What is it?" she asks me, noticing my worried state.

"R5 just sent me something," I told her. "And it's more, Jedi related, I guess I could say."

She narrows her eyes in confusion and concern. "Jedi related? You mean another Jedi was spotted by the Empire, or captured?"

I shake my head. "No. Apparently, children have been slowly disappearing around the galaxy. It's only a handful, but guess what they all have in common?" I ask rhetorically.

Ahsoka widened her eyes in realization. "They're Force sensitive," she says in surprise and worry.

"Yeah," I say in confirmation.

"Looks like Vader and the Emperor are finding any possible threats and getting rid of them before they could become a problem," she says with angry, narrowed eyes. "Do you think you could track any future attempts?"

"I'll do my best," I say in determination. I'm not about to let the Sith continue kidnapping children without a fight. Who knows what they're doing to them.

* * *

 _Force sensitive children being kidnapped! :O And old droid factories with possible supplies to pick up! Everything is starting to become more intense for the pair._


	9. Ch 8 - Guardian of the Whills

**_8 Months Later (14 BBY)_**

 **Desert Moon of Jedha, Terrabe Sector; Jarik POV...**

Right now I was strolling through the city on the desert moon on Jedha, searching the place for any Jedi-related of Force-related clues as to what was going on here. From a report I uncovered, Imperial's believed that here was a Force user somewhere on the planet, although they couldn't be certain. I was determined to figure out the truth, and if there is a Force sensitive, find a way to keep their presence hidden as much as possible. Ahsoka was busy with another mission, so I was alone on this one.

What was concerning to me at the moment however wasn't related to the Force sensitive, but the other reason as too why the Empire is here right now. Down a nearby street, an Imperial tank was transporting a special cargo: kyber crystals. From my studies at the Temple, I know that kyber crystals are in heavy supply on Jedha, with there also being some sort of Church for the Force as well.

According to Ahsoka, the entire planet of Ilum is constantly being stripmined for kyber crystals in massive quantities. It's already gotten to the point hat a massive chunk of the planet was already completely gone! Whatever Palpatine wanted with all of those kyber crystals, I don't know, but it can't be good.

The streets I was walking through were crowded, and I had my cloak on again, although this time the hood wasn't up, since doing so in such a busy place, where nobody else had one up would only draw attention. Something that I did not need, from Imperial's or other groups, I don't know.

From what I know, Saw Gerrera actually has a small band stationed here, or at least that's a rumor. If they capture me I wouldn't be too worried then because we were allies in the past, but it would still be dangerous. Ever since Steela's death Saw had started to become a little... unpredictable I guess. He believes wholeheartedly about taking the fight to the Empire, to see the Imperial flag fall, but his methods are questionable at times from what I've heard. His raids don't completely bother with protecting innocents, and his methods of extracting information can be at times brutal if he's in a bad mood.

So I find him to be a good friend, and a fellow rebel against the Empire, and I value his cause. It's just that I won't always see eye to eye with him and his strategies.

Feeling around with the Force, I continued my search for the rumored Force sensitive, so far finding nothing as I walked through the bush street. Although perhaps that's the problem. Maybe I should go to somewhere less public, since it's unlikely a Force user would be in plain sight, whether they know of their skills or not. It's just factual considering that Imperial reports of him/her are only rumored, not proven yet.

A distant explosion gets my attention, and in the far distance I can see small wisps of smoke, as well as the sound of blaster fire. People all around me glance over in the direction the sound is coming from before quickly moving away as fast as they could, although not in a run.

Most likely that was Saw's rebel group attacking that transport from earlier, and while I would like to go see what's going on and what I could of to help, that would cause more harm than good. I'm a Jedi, so I can't just go around waving my lightsaber against the Empire. That would send garrisons of Stormtroopers and military might to Jedha, and I would be in the fight for my life just to get out of the city. So no, I can't help in this.

I quickly move down a side street, towards a more open, yet emptied area free of more people when my senses begin to tingle slightly. I probe around carefully, sensing for the disturbance with interest. Could this be the Force user?

Unfortunately while I was distracted with the Force, the small courtyard I walked into happened to be full of Stormtroopers, and I stopped in surprise, about to turn around before they noticed me. Crap.

"Hey, this is a restricted area!" one of them says harshly, stepping forwards with their blaster held intimidatingly.

I slip into my casual, smuggler type of talk to apologize, plastering a placating smile on my face.

"I am terribly sorry I didn't know," I say quickly, slurring my voice to sound like I'm slightly drunk. "If someone else enters here, I shall inform you immediately!"

With that said, I turn around and begin to head back out of the area before the Stormtroopers square leader steps forwards.

"Wait a minute, stop right there," he says sternly. I stop nervously, turning around and offering an innocent expression. What was it this time?

The squad leader steps forward, searching me intently before waving two other troopers forward. "You're that illegal smuggler, Aven Ikorria," he says. "You're under arrest.

I widen my eyes in alarm, but still slightly relieved. Aven Ikorria was a false identity I made for myself in public whenever I was undercover. Basically my undercover character was a smuggler who did work for whoever requested it of me if I was in a spot for some needed information. Sadly, I've been around this sector before and got involved in an illegal smuggling run, being chased by a few Imperial ships.

"Wait wait, no hold on a minute!" I protest, trying to be friendly. "You must have the wrong guy!"

"Oh you're him alright, and we're taking you in now," the squad leader stated harshly as two troopers grabbed my arms, pulling me along, clamping binders around my wrists. While this most definitely was not a prefferable situation, at least they didn't know I was a Jedi yet, although that would change soon if they searched me, finding my hidden lightsabers.

"Come on man we can cut a deal! How about that?" I offer as they continue to pull me along. Absolutely ridiculous that I got into this position.

Before anything more could happen however, a man's voice suddenly rang out across the courtyard from one of the side alley's.

"Let him pass in peace!" he called out, standing up from where he was sitting and approaching our group, a walking stick held in front of him. I realized he was blind, and then the Force shifted slightly again, and with a start I realized this to be the Force sensitive. Probing him slightly, I could tell that he wasn't very strong with it, his power only enough to see around him and predict things, not enough for actually lifting objects or using a Jedi mind trick. And while he senses something odd about me, I don't think he realizes I'm a Jedi yet, because I constantly have shields up to hide my presence, even while asleep to keep hidden from Vader or Inquisitors.

So that means someone like him definitely won't be able to sense me for what I am, although he is very acute in his assessment.

"Let him pass in peace," the man continued calmly, his presence serene and peaceful. "The Force, is wth me, and I am with the Force. For all is, as the Force wills it."

The Stormtroopers all star at him, baffled and annoyed while I smile to myself. I liked this guy already.

"Hey, stop right there!" one trooper orders sternly.

"Is he... blind?" one asks in bewilderment.

"Probably a lunatic," another comments. Now that was mean.

The man is however unaffected by their comments, continuing forwards to the center of the group of Stormtroopers.

"I said, stop right there!" the trooper orders again, and they all raise their blasters at him, preparing to fire in warning.

Immediately, the man's demeanor changes, and he begins to focus with his senses all around him, taking in the scene with the Force. He waits and listens, while I smile to myself.

"You boys are about to get your butts kicked," I comment in amusement.

"Quiet scum," the trooper holding me says.

The Stormtroopers all prepare to fire warningly, and that's when the man springs into action. He dashes forwards, leaning his head to the side and dodging out of the way as red blaster fire shoots by him at high speeds. As he begins a quick and devastating assault on the Stormtroopers, I lift my right leg and kick the Stormtrooper holding my right arm before wrenching my left arm from the other trooper. I quickly turn around and swing my cuffed arms, bashing one trooper on the head, knocking him to the ground. The other attempts to raise his blaster, but I kick it out of his hands before grabbing his head and kneeing him in the face, cracking his helmet with my armored boots.

The blind man continues to impress, clearly knowing what he's doing. He swings his walking stick around, striking Stormtroopers in the helmet, in the legs, even using his black cloak to briefly stun them before swiping them off their feet. A few Stormtroopers charge towards me, raising their blasters and I roll to the side out of the way of their shots. Coming out of my roll, I sense an incoming laser and raise my arms. The blaster bolt strikes my cuffs, breaking them apart and giving me free range of motion again.

I dash forward and the Stormtrooper only has a moment to react in shock before I slam him down with my left arm, turning around and kicking another trooper in the helmet. I pick up a blaster and whip around, throwing it as hard as I can at the last stormtrooper, hitting him in the helmet. He falls to the ground, and before he can get back up, I rush forwards and swing my left arm, slamming my fist into his head and knocking him unconscious.

All of the troopers are now all unconscious, and I survey our work when four more troopers rush out of the side alley towards the blind man. He prepares to attack, when a hail of laser fire suddenly pelts the group, killing them all within seconds. I look over to see another man with long hair lowering a heavy blaster.

"Well that was interesting, thanks," I told the duo, easily noticing that they're friends or allies.

"Who are you?" the blaster man asks warily.

"He's alright," the blind man says, waving his arm. The man with the blaster relaxes, although eyeing me with a raised eyebrow before shrugging.

"You fight really good to be honest," I comment casually. "How'd you learn all of that?"

"The Force is my ally, and it did protect me," he says proudly with a smile. The man with the blaster rolls his eyes while I grin in amusement.

"It sure did," I say in agreement. "So what drove you to help little old me?"

"You seem interesting," he comments. "Although I'm not sure why. It's... strange," he admits.

"He gets like that sometimes," the man with the blaster comments.

"Oh I'm sure he's fine," I reply. "So who are you guys?"

"Chirrut Îmwe, a pleasure to meet you," the blind man greets.

"Baze," the blaster man says gruffly.

"A pleasure to meet the two of you as well," I greet politely.

"So your name is Aven?" Chirrut asks for confirmation.

"No it is not," I reply.

Baze eyes me in confusion. "No? I thought that's what these guys were arresting you for. A smuggler?"

I glance around at the unconscious or dead troopers laying on the ground. "That's a false identity. My true name I'd rather not utter outside, if it's alright with you," I advise them.

Baze and Chirrut consider before nodding in agreement. "Our place is over this way," Baze says.

* * *

Once the duo led me back to their place, which looked rather humble in my opinion, I took notice of all the curious artifacts in their position, which most likely belonged to Chirrut. Baze doesn't really seem like the type of guy to keep things like that.

"So, what's your story?" Baze asks as we sit down in the main room.

"I came here looking for someone, or to confirm that person is actually real," I tell them before glancing at Chirrut knowingly. "Guess he is real."

They both notice the stare, and Baze becomes suspicious as he gazes at me with narrowed eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"I recently read a report about a Force sensitive living here in Jedha, although the Empire doesn't have any confirmation. Probably a good thing," I inform them.

"What makes you so sure there's a Force sensitive here in this place?" Chirrut asks, a little intrigued while Baze continues to eye me suspiciously.

I glance between the two, sensing them to get a sense of their intent. Determining that neither of them would even consider ever running to the Empire for anything I take a deep breathe, closing my eyes before opening my Force shields.

Chirrut barely gasps in surprise, looking at me with a new sense of awe while Baze stares at the two of us in confusion. "What?" he demands.

I close my shields again and open my eyes, reaching into the folds of my cloak. Revealing my hand again, I set my lightsaber gently down on the table in front of me, and Baze's eyes go wide with shock in realization of who I was.

"My real name is Jarik Shan," I tell them calmly, gauging their reactions.

"You're a Jedi... from the Clone War," Baze breathes out in surprise.

Chirrut stares at me unseeingly, although his eyes are wide with awe and respect. He stands up to offer me a respectful bow, while I take notice of a small symbol on his cloak.

"It is an honor to meet you Master Shan," he says respectfully.

"Thank you Chirrut, and it's good to meet you as well," I say in kind while he sits back down. "Are you... a Guardian of the Whills?" I ask, seeking confirmation about the small symbol.

"Was," Baze corrects grimly. "There are no more Guardians here, not after the Empire took over our Temple."

"It is unfortunate, but the memory will continue to live on." Chirrut says. "So, I guess you were searching for me then?"

"It would seem so. I'm just glad the Empire doesn't know about your Force sensitivity either," I say in relief.

"Do they kill anyone whose uses the Force?" Baze questions cautiously.

"That or worse," I state gravely. "All across the galaxy, there have been a few instances where children confirmed to be Force sensitive disappear without a trace. Most likely taken by Inquisitors."

Chirrut looks saddened by this while Baze scowls angrily, muttering a few curses about the Empire. "So these Inquisitors... hunt down those with the Force?" Chirrut asks.

"That or other Jedi," I tell him. "They use the Force themselves as well, and carry a lightsaber in order to combat other Jedi. They aren't very skilled, except for the higher class members of the group."

"So is there a possiblility of taking these guys out?" Baze asks hopefully, thinking about the possibility of him or Chirrut encountering one.

"They aren't skilled, and cannot hope to ever match a trained Jedi in battle, those are usually left for Vader to hunt down. However make no mistake; I don't doubt the two of you to be skilled fighters, I just saw your perfomance today. But they can and they will kill you if they uncover your connection with the Force," I want them seriously.

"Thank you for the warning Master Jedi," Chirrut says, inclining his head.

"At least now I know how much I need to keep your 'Force' stuff a secret Chirrut," Baze grumbles.

"My fate will play out as the Force sees fit my friend," he replies with a small smile. Baze rolls his eyes.

"Well, it was good to meet the two of you," I say, standing up. Now that I knew there was someone Force sensitive, and that hey could most definitely take care of themselves, I wasn't very concerned anymore. Even better is the fact that Chirrut is a believer in the Force and follows the Jedi, so there's not too much to worry about for him. And they both understand the severity of keeping it a secret.

"Uh huh. Good meeting you as well," Baze replies.

"It was a pleasure Master Shan," Chirrut says with another small bow.

"Keep knocking up those bucket heads will ya?" Baze asks.

"Oh you bet," I say with a small grin, heading for the door. I suddenly stop in surprise as the Force converges on me, pulling me into a vision.

 _A small village on another planet, with a small girl's screams ringing through the street. I look over to see a young girl with red hair being dragged against her will by another Inquisitor. The Inquisitor bangs her lightsaber against the girl's head to silence her cries._

 _The scene then shifts to show a large, blue ocean. An island in the distance draws closer, the sunset behind it gleaming a brilliant orange. Flying creatures occasionally dot the air._

I'm pulled out of my vision, staring forwards with wide eyes while Baze and Chirrut are next to me in concern.

"Hey snap out of it!" Baze exclaims.

"Are you alright?" Chirrut asks in concern.

I blink my eyes and shake my head, coming back to the present. "Yeah it's just..." I say, rubbing my forehead with a grimace. "I need to go. Something's going on, and I need to go," I say quickly.

"I understand. It is as the Force wills." Chirrut says.

With another quick goodbye, I rush out the door and head in the direction of my ship, opening my comlink channel.

"R5 you there? Power up the ship, there's something we need to do," I say determinedly.

* * *

 _What a chapter! We got the introduction of Chirrut Îmwe and Baze Malbus in this chapter! :O They won't be constantly reoccurring characters, and I probably won't touch up on them again until the events of Rogue One, but that was fun to write! :D_

 _Also, I'm sure you know what comes next now from that vision huh? Mara Jade here we come._


	10. Ch 9 - New Parents?

**14 BBY - 5 years after the Great Jedi Purge**

 ** _Wobani - Bryx Sector_**

 _I crouched down on the side of the street, eyes narrowed as I watched the commotion. To my great regret and anger I didn't make it in time, as evident by the screaming child and the Inquisitor storming out of the house, practically dragging the toddler with her. I may not have been able to save the family, but I will certainly save the child from the horrors of the Emperor._

 _Rushing out from cover I jumped through the air, and the Inquisitor just had time to look up at me in surprise before I slammed my foot into her mask, using the Force to enhance my kick. She flew back into the wall of another house, crying out in pain and rage. The little girl was thrown into the air, and she screamed in fear before I caught her gently._

 _"Shhh, you'll be alright, you're safe now," I said gently, calming her mind with the Force. She instantly quieted down and looked at me with scared, yet curious eyes. I was silently struck by her fear and innocence, heartbroken that such a young girl was the target of Darth Sidious._

 _"Who are you?" she hesitantly asked. Before I could respond the Inquisitor leaped back to her feet._

 _"Jedi!" she growled out, activating both ends of her lightsaber furiously. I set the girl on the ground beside a house._

 _"Stay here. You'll be alright, I promise you," I said gently._

 _The little girl nodded her head, and I pushed her to cover before turning to face the Inquisitor._

 _I stood up confidently and pulled out my lightsaber, activating it to cause my brilliant blue blade to shine forth. I wouldn't need both lightsabers for this._

 _"You won't be taking anyone today Inquisitor," I said firmly._

 _"Then you will die like her parents!" she roared, lunging forwards._

 _I met her charge head on with my own blue blade, and we entered a blade lock before she backpedaled, swinging her lightsaber in an attempt to cut me in half. I dodged the attack before unleashing a counter with my own blade, slicing through the air. She blocked it, and we exchanged in another quick flurry of strikes and parry's, and I was slowly forcing her backwards. She snarled angrily and activated her sabers spinning feature, swinging wildly at me._

 _I dodged out of the way, backing up again and occasionally deflecting a strike from the twirling saber. Those spinning sabers were deadly sure, but it severely limits their movement with it._

 _Eventually in her rage, the Inquisitor miscalculated her next strike, causing her to overshoot her attack and stumble. Taking advantage of the opportunity, I rushed forward and grabbed her lightsaber with my left hand despite the spinning red blade. I noticed how shocked and surprised she was when my prosthetic arm forced her spinning lightsaber to come to a halt, the mechanism groaning in protest. Lifting the lightsaber up, I slashed downwards, cutting her lightsaber apart. I then swung out with left hand, and my metal fist connected with her head, sending her flying to the ground, where she was knocked unconscious._

 _Satisfied, the I deactivated my lightsaber with a sigh, my expression grim. I looked over at the little girl, who ran over to me happily. Her face then returned to fear, and she ran towards her house._

 _"Mama!" she cried out, moving faster than a three year old should be capable of. I rushed after her quickly in concern, worried about what I might find..._

Shaken out of my memory of the rescue, I glanced over at Mara, taking notice of how there were still signs of grief on her face, even though she's asleep right now. R5 was piloting the ship back to the meeting point, where Bail's rebel fleet usually hangs out, and where Ahsoka currently was right now as well. Mara shouldn't have to go through something like this, but now those horrifying memories will stick with her for a long time, maybe even forever.

She then stirred slightly, starting to wake up and looked around, eyes widening in surprise.

"Mama?! Daddy?" she cried out, beginning to panic.

"Hey hey, Mara, it's alright," I say, coming to her side. "You're safe now."

She stares up at me with wide eyes, the memories beginning to come back to her, and she looks down, sniffing with tears. "Mommy isn't coming back, is she?" she asks in a quiet voice.

I look down at her sadly. "I'm sorry Mara... but it won't be forever," I tell her.

"What do you mean?" she says timidly through quiet cries.

"Even though she's gone, she will always be with you," I try to explain. "And I'm sure your mommy is watching over you right now, wishing the best for you."

She slowly looks back up at me. "You think so?"

"I do," I respond with a small smile.

She nods in response, not sure of what to say and quite frankly, I'm not sure of what to say either. I don't know how to deal with small children, especially children that just watched their parents slaughtered right in front of their eyes no less.

"What happens to me now?" she asks nervously in a quiet voice.

"I'll do whatever I can to make sure you'll be okay Mara," I tell her.

* * *

Docking with the Tantive III, the three of us entered the ship, with Mara holding on to my hand desperately, seeking comfort in the only person she has some sort of familiarity with in this strange landscape. I slowly led her through the ship, R5 rolling behind us, getting the sense that being his usual annoying self would be stupid right now. The few rebel personnel that walked by us gave me and Mara a strange, but confused look. Everyone on this ship was trustworthy and loyal to Bail, that much we had certified completely so I wasn't too worried. However Mara pressed closer to me in fear whenever someone walked by us.

Eventually we reached Bail's office, where I could sense both he and Ahsoka were currently discussing something. I reached out to her through the Force bond to let her know I was there, and she responded. I then opened the door and entered the office with Mara and R5, shutting the door behind me. Ahsoka and Bail both looked over at me before widening their eyes in surprise and confusion.

"Oh hey Jar... ik?" Ahsoka said in surprise. Mara pressed closer against me. "Umm... who is this?" she questions in bewilderment.

"Ahsoka, Bail, this is Mara Jade. Mara, these are close friends of mine, Ahsoka, and Bail, the one behind the desk," I introduced, pointing them out to the young girl. "You can trust them."

Mara looked over at them timidly, slowly waving a hand. "Hi..." she said nervously.

At their questioning looks, I explained the problem. "Red blade. Other's gone," I said quickly, letting Ahsoka and Bail understand what happened while being careful not to remind the young girl about her parent's deaths.

They widened their eyes in understanding and sorrow, looking at Mara with sadness and sympathy. Ahsoka stepped forwards and crouched down to Mara's height.

"I'm sorry about what happened Mara. You'll be alright now, we'll make sure of it," she said quietly.

Upon her moving closer, Mara flinched slightly behind me, but I carefully nudged her forwards. "It's ok, I don't bite," Ahsoka said with a smile. "I only bite Jarik here when he gets into trouble," she continued with a smirk up at me.

"Hey!" I complained in exaggeration, mostly for Mara's benefit. And it worked, as she giggled in response.

"He beat that mean, monster lady though!" she said, remembering the joy she felt upon seeing me beat the Inquisitor before her face fell. "But mommy and daddy..."

"It's okay Mara, I'm sure they'd want you to be happy. Can you do that for them?" Ahsoka asks gently.

After a few moments of silence, she nods her head. "I'll try," she says quietly.

"Good enough for me!" I remark, flashing her a wide, and goofy smile, to which she giggles. Ahsoka and Bail both smile at the sight.

* * *

"So, what happened exactly?" Bail asks me, the three of us seated at his desk.

Mara currently was somewhere else, talking with a woman who was taking care of her for the time being. She knew how to deal with children, and would help Mara become less afraid of her strange surroundings while Ahsoka, Bail and I were having this meeting about what to do with her. I had R5 travel with Mara, under strict orders not to upset her or else there would be violence brought down on his shiny dome.

"I was on Jedha looking for a supposedly reported Force sensitive when I received a vision about Mara being kidnapped," I explained. "I traveled to Wobani as fast as I could, but by the time I got there an Inquisitor had already killed her parents, and would've taken off with her when I arrived."

"At least you managed to get there before she was taken," he said sorrowfully. "I can't imagine what Mara must be going through."

Having raised Leia for a while, doing everything he could to make sure she was safe and protected from Vader and the Emperor, I'm sure a story like this would be heartbreaking for him, and if something were to happen to Leia he'd never forgive himself.

"The question is what happens to Mara now," Ahsoka pointed out. "From what I sense she's strong with the Force, so she would be hunted down by the Empire if they know what she looks like, and what her name is."

"Who would take her in though? Not many people would be willing to house a Force sensitive child right now, even if they hated the Empire with a passion," I said, laying my head on my hand.

"I'm not sure," Bail said, deeply troubled. "We could send her to a remote place, with a family that would be kind and caring, yet would not draw the Empire's attention," he suggests.

"There aren't many places like that though, besides the Hutt territories, and we all know how dangerous places like that are already." Ahsoka says.

"It's so much more difficult when they're younger," I say quietly with a sigh. "From what she saw. She's going to be having nightmares for possibly years. And she doesn't know or understand the Force yet."

Ahsoka widens her eyes in concern. "If she's constantly terrified or suffering through that, then there's a high chance that she would be projecting herself unknowingly through the Force with fear. Palpatine would definitely pick up on that."

"So she'd need to be with someone she trusts," Bail decides.

I go silent before sharing a look with Ahsoka, realizing the implications I was thinking of.

"Well, right now I'd say the only person she trusts is me, and I guess maybe Ahsoka," I point out. "But I don't know if we could take on the responsibility of raising her. We're Fulcrum agents, which means she'd be in danger every second she spends with us."

Ahsoka nods her head in agreement. It's not that we don't want to take care of Mara, both of us would gladly accept the role, since she trusts us so much, and we could train her in the ways of the Force. It's just that we don't want to put her in such a dangerous position, constantly trying to stay hidden from the Empire. It would be a tough life for her.

"Is there really no other option for Mara?" Ahsoka questions, before her eyes light up. "What about Katooni? She could help Mara in training her sensitivity to the Force," she suggests.

I smile, nodding my head and remembering about her. She still lives on Alderaan, peacefully ever since she wished a peaceful life away from war. She's nice, and would be a great teacher, despite never even becoming a Padawan. She'd know how to help Mara focus her senses in the Force, enough to stay hidden at least.

To our surprise, Bail sighs with a sad shake of his head. "That's a wonderful idea, and I would agree wholeheartedly to it," he says. "However, Palpatine and Vader have begun to grow suspicious of me, have for quite some time actually."

We widen our eyes in alarm before he continues. "They don't know about my involvement with the Rebellion, or other things," at that last bit, he directs the words to me, talking about Leia. "But they've always known that I've never agreed with their ways, and I would prefer the Jedi back. So does the rest of Alderaan, and they have always watched my plant closely."

He sighs again. "Katooni has told me privately that staying hidden takes everything she has. I'm afraid sending Mara there would be far to dangerous, especially if she can't hide herself as you say."

 _"So we really have no other choice for Mara,"_ I say sadly over the bond.

 _"I'm afraid so. But we'll figure this out. We always have,"_ she says back reassuringly.

The decision being made, we both nod our heads. "Very well. We'll take her in, make sure she can have the best life possible. Even if it is a dangerous one," I finally say.

* * *

After the meeting, me and Ahsoka both headed over to where Mara was with R5 and the woman. We entered the room, and the woman looked up at us, before excusing herself to allow us to meet with Mara, who looked at us questioningly as we sat down on the couch next to Mara.

"Hey Mara, how are you doing?" I ask her.

"Okay. That lady was nice," she commented, staring at the door where she left.

"I'm sure she was," Ahsoka said in agreement.

"Yeah... so where will I go now?" she asks innocently, looking up at us nervously.

Me and Ahsoka share a look before turning our gaze back to Mara with calm, caring eyes. "Jarik and I, have decided that we'll take care of you now," she says.

Mara's eyes light up in joy and wonder. "Really?!"

"Yup, really," I say in confirmation with a smile on my face.

"Thank you! Thank you thank you!" she cries happily, leaping at me to give me a fierce hug, before moving quickly to Ahsoka as well.

Perhaps this wasn't such a bad decision after all. Now about actually teaching and caring for a girl that is three years old... I'm not too confident about this. Even Ahsoka would do better than me, and she's supposed to be the more aggressive of the two of us.

 _"I heard that!"_ she says over the bond, giving me a mental thwack.

 _"Sorry sweetie,"_ I say with a flinch.

* * *

 **Imperial Palace, Coruscant; 3rd person POV...**

Second Sister cried out in agony as the Force lightning attack ravaged her body mercilessly from where she lay on the ground at the foot of the throne. Around her, Imperial Royal Guards watched, having no sympathy.

"I told you to bring me the girl!" the Emperor roared in fury, sending another burst of lightning.

"My Emperor, please! I had her, but-" Second Sister pleaded.

"But nothing! You say you had the child, yet here you are with nothing to show for it!" Darth Sidious snarled angrily, stepping down slowly from his throne, hands held in front of him. The black robes covered his hideously scarred face, yet his eyes still gleamed a sickly yellow.

"Let me make up for it Master, I will not fail you again," she said, bowing herself down to the floor.

"What assurance do you give me that you will not fail? Lord Vader would have not failed in your place. Even the Grand Inquisitor would have succeeded partially in his task," the Emperor spoke condescendingly. "Why should I not send one of them instead next time?"

"Grand Inquisitor failed to apprehend the Jedi on Mandalore my Emperor. Surely you won't consider him," she says, attempting to shame someone above her to get in his good graces.

Another burst of lightning racked her body, and she screamed in agony again. "The Grand Inquisitor has already paid for his mistake in not eliminating Jarik Shan! Yet when you faced the same adversary, you were knocked out!" Sidious growled in a rage.

"Forgive me Master..." she whimpered pitifully.

"You're lucky Shan showed you mercy in allowing you to live. But from me, there is no mercy..."

Second Sister looked up in terror as the Emperor approached her, cackling madly in glee.

* * *

 _Mara Jade is officially in the story now guys, and she is now under the care of our favorite duo Jarik and Ahsoka! Well... at least the favorite duo in this fanfiction story lol :P_

 _We're going for some JariSoka shipping for the win, now they have an **adopted** child._

 _And good old Papa Palps isn't happy, not happy at all. I'm sure you can guess what fate he has in store for the Second Sister... you almost feel sorry for her._

 _Side Note: in terms of writing in relation you a young child who is upset and grieving, I honestly am not very good at that, so sorry if it seems a little awkward, but that's why! Thank you so much for continuing to love and support this story! :D_


	11. Ch 10 - Nightmares

After me and Ahsoka told Mara that we would be "adopting" her I guess you could say, we brought her to the Knight Hawk, which is of course me and Ahsoka's fantastic ship which I am so proud of for finding, and began to show her around. We showed her the cockpit, the main living area, the food storage place, as well as our rooms, of which there were two. We didn't show her the engine, communications or electric rooms, or anything else necessary for keeping the ship in working order, since that wasn't important. Just the places where she would be spending most of her time. And she did love it, much to our relief.

"This place is cool!" she said happily with wide eyes.

"Yeah, sure is Mara. You know I actually found it in a junkyard," I remark.

"Junkyard?" she asks. "You mean the bad, trash place?"

"It's a wonder it still works," Ahsoka jokes.

"It can't be that bad," I protest.

"What's that room?" Mara asks, pointing towards another doorway. We look over and take notice of it being where the cargo bay area is stationed.

"Oh that's the cargo bay," I tell her.

"Cargo bay?" Mara questions again.

"Basically its a room used for carrying large boxes and crates," Ahsoka explained.

"Oooohhh," she says in understanding. "Can I see it?"

"Sure," I say in reply.

We lead Mara over to the cargo bay, Ahsoka holding her hand the whole way, and I open up the door. Inside is a relatively simple cargo bay area, about 25 feet in length or so, and 20 feet wide. The entrance has a small catwalk, which then has a ladder to get down to the main area. The door ramp is on the other end of the cargo bay. Right now there were not too many things in the hold, mainly food supplies or objects for the Fulcrum agency and rebel intelligence. There were also a tiny amount of artifacts of Jedi origin scattered around in here that me and Ahsoka have found over the last few years.

"This looks cool!" Mara says, poking her head through the railing. "What are those boxes for?" she asks.

"Mainly food, supplies and some other artifacts we've found," I told her.

"What's in that one?" she asks, pointing to a certain box on top of all the others nearby. I take notice of it and realize it contains a Jedi holocron, albeit a slightly busted one. Wonder why she felt the curiosity to ask about that particular box... guess she must have sensed it.

Ahsoka uses the Force to pull the box to her and then opens it, pulling out the holocron inside, showing it to Mara. She peeked up at the holocron, eyes focused on it with child-like wonder.

"Woah... what's it do?"

"It's a Jedi holocron, something used to hold stories, and information, or lessons about being a Jedi," Ahsoka explained.

"I've always heard that Jedi were evil," she recalls, a little sadly as past memories came up before I could sense her trying to shove them back. "But I don't think it's true."

"Thankfully it isn't," I reply. "I mean, look at me do I look evil?" I ask rhetorically, pulling a goofy grin.

"No, but you look very silly!" she says, showing off a mischievous side of herself. I pout, crossing my arms while Ahsoka giggles in amusement, putting the holocron back in the box and placing it to the side.

"She got you there little Jari," she says.

"Don't call me that! Not in front of her!" I protest.

"Why do you call him little Jari?" Mara immediately asks Ahsoka, and I stand behind her, shaking my head quietly with wide eyes. Sadly, Ahsoka smirks at me like a shark.

"Because he's the younger, more immature of the two of us," she says. "I think it fits him."

I glare at her half-heartedly while Mara begins to laugh, but to make matters worse, R5 strolls past the door on his way to another part of the ship, laughing as well like some sort of comedic show.

Turning around and crossing my arms, I grumble in irritation. "Great. Now's she's gonna be calling me that for the rest of my life," I mutter in annoyance.

"I still like you though!" Mara exclaims with a nod of her head, before grinning. "As little Jari!"

Ahsoka laughs while I throw my arms up in the air in exasperation. I cannot believe this!

* * *

We spent the rest of the day socializing with each other while our ship merely floated calmly through space, isolated from the reach of the Empire. Ahsoka and I managed to get through our first day as the adoptive parents of young Mara Jade, having our dinner with each other, playing around with her a little bit, and finally tucking her into bed in the guest room I originally gave to Ahsoka, before she decided to sleep with me instead in is basically now our room. As of right now, everyone was asleep, however my mind wasn't.

 _A brownish green, rocky planet with some water on the surface and clouds swirling through the atmosphere was visible. Two fleets of many warships were engaged in combat above the planet, tearing each other apart when a massive light and explosion occurred. In the end, many ships, including the entirety of one side's ships were wiped out, as well as the planet being completely destroyed and corrupted, now crackling with glowing green crevices, the entire thing now an abomination._

 _Over this, I hear a voiceover of the scene gently speaking around me, sounding monotone, like a droid. "Observation:_ _Master, I do not believe that the Mandalorians were the true target at Malachor - I believe that the intention was to destroy the Jedi, break their will, and make them loyal to Revan."_

 _Then smoky mist obscures my vision, and I get a view of a dark room, seemingly like a throne; one which I am familiar with._

 ** _"Those of the line of Revan have great power..."_** _Supreme Leader Snoke said from his throne, seemingly speaking with someone. **"And will always be destined for darkness, just like Lord Revan."**_

 _I think I hear a girl's voice say 'No.. he's.. light!' but the vision moves away before I can understand what that is about._

 _Now I'm flying through space, coming upon another planet with two suns and one moon surrounding it. The planet looks like a large ocean, with islands and archipelagos scattered across the surface. I fly down to see an island, with a very green and lush environment. Strange, bird creatures fly around, before shooting off in terror when some sort of flying, lizard creature shoots by with a roar, flames bursting from its mouth._

 _On the island there seems to be a small village of abandoned old huts, and a tree surrounded by mist in the distance. Up on top of the island is some sort of small, ancient temple in the rock, and inside I see a woman meditating on the ground, wearing brown Jedi robes. Her hair is at shoulder length with small hair tails framing her face... is that...?_

 _Before I can confirm my suspicions the vision then shows me the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, burning. Clones storm the whole place, and memories of that night come to mind. Then, my dark self stands before me, a complete opposite to what I look like, wearing all black, tattered robes with small hints of crimson, pale face and gleaming yellow eyes._

 ** _"I will be free soon enough Jedi. I am your true self,"_** _he proclaims._

 _"No!" I say back in denial._

 ** _"It's only a matter of time,"_** _he says gleefully, once again activating a blood red lightsaber and raising it in preparation to kill me again._

My eyes shoot open, and my breathing is heavy, although I calm myself down much quicker this time, glancing over to Ahsoka, asleep beside me. I sigh in relief, glad that I didn't get unhinged nearly as much this time when a sound makes my heart stop in fear.

Mara is screaming.

Ahsoka's eyes shoot open immediately and we whip the blankets off, running out of the room in our nightclothes without any care, not even stopping to pick up our lightsabers in our fear and worry. We slam open the guest room door to see Mara sitting upright in bed, eyes wide in terror as she's shaking, holding herself.

"Mara! What happened?!" I ask quickly in concern as we rush to her side.

"The red blade monster... she took me again, she killed mama and papa..." she cries, in shock.

Ahsoka immediately wraps her arms around Mara, doing her best to calm her down as she rocks the young girl gently. "Shh, Mara it's ok. There's no red blades here, no one's taking you anywhere," she says in reassurance.

"We're here for you Mara," I promise her.

R5 slowly rolls up to the door quietly, having heard the commotion and peeks in. I look over at him sternly, giving him a silent gesture that now isn't the right time. Thankfully he takes the hint, and moves away again.

Mara sniffles, latching onto Ahsoka tightly. "But the monster lady... she took me to someone... he was so scary!"

I can only assume that she saw Darth Sidious. Not the best person to see in the galaxy as a child, not by a long shot. I scoot closer to both of them, wrapping an arm around Mara, and by extension, Ahsoka.

"You're safe with us you here me?" Ahsoka says, looking down at her. "They won't hurt you again."

"They'd have to get through us first, and that's not happening," I reassure her.

"Do you want to sleep with us tonight?" Ahsoka asks, and Mara quickly nods her head.

She sniffles again, wiping the tears away with her arm before looking up at us with teary, pleading eyes that break my heart. "Are you going to be my mommy and daddy now?" she asks hopefully.

Me and Ahsoka glance up at each other, the question having so many more implications compared to its simplicity. We already know the answer.

"Of course we will Mara," Ahsoka says.

Mara finally offers up a small smile of relief, and the three of us share a long, heartwarming hug with each other for a long while.

* * *

 _Well that was an emotional moment for all of them. Starts off with fun, happy greetings and showing off and teasing of things at the start, then Jarik receives visions, also warnings of his dark side personality, and different planets. Mara of course has a nightmare about the Second Sister, as that moment would be traumatic for anyone at that moment. Finally it ends off with Jarik and Ahsoka officially being labeled now as Mara's new parents._

 _Glad you all enjoy this story so much, and here's to more hopefully good content from me, because my writing of children and angst moments in fanfiction is worse than Emperor Palpatine's attempts at being the good guy!_

 _LOL_


	12. Ch 11 - Legends & Training

**9 BBY - 10 years after the Great Jedi Purge**

 _ **Berk; Ahch-To - Unknown Regions**_

The hulking, Viking man with a long, blonde mustache inspected the sword with a critical eye before nodding in approval of the workmanship.

"Not bad Hiccup! You're getting better at this!" he says happily, sheathing the sword into the weapons rack.

"Thanks Gobber," Hiccup replied with a rare smile.

"Few more years with more muscle on those bones and you'll be pumping out weapons better than I ever could, haha!" Gobber joked, changing one of his prosthetic hands.

Hiccup grimaced unnoticeably at the 'muscle' comment, but shook it off, knowing Gobber didn't really mean it personally.

"Welp, I'm off to the Great Hall! Got another dragon raid planned," Gobber announces, hobbling out of the shop. "See you tomorrow lad!"

"Yeah, see you Gobber," Hiccup replied with a small wave, watching his mentor leave. He then glanced around at all of the scattered tools and prosthetic hands belonging to Gobber and gave out a disappointed sigh. The man never could clean up after himself, which Hiccup usually did himself to get his mind off of other things. Deciding he had nothing else better to do, he began to reorganize the different hands on Gobber's tool rack, and properly put away all of the other weapons and leather pieces scattered around for the next half an hour. Once he was done, he nodded in satisfaction to his work before heading towards the back end of the shop, where his private room was.

Closing the door behind him, he lit a few candles and brought them to his desk, sitting down before pulling some of the few books to him. Besides Gothi, he suspected that he read more than anyone else in the entire village did, so he borrowed stories of hers from time to time, with her permission of course. What's better is that since the books belonged to Gothi, none of the other teens would dare try to ruin them if they caught him reading her books in the middle of the day.

Scattered across the different shelves and desks were pictures that he had drawn of schematics, invention ideas, dragons, forests, and legends from Gothi's stories. Hiccup opened a certain book about the old gods visiting Ahch-To from the heavens and began to read from where he left off of earlier.

"The old gods..." he muttered to himself, reading off of the pages. "Thousands of years ago in the birth of civilization, messengers from Asgard came down to our world, teaching us many things. Our language, culture, amongst other subjects. Old temples were built, scattered across the world, however lost to time."

He flipped the page to see an old drawing of one of these temples. It showed an island with a stone village upon a cliff, a misty tree nearby. On top of the island was the main temple itself, said to have old carvings and stone engravings, which are not documented.

"Legends say these messengers were named Jedi... and the leader of their group was the Prime Jedi," he continued to read, engrossed in the story.

"Wow..." Hiccup whispered to himself.

"Jedi were also though to have power over the dragons themselves, conquering them," he muttered. "Since their first visit, only one Jedi messenger has appeared to mortals ever since... a woman who spent years secluded on one of the many temples lost to the world. Her name was..."

Before Hiccup could continued, Stoick the Vast's voice boomed from outside. "HICCUP! Where are ye!?" he demanded.

Hiccup sighed dejectedly, looking at the book one last time before closing it, reluctantly going to meet his father for whatever he wanted to talk about.

* * *

 **Desert moon of Jedha, Terrabe Sector; 3rd person POV...**

Ahsoka and Mara were standing in front of a food vendor in a less public area of Jedha to purchase some supplies since they were currently low. Thanks to Jarik's efforts to scrounge up credits from the Empire every so often they were able to get by relatively well. He also managed to get his hands a quite a bit of the money that the Coruscant Jedi Temple had in the system before Palpatine took control of it completely, most of which he then donated to the Rebellion to help with the funding the cause.

Ahsoka had on a cloak and hood to cover her face, and Mara also had on a light colored, tan robe as well which she wore around her black colored clothing underneath.

"Hey mom, should we do something about that?" Mara asked Ahsoka quietly.

"Hmm?" she responded, looking over from under her cloak to where she was pointing. A pair of Stormtroopers were standing intimidatingly close to a man, who obviously looked very nervous and was holding his hands up in a panic.

She sighed sadly. "Unfortunately we can't," Ahsoka resonded.

"Why not?" she asked in confusion. "Isn't the Empire bad like you said?"

"They are, but they control the galaxy with an Iron Fist. If we take any action against them, especially in a public place like this we'd be arrested in an instant," she explained.

Mara glanced over at the confrontation again. "What about a mind trick?"

"To open of a space." Ahsoka replied. "I know it's hard, but that man would be better off if we don't interfere."

"I understand..." Mara said a little sadly.

The shop vendor came back and placed a box on the table, which Ahsoka took in her hands, tossing him a few credits before they began to walk off. She was gripping Mara's hand to make sure nothing happened while holding the box in her other hand. As they walked down the streets back to where their ship was parked, a young brunette girl a few years older than Mara bumped into them.

"Sorry," she replied in apology, about to move by again when Mara sensed something.

"Where'd you get that crystal?" she wonders curiously.

The girl widens her eyes before briefly glancing down at her shirt, where there was nothing. "My what?" she said.

"You know, you're necklace. I think it's pretty!" Mara says with a small smile on her face. The girl grips something under her shirt tightly, and Ahsoka already knows there is a kyber crystal around her neck. However this isn't the proper way of doing this.

"Come along Mara, we've got to go," she said sternly, a hint of disapproval in her voice at Mara giving out hints of her Force sensitivity.

"Bye!" she said, waving to the girl who waved back hesitantly before scurrying off quickly again. Once they were out of earshot, Ahsoka turned a disapproving glare to Mara.

"Mara, you shouldn't have done that," she said sternly.

"Done what?" Mara asked in confusion.

"Ask about her crystal, sensing it with the Force." Ahsoka said.

"But why? You could sense it too right?" she questions, not getting the point.

"Yes, I could sense it. But it isn't visible for others to see. By revealing you knew about her crystal it hints about your Force sensitivity, and could expose you to the Empire for it," she explains.

Mara looks down guiltily, realizing the problem. "Sorry mom," she said quietly in response.

Ahsoka sighed. "It's alright Mara, but don't do it again ok?"

Mara nodded, and the two continued to head over to their ship for take off.

* * *

"Are you certain Jyn?" Saw asked in bewilderment.

"Yes Saw, she knew about my crystal, and I don't know how!" Jyn stressed urgently.

"What did they look like? Did you recognize them?" he questions with a serious gaze.

"I didn't know who they were, but it was a Togruta woman, and the girl who said she knew about my necklace was human with red hair," Jyn explained.

Saw glanced up thoughtfully. "A Togruta..." he murmured, the gears in his head turning. "Red haired girl..."

"Do you know who they are?" she asks.

He remains silent for a few moments before replying. "I'm not sure child, but this is troubling. We'll need to make sure they can be trustworthy before anything gets into the Empire's hands," he says firmly.

"They were heading over to docking bay 175," Jyn informed him.

Nodding to himself, Saw turned around and waved someone over. "Benthic, get everyone ready! We have business to conduct," he said.

* * *

Mara and Ahsoka continued through the streets towards their ship, but when they got closer to their docking bay, Ahsoka took notice of how it seemed more empty than usual, and grew suspicious, sensing something off in the Force. She activated her comlink and contacted R5.

"R5, you read me?" she asked. There was no reply, and only static could be heard, indicating that the transmission was being jammed.

"What's wrong?" Mara asked in concern.

"We're being ambushed," she said grimly in reply. "We'll have to make a run for it."

"Ambushed?!" Mara said fearfully.

"We'll be fine, just follow my lead ok?" Ahsoka says, and Mara nods.

The duo begin to stealthily move towards the door that leads to their docking bay, and stop, pressing themselves against the wall on either side of it. Ahsoka presses a few buttons into the control panel, before looking over at Mara. At her nod, she pressed the enter key and the door raised open.

Immediately, they ran into the docking bay, straight for their ship with Mara hot on Ahsoka's heels. It looked like they were about to make it when from out of the corner various people emerged, charging at the two with wild yells. From above, one man jumped down towards Mara, and landed on the ground behind her. He grabbed her arm and attempted to subdue her, but the eight year old girl surprised him.

Reacting with incredible skill an ferocity, which she no doubt got from Ahsoka, Mara quickly swung a leg out and slammed her foot into the guys knee, moving away from him as he collapsed with a cry of pain.

Ahsoka pulled a backup blaster from her holster and fired at the people surrounding her, setting the gun to stun mode so that nobody would be killed. A few people dropped as Mara moved closely to Ahsoka, fearful. Another man laped for them, but Ahsoka swung a leg out, kicking him in the face and sending them flying back.

Despite her efforts, the two were surrounded, blasters raised at them threateningly. A male Tognath stepped forward and spoke harshly in his language.

 _"Surrender yourselves to us, now!"_ he demanded.

"We want no trouble with you," Ahsoka replied firmly. "And we will be leaving here."

However the Tognath would not be deterred. _"Take them!"_

As the group were about to move forwards, another voice rang out. "Stop!" a man cried.

The thugs immediately stopped and looked to one area, where an older, battle worn but fierce man strode forwards, a slightly wild but calculated look on his face. Ahsoka immediately came to realize who it was.

"Saw," she said with wide eyes.

"Who?" Mara asked.

"An old friend, or acquaintance..." she replied, not sure what to say about them, still slightly guilty about Steela's death, even though she knew it wasn't her fault.

"I never expected to find you here," Saw said in response.

"Dangerous times call for unexpected measures," she replies.

Saw lets off a soft chuckle. "True enough."

Ahsoka crossed her arms. "So, what are you here surrounding me with your cell for?" she questions.

"Were were wary about you, weren't sure who you were. A girl under my band, Jyn, was concerned when you somehow knew about a necklace of hers," he explained.

Mara widened her eyes in surprise, sharing a look with Ahsoka before looking down guiltily.

"At least I know who you are now," he continued, eyeing Mara warily. "Who's this?"

"This is Mara," was all Ahsoka offered up in response. Said red headed girl continued to look around them with a small glare, eyeing the rebel cell distrustfully, worried they would try to harm her or Ahsoka again.

"Secretive huh?" Saw said with a sarcastic, but knowing look. "Any particular reason you're here then? We could offer you a place to stay for the time being, maybe do some damage against the Empire along the way," he says.

"Tempting, but we can't accept," Ahsoka responded. "We're only here to resupply, before we're off back to the Rebellion."

"Oh yes, the Rebellion," he mutters. "They could do more you know," he says bitterly.

"Look, we're a small group right now," Ahsoka replies with a stern look. "It won't grow in an instant, these things take time."

"If you say so," Saw replies. "Well, I won't waste anyone's time for any longer." He turned to his officers and with a simple gesture and a few words in another language, they scurried off immediately. He then turned his gaze back to Ahsoka and Mara.

"Let's hope we can meet again under better circumstances to take down the Imperial flag," he says.

"I hope so as well Saw," Ahsoka says in agreement.

He eyes them for a few more seconds before moving off back to his hideout, following his rebel cell.

"I don't trust him," Mara said once he was gone.

"I don't fully trust him either, but his heart is in the right place." Ahsoka responds. "Well, we better get back to your dad before he gets upset."

"He'd just be over dramatic about it," she says with a small grin.

* * *

 **The Knight Hawk; Jarik POV...**

After Ahsoka and Mara had gotten back from their supply shopping on Jedha, I was giving Mara some more lessons about the Force while Ahsoka returned to more Fulcrum work, picking up from where I had left off while they were away. Currently I was helping her practice her senses with a training remote, while wearing a helmet to cover her eyes and holding my green lightsaber, which I had toned down to a safe training setting.

"Remember to focus your senses Mara," I told her.

The training remote moved around, keeping her on her guard the whole time. She raises her lightsaber, trying to sense the remote's movements. It fires off a shot, and she manages to react in time, deflecting it. The remote backs off again, spinning around before suddenly charging forward, firing another shot.

This time Mara doesn't react quick enough, and it hits her in the side. She yelps in pain from the sting, letting off a frustrated growl before raising the lightsaber again.

"Feel with the Force. Let it guide you," I say.

She breathes deeply before facing the remote, which begins to circle her again. She doesn't move, focusing on the Force, and when the remote quickly whips around and fires three fast shots, she reacts perfectly, moving around and swinging the lightsaber to block every one.

I give off a small clap as she removes her helmet. "Nice job Mara, you're getting better at this," I praise her.

"Thanks dad," she says with a bright smile, frowning down at the place where she was shot earlier. "Wish I didn't get shot though, it hurts."

"Practice makes perfect, as the saying goes," I remark.

"I know, but I did feel the Force better that time, it was cool! I could almost see the remote in my eyes!" she says excitedly.

"That's good, you've taken a larger step into its mysteries," I tell her.

I move over to the side of the room, grabbing a small cup of water. "I have a question though," she asks.

"Hmm?" I say in response, taking a sip.

"It may sound stupid... but is the Force a person? Like a man, or woman?" she asks.

I cough on my water in response, not expecting a question like that and quickly pull the cup away from my mouth, smacking my chest before finally swallowing the water. "What?" I say in bewilderment. "Where did that question come from?"

"I know, it sounds stupid but, I'm just curious," she replies sheepishly, and a little bit embarrassed. "Because you and mom both say it'll help guide my actions, as if it's a person or something helping me to do it."

"Well..." I start to say, not expecting to have to come up with a response to such a bizarre question. "The Force isn't a person, or an entity... more in the sense of an energy field. It binds the galaxy together, giving certain individuals the ability to be more sensitive to it. So it isn't a divine woman, or man. All living things have a Force signature, regardless of who or what they are, you get what I'm saying?"

She nods in understanding. "Yeah, thanks for clearing it up dad," she says happily.

"Of course sweetie," I reply with a small smile, checking my chronometer. "Well I've got some work to do right now, so you can go off to your room or do whatever you want until dinner," I told her.

"Ok!" she says, rushing off down the hall to her room. I watch her go before shaking my head with an amused chuckle.

"The Force having a gender... hah!" I mutter to myself in amusement. I head over to my office room, where a few computers are setup, designed to monitor the communications network and the holonet for any important updates and intelligence reports about the Empire.

I sit down at my desk and open up the most recent report, reading through it and judging its importance, decrypting a few files. I then glance over at the side of the screen, seeing the file about Hypori. Curious, I pull it up and reread it, remembering this from a few years ago. Acquiring old Separatist ammunitions and supplies would be of great benefit, and if we manage to find a cruiser somewhere in storage, that would be absolutely fascinating.

"I think, this should be our next mission," I mutter to myself, nodding my head.

* * *

 _The next mission for the crew of the Knight Hawk, and the Rebel Alliances founding Fulcrum agents shall be to Hypori! Whoo! Getting some old Clone Wars era supplies, wonder how this will go down? :)_

 _And Hiccup on Ahch-To continuing to show his fascination with the messengers of the gods of Asgard, wonder who those people are huh? Nah it's easy to figure out._

 _If you understood the implications of that question asked by Mara then I hope you found it funny, because I couldn't resist adding something like that! No offense to anyone, but I find the idea of the Force being either a female OR a male to be completely ridiculous, and this is MY fanfiction so I'm putting it how I believe it should be! :D_

 _Glad you guys have been enjoying my story so much!_


	13. Ch 12 - Raiding the Separatists

"Hypori huh?" Ahsoka asks, reading the datapad. "I like it," she says in approval.

"We could get a lot from whatever was abandoned down there. Droids, ammunition, supplies, the works," I replied.

"So when do we start?" she asked me.

"Whenever," I say with a shrug. "I'd say it would be best to lead a small team down there in case there's something massive we'd need to pick up and fly out of there, since the possibility of getting a Municent class frigate is very high."

"That's true," she says in agreement. "I'll call up a cell nearby, maybe one of Senator Organa's groups and have them send a corvette for this," she tells me.

"Sounds good," I say happily. "Although... we should probably not take the Knight Hawk on this one right?" I question her.

She nods her head. "No we shouldn't. At least until we've gotten what we need. Mara is good, but she's only eight, and she shouldn't be in such a dangerous mission yet, not for a while."

"Not until she's at least twenty," I say with a determined not.

Ahsoka gives me a skeptical look. "You and I both know she'd protest that, probably going off at fourteen since we started at that age."

"Well, I've grown the 'over-protective dad' syndrome since we adopted her!" I protest lightly.

She reaches forwards and gives me a quick peck on the cheek and a smile. "And that's why I love you for it," she teases.

"Enough to marry me?" I say jokingly.

"Lets not get carried to far," she replies with a frown, while I snicker in amusement. "We still have a war going on you know."

"Fine... after?" I suggest with a wry grin. "Come on, be honest..." I tease.

She turns her head away with a small frown, but I can see her orange skin darkening slightly on her face, and the blue stripes on her lekku darken to show more of a purple shade: she's blushing. My smile grows wider until she eventually concedes.

"Maybe..." she replies sheepishly, looking up at me with an innocent expression.

"Yes!" I say with a dramatic fist pump. "Good enough for me!"

She slugs me on the shoulder in response. "Hey that's still a while away, things could change so don't screw it up," she threatens with a half-hearted glare.

"And I'm Darth Sidious," I say sarcastically, knowing she didn't really mean that. She rolls her eyes but we give each other a quick, but warm hug after our little our with each other.

* * *

As expected, Mara immediately demanded to come with us when we told her we would be leaving for a Rebellion mission, refusing to be let behind on our ship while we were out raiding old Clone Wars bases. After a lengthy discussion, she eventually conceded, much to me and Ahsoka's relief that she would stay with R5 on the Knight Hawk. However it was under the condition that once we got what we need and left the planet's surface, she and R5 would come by to dock with us.

I was a little wary about that, but let it go, knowing she wouldn't accept anything less than that. Right now, me and Ahsoka were headed through Hyperspace towards Hypori, briefing a small group of rebels about the mission. They were very loyal to Senator Organa, and he confirmed them to be trustworthy, so hiding our identities from them wasn't as big of an issue, although we wouldn't openly say it. This rebel cell fought on one of the Mid-Rim planets, as far as I was aware.

"As you all know, we're traveling to the planet Hypori, notable for its droid factories and Separatist bases during the Clone Wars," I told them.

"Our mission is to retrieve anything that could be beneficial to the Rebellion, ranging from droids and weapons, to possibly vehicles or even ships." Ahsoka added.

"What if we encounter Imperial's on this raid?" one of the soldiers asked.

"Hypori resides in Hutt Space, so the chances of running into the Empire are slim," I said. "However there are still plenty of other bounty hunters, or criminals that would jump at the chance to earn a profit, so be wary."

The rebel raid group all nodded and muttered to each other, understanding what needed to happen. The ship then shook a little bit as we came out of hyperspace, and we descended towards the planet's surface to a larger sized base location, making sure to stay out of view of any other ships that might be passing through the place.

Once we landed, the pilot's voice over the intercom told us we were all clear, and lowered the ramp next to us, and we rushed out as a group into the rocky landscape, moving towards the base entrance, which was visible nearby. The corvette we took was hidden amongst the rocks, ready to take off in an instant if the situation called for it.

Our team move up towards the base's entrance, and begin to scout along the walls towards the main doors for any sort of side entrance to not attract as much attention. The main doors were absolutely massive, wide enough for a small cruiser to fly through so there was no need to open those.

"Over here!" one of the scouts says a little ways away. We rush over to find a simple side door, yet large enough for a small AAT tank to get through.

"Nice work," I tell him, getting to work on the control panel. After crossing a few wires, which spark considerably from old age, I manage to get the door to open up. It creaks and groans in protest from how old it is, but thankfully the power generators inside are still working.

"Split up into pairs or groups of three and begin searching for anything," I tell the group. "Don't go alone, and be wary. This facility could still have a few dangerous traps or droids lurking around."

The Rebels give a nod of understanding and split up, going in groups of two or three, while me and Ahsoka head through the facility together.

"Feels like old times huh?" Ahsoka asks me.

"Yeah. All we need now is General Grievous to growl and cough at us," I remark.

"True enough," she says in reply.

A small crash off to the side of us gets our attention, and we look over to see a badly damaged Commando droid moving for us threateningly, blaster raised. It fired two shots, but we both calmly dodged them by simply leaning out of the way before Ahsoka swipes her arm at it. The droid slammed into the wall, and sparks flew violently from its joints. It looks up again from the ground and attempts to crawl for us when I simply activate Ahsoka's old green lightsaber and stab it through the head, destroying it instantly.

I placed the saber back on my belt next to my own and turn to her with an amused grin. "Who knew I'd still be adding droid kills to my tally?"

"Technically you used my lightsaber to do it, so that tally gets added to me," she says.

I raise an eyebrow at her. "You don't even want or use it anymore," I deadpanned.

She shrugs, a mishcievous look in her eye. "Still my lightsaber."

"Wha- how does that even make sense? I killed it!" I protest, but she already walked on. Grumbling to myself, I followed after her, kicking the droid's head along the way. We spent the next few minutes wondering the halls before coming to a promising looking room.

I open an old door to a large, dark room and feel along the wall for another panel, hitting one of the buttons. After a few seconds, the light slowly flickers on, dim and crackly at first but eventually bright enough to where most of the room could be seen. Inside were storage crates, old weapon rack, and even a row of deactivated droideka's all in their curled up positions. I give off a low whistle.

"This is certainly a good score," I say happily.

"Question is if anything in here works properly," she reminds me, moving into the room. I follow after her, and she heads over to check on what could be inside the storage crates while I move over to the droidekas, looking at their condition. Everything in the room is dusty, and obviously not in the best condition for having sat here for so many years with no use or repairs. I put a hand on one and give it a light shake, and immediately it's gears and joints screech in protest, a massive layer of dust clouds the air. I wave the dust away with a grimace.

"What a piece of junk," I mutter in disappointment.

"Mostly old datapads in here," Ahsoka calls out from one of the crates. "Another has a few thermal charges."

"Do they look fine?" I ask.

"Well, the charges seem to be okay, although how effective they'd be in battle I'm not sure. Most of these datapads seem broken down, although a few of them seem to work," she comments. "Not much good intel on them though, considering how old it is."

"How about the droids?" she questions.

"This one here seems like crap, although given the proper treatment and repair it could turn out to be something useful. I would count on it completely though," I report with a skeptical glance.

"Well you know the Rebellion needs anything it can get," Ahsoka says in resignation. I nod in agreement when my comlink crackles to life.

 _"Sir, I think you need to see this,"_ one of the Rebels reports, sending me their location.

I share a look with Ahsoka before telling the rebel that we'd be right there soon enough. Exiting the storage room, me and Ahsoka headed through the halls of the base towards the rebel group who contacted us, eventually finding them at a large door directed to a hanger with the rest of the team.

"What's you find?" Ahsoka asks with her arms crossed.

They all look at each other with eager grins, and I get the sense that whatever they found must be really, really good.

"We don't know it's condition yet, but if it works it could be the jackpot of this place," one of them says with a smile, pressing the button to open the door to the hanger. Curious, me and Ahsoka walk forwards to the door and look through, our eyes widening in disbelief and awe. The massive hanger is dimly lit by overhead lights, but there is no mistaking the two Municent-class cruisers sitting there, ripe for the taking. The large door on the far wall was the massive entrance to the outside.

"You guys, are geniuses!" I exclaimed eagerly.

* * *

The finding of two Separatist battleships was amazing for us. After showing us the two cruisers, I headed inside both frigates to check their power levels and whether or not they could operate and still be usuable, and too my delight they still were, albeit a little slow, and with enough fuel to get to our destination. Old, deactivated or broken droids were scattered about the ship's, which we could use later for repurposing or sell them for parts. And with a few months or years of repairs, these two frigates could be great for adding to the rebel fleet.

We spent the next few hours collecting any valuable items from the Separatist base and loaded them into the cruisers, signaling the corvette to fly into orbit to meet up with us once we got these things flying. Ahsoka organized most of the other things while I focused on getting the ships workable, powering up their systems.

Hours later we had our raid party split up between both ships, me and Ahsoka in one with a few others, while the rest were in the other ship. We were in the bridge to get the ships flying.

I pull a beaten up battle droid off of a chair and sat down, bringing the systems online.

"Alright, moment of truth," I muttered. "Hope these old junkpiles actually work. Everyone ready?" I called out.

"Ready and waiting sir!" A few cries came back.

"Go for it Jarik," Ahsoka said.

I pushed the throttle and began the liftoff sequence for the ship. It took quite a few seconds, but with a large shudder the engines came online, and the cruiser slowly but surely began to lift off from the ground, the thrusters outside of it began to blast any loose items in the hanger around violently. Glad we weren't out there. Beside us, the other Munificent cruiser began to do the same thing, also starting to lift off from the ground.

"So far so good," I muttered, slowly moving the ship forwards towards the massive, now wide open door. I carefully maneuvered the ship outside, the other group waiting for me to go first in order to lessen the risk of a crash.

If felt like hours during the short amount of time for me to angle the cruiser out of the hanger, but finally it got free, and we began to lift into open air towards the atmosphere. Our group cheered while I slumped in the chair, feeling exhausted. Ahsoka walked up to me, patting my shoulder.

"Nice job little Jari," she said happily.

"You have no idea how nerve-racking it is to pilot a giant cruiser out of a large hanger door," I said in response.

"Well you did it, and now we're home free," she replies.

With all the free room it now had, the other Munificent frigate was able to slowly edge its way out of the hanger, thankfully coming out without a scratch as well, rising up to space after us.

"Mission success," I said in relief.

Our two frigates continued to rise into the air slowly, but at a constant pace. The ships readings were a little busted, and a few lights were flashing indicating some sort of problem, but it wasn't too serious to worry about, being something that could be fixed later on once we're in safe space.

High in orbit above the surface, the corvette we brought with us and the Knight Hawk flew over to our position, and flying alongside our ships. The Knight Hawk moved closer and docked with our cruiser, no doubt from Mara wanting in on this place. The corvette also decided to dock with our ship as well, and I gave the order for the other Munificent to prepare for hyperspace to get out of here. I would send ours into hyperspace after they were gone.

"You guys can head back to the corvette is you wish. Ashla and I will take care of the jump," I told the rebels, using her alternate name. They didn't know about our real identities as a security precaution, in case they were ever captured by the Empire at one point. It wasn't a matter of not trusting them, since the less people knew about us the better, but they knew Bail had us in high favor so they trusted us. With a few nods, they did as I asked and exited the bridge, heading back to the corvette, chatting excitedly with each other for a little bit about our success in acquiring two Separatist cruisers.

About a minute later, the bridge doors opened again to reveal Mara and R5, the former of which was gazing around the bridge with a look of awe on her face. She rushed over to meet up with us while R5 followed, muttering irritably to himself about having to lead a 'irritating, hyperactive young girl' through an old Separatist warship.

"Woah, this place looks so cool!" she says with wide eyes.

"It's the bridge of a warship, its supposed to look cool," I say in reply.

"From what I've read a bridge is important, doesn't mean it has to look cool," she retorts. I roll my eyes in response and wave my hand in a 'yeah-yeah' manner.

"I still wish you would've brought me on this mission though," she said a little bitterly, crossing her arms with a frown.

"Well it wasn't to fun anyways Mara. Just a simple, search mission through an old base." Ahsoka replied in disinterest.

"A searc- Mom, you guys came back with a kriffing battleship!" she exclaimed incredulously.

"Hey, language!" I told her sternly.

"You've said it before!" she accuses me, and Ahsoka looks over to glare at me while I shrink down in my seat, smiling sheepishly.

"Jarik..." she growls warningly.

"Hey... well that doesn't mean you should say it Mara," I say defensively in an attempt to get back in the good light. Mara blows a raspberry, crossing her arms with an amused smile on her face while Ahsoka continues to glare at me with a look that promised death.

"Ok... I'll be quiet now," I say in resignation. "At least this mission is over and we can all head back to safe space without incident."

As if the Force or the universe decided to outrageously laugh at me, the ships sensors started to beep loudly in alarm, signifying that something was coming out of hyperspace. Mara jumped in surprise, looking around nervously while Ahsoka and I had looks of dread and disbelief on our faces.

"Me and my big mouth," I mutter furiously to myself.

"What's going on?!" Mara asks in worry.

R5 beeps furiously at me, and that's when three Imperial light cruisers emerge out of hyperspace in front of us, laser cannons primed and ready. Behind those three, a single Imperial Star Destroyed exited hyperspace with a loud boom, laser cannons also prepared to fire.

"How did they find us?" Ahsoka says in bewilderment. Mara stares out at the ships with eyes wide in shock, and I could not answer Ahsoka's question.

"Were in trouble," I said quietly.

Seeing the four ships, three of them were just regular navy ships of the Empire, but the lightcruiser reading the charge got my attention. I recognized it as the _Thunder Wasp_ , a ship I've read about in a report not too long ago. I'm not sure who commands it, but it turned the tide vastly in the Empire's favor during a battle above the planet Umbara. Whoever was at the helm of that ship was bad news.

"We're in trouble!" I said, going to alert the other cruiser to make the jump to hyperspace.

"You think?!" Ahsoka says incredulously.

* * *

 _And just when things seem to be going so well... the Imperial Inquisition arrives hah! That was a joke. Oh Jarik why'd you have to open your big mouth! And why did I leave you all on such a big cliffhanger?_

 _These questions can never be answered mwahaha. :)_


	14. Ch 13 - Escaping Hypori

**Thunder Wasp, Hypori System; 3rd person POV..**

Captain Thrawn stood on the bridge of his lightcruiser, staring calmly out the viewport at the two Confederacy Munificent frigates, a CR90 corvette, as well as another ship of Corellian design docked with one of the cruisers. As expected, they were in the middle of a base raid, although he was moderately surprised by the two Separatist cruisers that the rebels managed to scrounge up. No matter.

"Sir, how did you manage to predict a rebel cell would raid an old Confederacy base? Much less gain two frigates?" his aide, Eli Vanto asked with wide eyes, once again amazed by Thrawn's perceptiveness.

"By no means simple, this rebel cell is good to be sure," he comments. "But, every operation leaves behind some clue, no matter how small. The rebel in charge of organizing these missions is talented, and very skilled, however by following his pattern I could deduce what he or she, was after."

"Ammunitions and supplies?" Vanto theorized.

Thrawn nods his head. "And any vessels or weaponry they could get their hands on. The one is charge was once a key player in the Clone War, as evident by the fact they know the locations of many secret bases and munitions depot's otherwise lost to time. Hypori was known for its droid factories, and its position in Hutt Space gives the Empire less control over the planet," he informs Vanto.

He then turns to one of the officers nearby. "Inform the Admiral of our Star Destroyer escort that the rebels will attempt to flee, rather than fight. Target their ships hyperdrive," he orders.

The officer nods his head. "Yes sir," he says obediently, going to relay the report to the Admiral in command of the Imperial Star Destroyer.

Thrawn returns his focus to the small fleet of ships in front of him, assessing the situation. Two Munificent class cruiser were formidable cruisers during the Clone War's, that was to be sure. However their strength came from numbers, as the Confederacy usually relied upon in battle. With many gun emplacements on the hull, yet weak shields in comparison to most battlecruisers. Two Imperial lightcruisers would be enough to defeat a Munificent frigate, and with a Star Destroyer is was guaranteed. Still, one could not be careless in combat, as the rebels could pull of many different maneuvers in an attempt to combat their ships.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

I quickly opened the comlink channel to the other cruiser. "Listen up! I need you to jump into hyperspace now, return to friendly space!" I ordered.

 _"But sir-"_ the rebel began to protest.

"Don't worry about us, we'll be fine! But the Rebellion needs that cruiser. Our ship will hold them off while you make your escape, and we'll catch up. I'd rather lose one cruiser than our whole group!" I told him firmly.

There was a reluctant sigh before he agreed. _"I understand sir,"_ he replied.

"Good," I said, ending the transmission as Ahsoka finished her call, having told the rebels on the corvette to break off from our ship and jump into hyperspace with the other frigate.

"R5, get the Knight Hawk ready to jump out of here!" Ahsoka ordered, and he immediately took off on his task, rolling as fast as he could out of the bridge and to the Knight Hawk.

"Are we abandoning this ship?" Mara asks in confusion.

"If we're going to escape, one of our ships is going to be lost, theres no getting around it Mara," I told her, in my serious battle mode.

"We'll be on the Knight Hawk to jump our of here as well sweetie," Ahsoka reassured her.

"Ok mom," she replied.

Ahsoka nodded before rushing over to where I was seated at one of the computer terminals. "You think you can get these guns working?" she asked.

"I'll try," I responded, getting to work. That's when the Imperial fleet opened fire, green laser bursts targeting our ships, and I realized they were first aiming for the hyperdrive. The corvette, being the fastest ship, was blasting off into space, being pelted with green laser bolts but luckily managed to make a jump just before it's hyperdrive was hit. Our other Munificent was slower however, but so far was taking the laser fire, although with lots of damage already to its old and weak hull. It turned slowly in the direction of where the hyperspace jump would be going, passing by in front of us while I worked on getting the cannons online.

"Oh no!" Mara cried out in worry.

We glanced up to see a large chunk of their ship near the bridge get blasted off in front of us. Luckily, the bridge itself was safe, but their shields were now most definitely down.

"Come on, come on..." Ahsoka muttered in a panic.

Just as the green laser fire began to start tearing into the part of the ship where the hyperdrive and engines were located, it jumped into hyperspace, leaving a smokey trail behind. So glad we were already in the middle of our preparations for leaving the system.

"Yes!" Mara cheered happily, pumping a fist into the air.

"We're not out of this yet," I warned her.

With the rest of the ships gone, the fleet now turned its attention to us, firing a large spread of green lasers. The ship shuddered violently when a large explosion occurred around the middle of the ship.

Mara stumbled with a cry, and grasped onto one of the terminals for support, eyes wide with fear and helplessness. She'd never been in a situation like this before, and she was still so young! Ahsoka rushed over to her and held on tightly as I continued slamming my hand on the console.

"Work already!" I said furiously.

Finally, the cannons in the front of the cruiser came online, and swiveled in the direction of the Imperial fleet. I targeted one of the lightcruisers, and opened fire. Immediately, a large hail of red laser fire streamed back at the fleet in retaliation, slamming into the shields of the lightcruiser on the right. It's shields were stronger then ours, but our ship was still bigger than the lightcruiser, and had a lot more laser cannons.

"Yes!" Mara cheered joyfully, watching as the enemy ship was pelted by red laser blasts. I smirked, brining up the heavy batteries and targeting the bridge. The two heavy cannons beneath the main gun emplacements aimed for the lightcruiser and fired a few blasts directly at the bridge. It's shields finally gave away, and the bridge was completely destroyed, disabling the lightcruiser and its shields, allowing the rest of the guns to tear it apart.

"One down," Ahsoka commented.

The Thunder Wasp then focused fire on another section of the cruiser, and alarms began to blare as the whole ship shook violently from it's barrage. Ahsoka and Mara stumbled, although Ahsoka managed to keep them up, while I almost slipped out of my chair. Our emergency shields suddenly came on, and a blue glow surrounded the entrance to the bridge of our ship. We could still walk through it just fine, but it was designed to block the vacuum of space if there was an incident.

"Take out another one!" Mara cried, breaking from Ahsoka's grip and rushing to my side.

I glanced at the ships damage report and widened my eyes in alarm. This thing was falling apart! "Well, not now, we have to go!"

"But we could take out another!" Mara protested.

"Mara, we have to go, the ship is breaking apart, now come on!" Ahsoka urged, moving towards the exit of the bridge.

* * *

 **Captain Thrawn POV...**

I watched the battle intently, observing at the fight the last Munificent cruiser was putting up. Despite the odds being stacked against them, they managed to retaliate while allowing the other ships to escape. I was disappointed that I didn't account for them already preparing to leave the system when we arrived, as evident by how fast they made the jump, but this last cruiser won't escape. Whoever is commanding it is putting up a valiant effort to be sure, and clearly knows what they are doing if they managed to get an old warship into full working order.

"Sir, we've knocked out their engines, and the hyperdrive is long gone. They are dead in space," Eli reports.

"Very good Vanto," I say calmly in response. "Most likely the commander is still on the bridge, retaliating with their laser cannons to stall us. While capturing this individual would prove beneficial, we're under orders to eliminate this rebel cell," I remark, turning to Eli.

"Lock torpedos on the bridge and bring this skirmish to an end," I order.

"Yes sir," Eli says with a nod, moving to relay the order towards the officers while I returned to gazing out the window. As much as I would be intrigued in meeting the commander of this rebel group, there are more pressing matters to attend to, so I can spare them no delay.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

The ships sensors flared in alarm again, and I looked out the viewport to see two large torpedos fire from the Thunder Wasp, headed directly for the bridge. I widened my eyes in alarm and grabbed Mara's hand, pulling her along towards the exit, where Ahsoka was waiting for us.

"Run!" I told Mara. She rushed alongside me, well more like dragged by me, but that's when the ship shuttered from another explosion, causing us to stumble. Desperate to get Mara to safety, I pulled Mara up and tossed her as far as I could, using the Force to send her over to Ahsoka, who caught her in her arms thankfully. I rushed over to the other side of the blue shield, where Ahsoka and Mara were standing, which would keep the vacuum of space away.

"Hurry!" Ahsoka exclaimed.

A massive laser blast suddenly hit the ship, and I stumbled, falling to the ground just a few feet away from the shield. Glancing back, I saw that the torpedos were almost at the bridge, too close for me to get out in time. Terror, dread, and resignation set in place as I look back over at Ahsoka with sad eyes, who widened her eyes in horror and realization.

 _"No…"_ she whispered across our bond.

"Dad!" Mara cried in worry.

I smiled sadly, a tear streaking down my face as they watched me in terror, knowing they couldn't do anything. Then the torpedos hit the bridge, causing a massive explosion that opened the entire room to the vacuum of space. I was instantly sucked out of the bridge, along with anything that was not bolted down. The air instantly left my body agonizingly as I felt the heat of the explosion before a sudden freezing cold that hurt so much.

Then there was blackness, the last thing I could hear being Mara and Ahsoka's voices screaming my name.

* * *

 **Captain Thrawn POV...**

"Bridge has been destroyed sir. The enemy is now dead in space," one of the officers reports, and I nod my head in satisfaction.

"Very good officer," I say in response. However something doesn't seem right, and I do not believe this rebel commander would have stayed behind and what he surely knew to be a doomed frigate without an escape plan. And more may still be alive onboard, desperate to escape our grasp.

"Scan the enemy vessel for any other docked ships or escape pods attempting to flee the battle," I ordered.

* * *

 **Ahsoka POV…**

I was in shock… I couldn't believe it! Jarik was… was gone. I could feel the life slipping away from him, his body floating slowly through space with the scattered debris. Mara was crying hysterically, hugging me tightly in desperation as I gazed out at Jarik's body.

"I'm sorry Mara," I whispered, tears flowing from my eyes as I returned the hug. The sound of laser fire pummeling our ship from the Star Destroyers was quiet and dull to me, as I was still in disbelieving shock at what happened. We were just on a simple supply mission to reinforce the Rebellion, and yet this happens. It wasn't too long ago that he mentioned the possibility of us getting married. And now Mara would be once again left without a father... twice.

Tears streaming down my face, I began to lead Mara away from the bridge. We were still in a war zone... we had to leave this place before the Empire destroyed us all.

 _"Oh Jarik... why is the galaxy so cruel,"_ I whispered across our slowly cracking bond with agony, while Mara continued to sob and scream in denial. I was just quiet as I lead Mara down the hall.

Then my senses felt something strange, and with bloodshot eyes I turned my head back around subconsciously. Apparently Mara could sense it as well, as she looked over as well.

Our grief and agony was forgotten, replaced with shock at the most astonishing and mind-destroying thing I had ever seen...

* * *

 **Jarik POV…**

There was nothing around me. I was nothing, only blackness. No sound… no sight… no sense of feeling… Only the cold, pressing harshly against me and my mind, which was slowly slipping away into slumber. I was tired... should I just rest?

 _Jarik…_

A calming, familiar woman's voice whispered faintly from beyond the void, and I strained to listen more in the empty landscape. The void around me slowly shifted, and I saw a misty and unclear image of a woman in front of me, wearing a white dress and flowing green hair.

"Daughter…" I whisper in a trance-like state.

 _Your time has not yet come…_

The voice speaks again, and a sudden rush of Light and energy starts to fill my body as Daughter disappears, blackness filling my view again, but feeling returns to my body. My hands shift slightly, and my newfound energy and Light within me surges forth at my command, wrapping me in a Force shield against the vacuum of space.

I open my eyes to view the cruiser and destroyed bridge in front of me, debris scattered all around. I faintly make out the figures of Ahsoka and Mara behind the blue shield, and focus desperately on them, reaching out to my family. I need to be with them again, with Ahsoka! The need is so great that the Force responds to my desperate and heartbreaking need, and I begin to move through space itself, towards the ship, towards Ahsoka and Mara.

I don't know how I am doing this, but I don't give it any thought or care. I need to be with them again… The agonizing cracks in my mind and the bond are slowly but gently being repaired by this Light as I continue on, tears on my face as I reach out for the love of my life, and the one who has become a daughter to me, defying the laws of space itself.

Before I realize it, I pass through the blue shield and collapse on the floor with a painful groan, gravity returning to my senses before I gaze up with lidded eyes, seeing a figure standing over me.

"Ahsoka…" I whisper in recognition, right before slumping on the ground unconscious, as everything turns black once more, the Light energy that helped me ebbing away into nothingness, its purpose having been fulfilled to save me…

* * *

 **Ahsoka POV…**

"Jarik!" I exclaim in shock, rushing down next to him in a panic, my mind struggling to comprehend what just happened, only grateful that he's alive. Mara gasps in a mixture of absolute shock, relief, and bewilderment at what just happened, unable to comprehend it. I paid her no mind and desperately felt his face, felt for his heartbeat, his breathing, and probed desperately along the bond. He was still alive, but barely.

"How did he do that?!" Mara exclaims. Another explosion on the cruiser reminds me of our current situation.

"I don't know, but I don't care! We need to get back to the Knight Hawk, now!" I say heatedly in response, lifting Jarik up in my arms. I grimace slightly from the weight, but strengthen my muscles with the Force.

"It's this way!" Mara yells, pointing down the hallway before running as fast as she could. I follow after her, Jarik held firmly and desperately in my arms as we rush to our escape. My lekku sway wildly as I go, sometimes swinging against Jarik, and I can still feel how clammy his skin is. He is not in good health at all. Whatever power in the Force he used to 'fly through space' of all things severely taxed him. Not to mention the lack of any air at all for quite some time.

Finally we reach the docking tube, and Mara presses the button to open the door, rushing inside with me following after. Once we made it back onto the Knight Hawk, Mara closed the door before looking up at me in a panic. The sound of the frigate exploding next to us could be heard.

"What should I do?!" Mara asks me helplessly. "I- I don't know how to fly!"

"R5 will do the flying," I told her before yelling as loud as I could. "R5 GET US OUT OF HERE NOW!"

His confused beeps came back from the cockpit, but he was eager to comply, detaching from the Munificent frigate and gunning the engines, blasting us away from the doomed vessel at full speed.

During that, I rushed Jarik towards our medical room with Mara right on my heels, setting him on the berth before taking off his battle armor. "Mara, hand me the life support mask!" I tell her quickly.

She scrambles around, fumbling with the mask in her hands before giving it to me. I quickly place it on Jarik's face and start toe machine up, sending much needed oxygen into his lungs. Just then, our ship shook violently, and I could only guess the Imperial's had spotted us, and were attempting to take us out before we could escape. I then heard a massive explosion from nearby, followed by R5's scream echoing through the ship. I could only assume that the Munificent had finally succumbed to the barrage of laser fire and exploded.

Mara let out a quick scream of fear before clamping a hand over her mouth, eyes slightly welling up with tears in terror.

"Hey, Mara!" I said sternly, clamping a hand harshly on her should to get her attention. "You need to get a hold of yourself alright? We'll be fine, but we need to be strong for each other, and for Jarik do you understand!?"

She shudders slightly before nodding her head. "Good," I tell her, opening my comlink. "R5, are we ready to make the jump?" I ask, and the ship shakes again, having been hit by another laser. He beeps back in confirmation.

"Then get us out of here!" I exclaim, closing the transmission before refocusing my attention to Jarik. He looked a little better, but his recovery was far from over. Unfortunately I didn't know to much medical training, much to my frustration.

"Hang on to something, we're about to jump to lightspeed," I warned Mara.

She nodded and grasped onto the handrail beside Jarik's bed, doing the same as I did. I felt the same lurching sensation that signaled us entering hyperspace, and let out a sigh of relief before the ship shook violently again. A large amount of sparks burst out of the wall from across the hallway outside of the medical room, and I widened my eyes in horror. Our hyperdrive was hit!

Before I could get R5 to cancel the jump to lightspeed, the ship entered the jump, however much more violently, causing the ship to shake uncontrollably as we were forced to a random, unknown destination.

* * *

 **Captain Thrawn POV...**

I watched the corellian freighter successfully make the jump to hyperspace, a deep frown etched onto my face. Sure, our batteries managed to score a crucial hit on the ship's hyperdrive before their escape, possibly a critical and fatal shot, but we still let them escape. Without proof of the rebels demise, I could only assume that their escape would be successful.

"Rebels have... jumped sir," an officer reports nervously. "But with severe damage to their hyperdrive. I doubt they will survive for much longer," he suggested.

I shook my head in response. "No, without clear proof of their end we can only assume that their escape was successful. Despite destroying one of their Munificent cruiser the rebels still managed to get away with one, and the rest of their ships, which leaves us at a loss," I said in disappointment.

"Yes... sir," the officer stutters nervously, and I internally shake my head at his fear.

"So, you really think that ship will survive?" Eli asks me.

"Anything in this situation is a possibility, and the real question is where the rebels would have fled too? Specifically the last vessel," I pointed out, continuing to look at the ships last position before entering hyperspace.

* * *

 **Hiccup POV...**

Another day passed by, and more suffering from Snotlout and the Twins endured as I headed back to the house glumly. There were many time when I would wonder why I was put through things like this, and why my mother had to be eaten by dragons. Being the son of Stoick the Vast when you look like me is basically a joke. Speaking of which...

"We're you been son?" he demands as I reach the house.

"Coming back from the forge. Snotlout and the Twins keep harassing me, dad! That's why I'm always late!" I try once again to desperately explain to him, but as usual he wouldn't hear it.

"You've got to learn to fight your own battles son, you're ten years old! Otherwise you'll never be able to become chief!" he says with a frown, and I sigh dejectedly. Suddenly, a bright light up in the sky gets my attention, and I look up in confusion, before widening my eyes.

"Uh... dad?" I ask him.

However right now he was inspecting one of his axes, completely ignoring me.

"DAD!" I say loudly, and he finally looks up with an irritated glare.

"What is it?!" he demands.

"Look!" I say, pointing up to the light in the sky, which is only getting closer. He grumbles to himself before looking up, but once he does he also widens his eyes in surprise.

"What in Thor's name..." he says quietly.

Around the village nearby, I start to hear a few more of the villagers taking notice, some pointing at the sky, others calling for dragon attack, while even more rebuke them, saying it can't be a dragon attack. Finally, the light becomes brighter and turns into a a strange shape, looking like it has wings, but it doesn't, and is instead on fire, screaming through the sky. I can now hear the falling object, which sounds a large explosion of Zippleback gas, only this noise is completely constant.

A few of the villagers begin to yell out in confusion and worry, and my dad grips his axe tightly, staring up at the falling object with hard eyes. It feels like its going to hit us, but instead shoots by, over the ocean and the arena, headed towards Raven Point. Everyone watches it go in fear and wariness, some mothers ushering their children inside while a few arm themselves as a precaution. It then crashes with a loud boom, right into the forest at Raven Point, although not totally breaking them.

While it seemed like the massive object was falling uncontrollably, its crash into the trees seemed... to lighten? It had move upwards and slowed down considerably, as if someone was controlling it before breaking through the forest, the object itself disappearing into the trees far away with not too much damage in my opinion.

There was silence before dad's voice spoke up. "Hiccup, you and the kids stay here," he orders gruffly. "I'm taking a search party up there," he says.

"Are you sure that's a good idea..." I start to say.

"Do it!" he bites back sharply, and I let out a sigh before doing as he says, watching him head off with a party of his bravest and most skilled warriors, including Gobber. My eyes never leave the far shores in the distance, miles away where the strange object crashed into the ground.

* * *

 _Well this was certainly an intense, action packed chapter no doubt! Our favorite Grand Admiral Thrawn has arrived, although at this time during the Empire's rule he's still a simple captain in charge of the lightcruiser, the Thunder Wasp, and he managed to track down Jarik's raid on Hypori!_

 _Speaking of Jarik... Yeah he just pulled a Super Leia, deal with it. The Light side came to his aide, wrapping him in a Force shield and giving him the power to survive. Despite what many people thought about that scene from the Last Jedi, I thought it was brilliant. Sure there were plenty of problems in the movie, Rose, Holdo, and Canto Bite to name a few, but that scene was not one of them. It expands the possibilities of the Force even more, while also giving a nice tribute to Carrie Fisher as the coolest princess ever!_

 _And finally, the moment you've all been waiting for has arrived. Jarik, Ahsoka and Mara have crash landed on the planet of Ahch-To and the How to Train Your Dragon world! They'll need to repair their ship if they wish to return to the rebel fleet. Wonder how that will go. And how will the Vikings react to strangers from space landing on their island?!_


	15. Ch 14 - What Are You?

**Isle of Berk, Ahch-To; Ahsoka POV...**

I shook my head, slowly looking up from where I was on the floor, holding tightly onto Mara to protect her. Strapped onto the medical berth is Jarik, still unconscious from his flight through space. Mara looks up warily, noticing that nothing else was happening.

"Have we stopped?" she asks quietly.

I nod my head. "Yeah, we've stopped," I said in confirmation.

"What about dad?" she asks in concern.

I slowly stand up from my position over Mara and move to Jarik's side, examining him with worried eyes. Thankfully, he seemed to be breathing fine, and while still in a coma, was otherwise healthy. The bond was silent on his end, much to my worry.

"For the moment, he seems ok," I finally say.

A few groggy beeps from outside of the med bay can be heard, and we both look over to see R5 slowly roll into the room, wobbly on his axels. There also seem to be a few dents in his chassis as well. He said that he managed to land the ship, well more like catch land, but it was still relatively intact, having been able to tank the crash.

"Good job R5. Now we just have to figure out where in the galaxy we even are," I said.

The three of us head to the cockpit; Jarik would be fine right now, and I would be able to feel if there's anything wrong with him over the bond. I activate the ships scanners and try to pinpoint our position, and if any rebel cells are nearby. To my frustration, nothing comes back with a positive reply, and as far as I can tell, we aren't even in a known section of space.

"Fantastic," I muttered sarcastically.

"What is it?" Mara asks.

"Our communications are too far out of range to make contact with anybody. Worse is that I don't think we're in explored space," I say gravely, not bothering to sugarcoat it.

"You mean... the Unknown Regions?" she asks with wide eyes in worry. I nod my head in response.

R5 beeps an annoyed and disgruntled sentence, and I take notice of how beat up he looks. Must've gotten thrown around pretty bad during the jump, or during our crash landing.

"Well, at least the atmosphere is breathable from what I can tell," I say, reading the scans of our surrounding area, also looking outside to view the luscious greenery around, with tall and wide trees surrounding us.

"Mara, I need you to help R5 with some repairs while I have a look around," I told her.

"Ok. Any reason why you're gonna go out there?" she questions.

"To see if there's any sort of settlement nearby or what kind of people live on this planet," I tell her.

"What about dad? What should I do for him?" she asks again in concern and self-doubt.

"Just keep watch over him for now, and if I find anyone hopefully they have a healer of some kind. If anything happens don't hesitate to call my comlink, okay sweetie?" I tell her, and she nods in understanding.

"Yes mom," she replies confidently, and I smile at her.

"Good. I'll be back within the hour," I told her, exiting the cockpit towards the exit ramp in the cargo bay. Opening the ramp allowed the cool, damp air from outside to brush up against me, and I had to marvel at how nice it felt. It wasn't hot, and while chilly, it wasn't uncomfortable either, more like a refreshing feel in the air. The sun was going down, so it wasn't fully bright out, but I could manage. After all, even if it got dark out, my natural biology and montrals could detect any nearby movement with echolocation, not to mention I had the Force with me.

I exited the ship, closing the ramp behind me before looking at my surroundings, determining where I should go next to look for any settlements. The smell of ocean water is evident in the air, meaning we crashed near a beach or on an island. Heading towards the waterfront would be my best bet at finding help then because of that.

"Wow. What a fascinating case of deja vu," I muttered. Stranded on a world out of reach, with a loved one in a coma, searching the surroundings areas for help. Only this time there was no Rex, no Bly, and no Master Secura.

I stilled slightly at the reminder of Aayla, taking a brief moment to mourn her loss before pressing onwards. It's been a full decade now since the Jedi Purge, and there's no use thinking about the past when nothing can be changed. Walking forwards, I head in the direction of where the ocean should be, brushing aside a few plants and bushes as I exit the clearing created by the crash.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

 _I was in the World Between Worlds again, walking along the transparent pathway towards another gate. Oh, it was this dream again. The convor sat upon the gate and chirped down at me. Upon noticing it, I once again asked it the questions I had, and it responded by allowing a dim golden glow to emerge from the gate, turning into the older version of me._

 _"Who are you?" I asked._

 _ **"I am you,"** I said, a perfect mirror of myself._

 _"You... what? How can you be me? I'm me!" I say in bewilderment._

 _ **"No... I am your true self,"** he suddenly growls out, once again turning into the dark image of myself._

 _Finally I'm able to take part in this dream, or vision, back in my younger self. It was kind of weird being in my younger body after so long, it's hard to explain._

 _"No," I said determinedly. "You will never be me!"_

 _He laughs mockingly. **"Do you really believe so? The great Jarik Shan finds me unworthy, is that it?"**_

 _"I refuse to become a Sith like you! It will never happen!" I declare._

 _He rolls his golden eyes with a smirk on his face. **"Oh how ironic, considering Skywalker spoke those words as well, yet you know what happened to him,"** he said, grinning fiercely like a hungry predator at me._

 _I stilled in surprise and sadness, reminded once again of how Anakin became Darth Vader and wiped out everything. And yet he was one of the greatest people I knew._

 _ **"It is unavoidable. I am a part of you,"** he tells me again._

 _"No you're not, your just an illusion, a trick," I reply, shaking my head in denial. There's no way I could ever be like this._

 _He scowls furiously at me, golden eyes glowing. **"I am part of you, and always shall be! The power of Lord Revan runs through us, this is our destiny!"** he exclaims._

 _"Just because he turned to the dark side doesn't mean I will!" I fire back._

 _He shakes his head. **"You fool. If it wasn't for your blasted Force bond with that wretch I would be in my rightful place,"** he says with a sneer._

 _I glare furiously at him for insulting Ahsoka, and point my lightsaber hilt directly at him. "Don't you dare talk about Ahsoka like that!" I exclaim furiously. "She's worth more than anything you could ever hope to know or have!"_

 _ **"If it wasn't for her you could have the power to wipe out the Sith! Isn't that what you desire? You could end them all. Vader, Sidious, Snoke, I can give you the power to do so and bring order to the galaxy!"** he claims._

 _"I would never join you! And you never have or ever will be a part of me!" I state fiercely._

 _He glares at me, activating a crimson lightsaber. **"We shall see,"** he growls._

In reality, I breathed in deeply, shivering from the dream and the temptations of the dark version of me. Mara glanced over at me in concern from where she was working on R5 before I settled into stillness again.

* * *

 **Ahsoka POV...**

So far I hadn't found anything yet, but I could sense abundant quantities of life all around me, ranging between many strange animals. I even encountered a small, reptilian creature with greenish brown scales and wings gnawing on a large fish. It looked up as I passed by, hissing threateningly with narrowed eye before I calmly raised my hands nonthreateningly, calming it with the Force.

It had immediately still and looked at me with wide pupils, and I almost awwed at how cute it seemed before continuing onwards while the little creature watched me go.

I was broken out of my thoughts about the creature when a familiar hooting sound got my attention. I looked up at one of the trees to see the green and white convor perched on a large branch, looking down at me.

"You again," I said with wonder. "Who are you little guy?"

I flutters it's wings, and I get a sense of annoyance from it as it chirps at my comment.

"Little, girl?" I guess quickly, and it instantly calms down, watching me again. I snorted in amusement. "Huh, well what do you know."

Staring at the convor again, she looks back with intelligent eyes that I was mesmerized by. Everywhere I've gone, I'd see this convor at different moments, and I have a feeling Jarik has as well. He did say it helped him during his trip to the strange dimensional place.

"Could you help me? Where are we?" I decide to ask her.

She chirps again, taking flight on her wings before flying through the trees. I'm about to follow her when loud footsteps get my attention. I turn around to find another reptilian creature standing before me, alhough this one is much bigger, with a crown of spikes and a deadly looking tail. It screeched at me with thin slits for pupils, and I backed up warily.

"Just my luck," I muttered to myself.

Then to my complete astonishment the winged reptile unleashes a burst of fire directly at me. I just barely jump out of the way with a startled yelp, not expecting that.

"You can breathe fire?" I say incredulously.

It screeches again, bringing its tail around to reveal a deadly array of spikes. I grimace, not looking forward to facing that, so I leap into action. The tail shoots a few spikes for me with quick acurracy, but I simply flip over the spikes and rush forwards. It moves backwards with an angry squawk, but I raise a hand towards it, reaching out with the Force to calm it down, skidding to a stop a few feet away.

It squawks in confusion as I press the Force against its mind, showing the creature I'm not a threat. It begins to calm down, as I move forwards towards its snout. I lay a hand gently on the creatures nose, and to my surprise it makes a slight purring sound before I tell it to go off.

"That's good... go on," I tell it, shooing the creature away. It takes flight and I watch it go, curious about these strange life forms before sensing more movement around me. This time it's not an animal.

I turn my head slightly, raising an eyebrow at seeing a group of people staring at me a few feet away, eyes wide in shock and wariness, like I'm an unidentifiable thing they've never seen before. And, wow these guys are massive, wearing leather and fur types of clothing, as well as horned helmets. Just judging by their attire I get a little worried, especially by their weapons.

Not that I'm concerned they might attack me, but they're using ancient, melee weapons of metal, swords and axes... and is that a mace? Hopefully this isn't because they choose too, and aren't primitive people... please?

The one who seems to be in charge, as evident by the fur cape and large helmet, as well as a massive red braided beard steps forwards, raising an axe in preparation for a fight.

"What are you?" he demands, voice booming.

That fact that he said 'what' instead of 'who' now greatly worries me. Sounds like they've never met or heard of a Togruta before.

* * *

 **Stoick the Vast POV...**

We were searching through the woods for the strange falling star that came from the heavens to land at Raven Point. I wanted to know just what it was, and if it was a message from the gods, or another problem related to the devils that continue to raid our village. Nothing has been found yet.

"So Stoick, what exactly are you uh... expecting to find?" Gobber, my best friends asks.

"I don't know. But if it's a dragon then we've got a serious problem," I told him.

Spitelout snorts in amusement. "What kind of dragon falls from the sky like that?!" he asks incredulously.

"That's what we're going to figure out Spitelout!" I replied, shaking my head in irritation.

"You do have to admit though that only a Monstrous Nightmare would be on fire like that, and whatever it was, that was definitely a lot bigger," Gobber says, twiddling with his war hammer nervously.

"I know, but we have to figure this out. Who knows what those beasts are capable of," I said determinedly, pressing forwards through the forest. The evening was near, with the sun setting over the ocean. Night would soon be upon us, but the last dragon raid was two days ago, so there wasn't a concern of them coming by for another two weeks, unless they decided to get greedier and more bloodthirsty.

Our search party continued through the forest for approximately another 30 minutes before Hoark got my attention.

"Chief, you might want to see this!" he says, although a little bit quietly.

With narrowed eyes, I move over to Hoark, the rest of the men following behind me. He was staying hidden behind the brush, and I knelt down beside him, the others taking cover in the trees and bushes around us.

"What have you found?" I ask him.

He points over in the direction of a small opening in the forest, and I look over, widening my eyes in shock and bewilderment.

Standing there, looking up at a tree, a bird possibly perched in there, was the strangest... person I had ever seen, I wasn't even sure if that was a person, although they looked like a woman.

"What is that?" Spitelout asks.

"Quiet!" I snap at him, narrowing my eyes at this strange woman. She had orange, orange skin of all things! And instead of hair, there were three, weird tail things coming from her head, colored white and blue. Even more absurd were the two horns sticking up from her head.

"Could you help me? Where are we?" she asks the bird.

"Well... certainly weird that one," Gobber remarks.

"What should we do chief?" Ack questions.

I say nothing, only watching as the bird flies off. The weird lady moves to follow before a Deadly Nadder bursts out of the trees behind her, roaring.

"Get down!" I told the men, and we all made ourselves invisible to the dragon. It certainly wouldn't fool its scent, but there were enough of us that we would be able to catch it by surprise if it charged at us. However the strange lady didn't run or attack the dragon at all, just staring with wide eyes as if she'd never seen one before, much to my confusion.

"Just my luck," I manage to hear her say dryly.

"What's that thing doing? Just run!" Spitelout whispered harshly in bewilderment.

"We should go and take out that dragon Stoick," Gobber suggests. The men begin to move forwards when I raise a hand.

"No, wait, I need to see this," I told them.

They all stared at me in bewilderment. "But Stoick, there's a dragon out there, we should kill it!"

The Nadder then unleashes a burst of fire at the woman, and she leaps out of the way with a startled cry, rolling across the ground faster than I would have thought.

"You can breathe fire?" she says in bewilderment.

"Is she stupid? Of course they can!" one of the men whispers incredulously.

"Stoick-" Gobber says, his concern for the woman, despite how odd she seems clearly evident.

"Wait," I said firmly, watching the confrontation with narrowed eyes.

The Nadder raises its tail in preparation for shooting off its spikes, and the woman instantly changes her demeanor, moving into action as the spikes fly. To my shock, she jumps up from the ground and easily flips over them completely in one swift movement, landing on her feet and rushing for the Nadder.

Some of the men, including Spitelout widen their eyes in surprise at the woman's speed and agility.

The Nadder screeches again in preparation for another attack when the strangest thing happens. Raising her arm and skidding to a stop a few feet away from the Nadder, the woman slowly moves forwards, hand raised towards the dragon, which squawks in confusion.

We all widen our eyes in bewilderment, and are even more astonished when the dragon actually begins to calm down, its angry squawks turning into confused growls.

"What in Thor's name?" Gobber says incredulously.

"She's... controlling that dragon!" Spitelout says with wide eyes.

"I don't believe it..." I whisper, stunned. Now she has her hand on the Nadder's snout, and the dragon is even purring slightly, before she waves it off.

"That's good... go on," she says, waving her arms in a shooting manner.

The Nadder complies, taking flight and leaving the area, while the woman watches it go with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"She must be a witch!" Spitelout suggests, eyes narrowed. "In league with the dragons!"

"Really, she may be a witch but she looked like she never saw a dragon in her life," Gobber says skeptically.

"Come on, we need answers," I tell everyone, stepping out from my hiding place and into the small clearing. The rest of the group follows after us, and the woman, almost as if knowing we were there turns her head to face us, a mixture of expressions and emotions crossing her face that I couldn't make out.

I raise my axe in warning, in case the witch tried any move against us. "What are you?" I demand.

She stares back at us with a calm, yet slightly worried look before she starts to answer...

* * *

 _Finally, the first interaction between Jedi and Viking, as well as a stray Deadly Nadder! Stoick the Vast must be absolutely bewildered by Ahsoka's lekku and montrals, considering she's an entirely different species from a human. Also, Jarik is fighting an inner battle against his dark counterpart, yet does not believe it to be part of him._

 _Glad you guys enjoy this story so much, and stay tuned for more! It only gets better and better! :D_


	16. Ch 15 - Vikings of Berk

**Isle of Berk, Ahch-To; Ahsoka POV...**

In front of me, the strange men all have their weapons out, a look of wariness and confusion on their faces as they stare at me. Their leader continues to stand tall and proud, axe help tightly in his hand as he gazes down at me with narrowed, suspicious eyes.

"What am I?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

"What kind of creature are ye witch?" another one demands, this one with a black beard and croaky voice. I bristle at his words while the one with the blonde mustache rolls his eyes in exasperation.

"Oh give it a rest Spitelout," he comments dryly.

"Witch?!" I say incredulously, slightly insulted. "Creature?"

"Oh yeah!" the one called 'Spitelout' says again, uncaringly. "What are you?!"

"Enough Spitelout!" the leader snaps. Spitelout rolls his eyes and crosses his arms, grumbling to himself.

I put a hand on my hip and give them all a look. "Have none of you ever heard of a Togruta before?" I question in return.

They all glance at each other in confusion, which pretty much answers the question in and of itself. "What's... a Togruta?" one of them asks, and I shake my head.

"Guess that answers that question," I say dryly before turning back to them. "It's my species. I'm a Togruta," I inform them.

"You're not human?" another one asks in bewilderment. I almost facepalm at their stupidity. Thankfully the blonde mustached one does it for me.

"Oh for Thor's sake Hoark, of course she isn't! Just look at her!" he says, gesturing wildly.

I don't know whether to be offended or not at his comment.

"Who are you people then?" I ask in return.

"We're Vikings," the leader says. "What are you doing here on our island?"

"My ship crashed not to far away from here, and a close friend of mine in unconscious, so I went looking for help," I told him.

"We'll offer any help we can," he says. "What's your name?" the leader asks again.

"I'm Ahsoka," I reply.

"Chief Stoick the Vast," he says in response. "Do you know anything about that flaming object on fire that fell through the sky?"

I frown thoughtfully before nodding. "Yes, that was my ship."

Every single one of them stares at me as if I had suddenly grown three heads, which is impressive since they were already flustered by my appearance.

"Your ship?!" the mustache guy says in bewilderment.

"Yes, my ship," I reply in exasperation. "What, you've never seen a flying ship before?" I ask rhetorically with a roll of my eyes.

"Ships can't fly! They float on water!" Spitelout exclaims.

Now its my turn to stare at them, and my expression morphs from surprise to worry and finally dread as I realize the implications of what this meant. Unlike the Lurmen on Maridun, these 'Vikings' have no knowledge of space travel... which means we're stranded on this planet unless we can get the hyperdrive and engines fixed ourselves.

"Oh this is bad..." I mutter to myself, pacing around in a panic.

"Where is your... ship exactly?" Stoick questions.

The Vikings all mutter questioningly to themselves and I consider my options, before deciding to show them the ship, having nothing else better to do.

"It's this way," I told them heading off through the trees. "Follow me."

* * *

We spent the next few minutes traveling through the forest back in the direction of the Knight Hawk, and I could sense their eyes on me the entire time. They obviously had mixed feelings about me, some even considering me dangerous and disturbing, Spitelout in particular. They all respected their chief a great deal, so they went along with his word, trusting him. I had to admire that.

But if one of them attempted to attack me they'd see just how deadly I could be. And I wouldn't even have to use my lightsabers. Eventually we entered the small clearing created by the Knight Hawk skidding across the ground during its landing sequence, and I headed for the entrance to it. All of the Vikings looked at it in shock, muttering words of confusion, disbelief and wariness to each other.

"What is that?" the mustache guy, who I learned was named Gobber asked in shock. Seriously, who came up with their names they sound ridiculous!

"My ship of course," I replied.

"It doesn't even look like one!" Spitelout exclaimed.

"It flies, remember?" I remind him irritably.

"If it flies then where are its wings?" he asks.

"Wings? You mean like that fire-breathing reptile creature?" I question.

"Dragons." Stoick says. "Flying, firebeathing devils the lot of them," he says, rather seriously in fact. I could sense the hate all of them had for dragons, although why is the question.

"Speaking of which, how could you control them?!" Spitelout demands.

"I didn't control it," I reply.

"But you got it to stop attacking you," Stoick says, brows furrowed.

"I simply let it know I wasn't a threat," I say with a shrug.

A few of the vikings chuckle disbelievingly in amusement, some shaking their heads. "Hah! Good one!" one of them exclaimed. "As if those beasts even care about people who aren't threatening!"

"I'm not following," I say with a confused frown.

"Dragons don't just back down like that, they're savages! They attack everything living around them." Spitelout says.

"I doubt that, they're simply animals in the wild," I reply.

"No they're not," Stoick says, shaking his head.

I highly doubt that all dragons attack anything that lives, it just doesn't sound right. As soon as I let the dragon know I wasn't a threat it calmed down immediately! Sure, I influenced it slightly with the Force, but it regarded me kindly once I reassured it.

"If you say so," I respond disbelievingly.

Walking up to the entrance, I press the button to the ramp and lower it to reveal the cargo bay of the ship. A few of the Vikings gasp in surprise, backing up slightly in wariness.

"What- you know what, never mind," I say in resignation. This was a definitely a primitive people we were dealing with on this planet. Force only knows how touch it'll be to make our way back to the Rebellion.

As I head up the ramp, the Vikings starting to follow, the door up above opens and Mara rushes through, jumping over the railing to land in front of me.

"Mom, you're back!" she says happily, offering me and brief hug before noticing our special visitors.

"Uhhh... who are they?" Mara asks suspiciously, wrinkling her nose slightly. "And why do they smell so bad?"

I obviously could smell it to, but didn't comment even though it was unpleasant. As if on cue, all of the Vikings turn their heads to glare at Gobber, who fiddles with his beard before glancing up innocently.

"What? It's like my badge of honor!" he says defensively, and Mara grimaces while Stoick rubs his face with his hand in exasperation.

"That's gross," she says.

"Oh Gobber..." Stoick mutters.

"Mara, these are the natives of this island, called Vikings. Vikings, this is my adopted daughter Mara," I introduced, although a little tiredly.

"Adopted? Well, that makes sense," Gobber muses, rubbing his chin.

"Problem?" Mara says defensively.

"No no, lass there's no problem," he quickly said.

"Alright, well they've agreed to help us with Jarik's recovery if possible, alright Mara?" I tell her, and she nods in response.

"We'll do what we can," Stoick reassures us. Considering their original reaction to me I'm a little surprised at how well the chief is taking this. Obviously a few of his warriors don't agree and are very suspicious of us, but he seems to be relatively reasonable. Same with his friend Gobber, even though he's a little bit on the strange side.

With that being said, I exit the cargo hold and enter the ship, heading for the medical room. Mara stayed behind, continuing to glare suspiciously at the Vikings, much to my amusement and exasperation. She's an absolute sweetheart yet when it comes to new people she can be very defensive most of the time, at least until they warm up to each other.

Was I worried for Mara being alone with a few massive Vikings? Of course, but it's not like I could drag her along with me just to get Jarik. Besides, she possesses the Force, and has already proven to be a natural with it, having a firm grasp of control. She'd be fine for a couple of minutes.

R5 rolled by before coming to a stop, the dents in his chassis no longer there, although he still had a few scratches. He beeped questioningly at me.

"R5, you stay with the ship and try to get in contact with someone while me and Mara take Jarik to a village to recover," I told him.

He demanded to know why he wouldn't be come with us, so I happily obliged to inform him. "Well, this village much to our luck, is very primitive, and doesn't have electricity or ships to use," I told him.

Considering his options, he quickly changed his mind and agreed to staying with the ship, where he would actually be able to do something instead of rolling around a primitive village.

Smiling in amusement at the droid, I entered the healing room and moved up to Jarik. I carefully pulled the oxygen mask off of his face and lay it to the side, sending some energy to him over the bond. He didn't move or give any reaction, but he was currently alright, just very weak and still oxygen deprived, so the energy I'd send him would help a little bit.

Placing my arms under him, I carefully lifted him up, taking great care not to accidentally bang him against something. Using the Force to strengthen my muscles, I carried him back through the ship and to the cargo bay to witness Mara and Spitelout in a quiet but suspicious glaring contest with each other. A few of the other Vikings looked irritated, although from what I didn't know, nor did I care.

"Is that him?" Stoick asks roughly upon seeing me, breaking the two out of their stare-off.

"Uh huh," I replied, and Mara quickly moved over to my side. I could sense a few of the Vikings relief at him being a human, and did my best not to feel insulted. These were a primitive people after all.

"One of us could carry him if it's too hard-" Stoick begins to say before I cut him off.

"I can handle it," I say in response, stopping by him and giving him a stern look, not at all bothered by the fact that he was at least a foot and a half taller than me. He sighed irritably, but nodded. I may be trusting enough of these Vikings to allow them in the cargo bay, with Mara no less, but there was no kriffing way I'd let them carry my unconscious boyfriend, or maybe fiancée, I don't know.

"Do you want to stay, or come with us?" I ask Mara.

"I'm coming!" she declares, ready to fight for her want to come with us this time.

"Alright," I told her, turning back to the chief. "Lead the way."

He nodded, and with a gesture, the Vikings all quickly filed out of the cargo bay, relieved to be out of such unfamiliar surroundings and back where they knew what was around them for certain, although every one of them still had doubts about me, fearful of my powers with the Force. I could only imagine their reaction when they learn Mara and Jarik are Force-sensitive as well. That certainly wasn't a conversation I was looking forward to.

* * *

The walk back to their village was longer than I expected, and once we arrived, me and Mara looked on in wonder at the place, secretly admiring the peaceful vibe to seemed to give off, with absolutely stunning scenery as well. Walking through the forest was absolutely exhausting, especially from carrying Jarik the whole time but I persisted, using the Force to strengthen my exhausted muscles.

Instead of heading to the village however, Stoick, Gobber and Spitelout led us up an alternate path to a house nestled on top of a mountain overlooking the entire village. The other Vikings separated from us at Stoick's order, letting the three of them lead us.

He knocked on the door of the house we stood in front of, and I had to wonder how they even managed to successfully build this thing all the way up in a place like this without any hovercraft.

"Elder Gothi!" the chief said, knocking on the door again.

The door quickly opened to reveal a small, frail old woman with white hair and a small helmet on, carrying some sort of staff in her hand. She eyes the chief with a look of irritation, which I guess made sense considering the sun was almost down. I raised an eyebrow at the sight of her, and nudged Mara when she was openly gaping at her with a bewildered expression.

"A... foreigner, requests your aide for healing Elder," he said, showing respect for the woman, which I took notice of.

Gothi turned her head to look at us, widening her eyes in shock however upon seeing me. She didn't say anything, but continued to stare at me and Mara with a surprised expression, before narrowing her eyes thoughtfully.

Mara looked warily at Gothi, who paid her no mind. What really got my attention however was when she saw my lightsabers, letting out a small, but audible gasp. Apparently my lightsabers surprised her more than my appearance... Stoick and Gobber take notice as well.

"Gothi, what's got you in a twist?" Gobber asks, only to have his head banged rather quickly by her staff.

"Ow! Geez I wa sonkt asking a question!" he exclaimed in annoyance.

"You... recognize my lightsaber?" I asked in confusion.

"A what?" Spitelout asks with a frown.

Gothi merely nods, eyeing me with a new sense of interest before waving us in immediately. Yet she did not speak.

I walked into the house at her direction, Mara following after me with the three Vikings not far behind as well. The Elder gestured to a wooden bed with blankets against the wall, and I gently laid Jarik down, standing beside him while Gothi moved forwards with a bowl and a few other things I didn't recognize.

"What in Thor's name is a lightsaber?!" Spitelout demands.

I pull my main saber off of my belt and hold it up for them to see. "This is a lightsaber. It's my weapon of choice," I told them.

The three Vikings glance at each other in confusion. "That's... a weapon? I don't get it," Gobber says.

"Oh it is, and they are awesome!" Mara says with a wide grin in her face. I don't expect the Vikings to understand what it is of course.

Gothi then takes her staff and writes in a small sandpit nearby with weird scribbles I don't understand, banging her staff against the ground to get our attention. Gobber looks at the writing to read it, raising an eyebrow.

"She says, to get our chicken legs-" he translates, wincing when she bangs his head with her staff. "-ow! Oh, sorry, 'to get out of her house, but these two floating-" another hit. "-ah! Foreigners! These two foriegners stay here," he finishes.

"Geez woman, you don't have to hit me every time," he mutters, rubbing his head.

"Are you sure Gothi?" Stoick says, still not completely trusting of us, not by a longshot which is understandable. At her firm nod, he sighs but does as she says, and the three Vikings exit the house, leaving me and Mara alone with Gothi and an unconscious Jarik.

The Elder then turns her focus to Jarik. She lays a hand on his forehead to feel his skin, then examines his heartbeat and breathing. Mixing a few different herbs if some kind in a bowl, she has him drink down the concoction, and even in a coma he shivers, gagging slightly in disgust at the taste.

"I hope I don't have to drink that," Mara says with a grimace.

Jarik quickly settles down again, returning back to normal, although I can sense that whatever she made was already having a little bit of an effect in his recovery.

"Thank you, Elder Gothi," I say gratefully.

She eyes us with a thoughtful expression before moving over to a shelf, pulling out some old looking book. Geez, I haven't seen one of those in ages, only datapads. Crazy. She flips through a few of the pages before showing it to us, placing it on a nearby table. Curious, Mara and I look at the page for what is on it. The writing is a bit messy, and very much altered, but it does share a relation to Basic, so thankfully I can understand it.

"Umm... can you read this?" Mara asks sheepishly.

I let out a sigh as Gothi's face drops to one of slight annoyance. "I can read it, give it here Mara," I say.

She slides the book over to me, and I read the words written there, glancing at an image drawn beside them of some sort of stone structure on an island. What I read makes me blink in surprise, and I look up at her.

"You know the Jedi?" I ask.

"Wait, what?!" Mara exclaims in shock, looking at the picture before back at the Elder. "I thought this planet didn't have space travel!"

"Have you met Jedi before?" I question in interest.

She shakes her head no, hobbling forwards and flipping another few pages before stopping at another section. I read it carefully.

"Thousands of years ago in the birth of civilization, messengers from Asgard," I read, not sure what Asgard is. Maybe it's a place for their gods? "...came down to our world, teaching us many things. Our language, culture, amongst other subjects. Old temples were built, scattered across the world, however lost to time," I continued.

"Legends say these messengers were named Jedi... and the leader of their group was the Prime Jedi," I read, taking everything in.

"Woah..." Mara says in fascination.

Gothi nods her head with a small smile, and I think back to what I've been taught at the Temple. I'm sure I've heard of the Prime Jedi somewhere...

"The Prime Jedi...?" I mutter to myself, the gears in my head turning. "That was the founder of the Jedi Order!" I say with wide eyes.

"You mean, THE first Jedi?" Mara questions.

Gothi widens her eyes as well, listening intently. I guess the Vikings never knew that he was the first Jedi either. We certainly weren't gods or messengers of the gods however.

"Yes. The Prime Jedi founded the Order at least six thousand years ago, during the days of the Old Republic," I recalled. "History on him has been lost over time, and nobody has ever discovered where he founded the Jedi originally."

"Until now," Mara says in awe.

Both of us look over at Gothi, who's eyes are wide in awe and wonder as she moves to look at the book, and back at us. This certainly changes everything.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

 _The misty landscape changed once again in my mind. Now I was standing before that strange island once again, with the winged reptiles flying far overhead through the sky._

 _On the island was a stone village, with small primitive huts and pathways. Nearby, a large, old tree loomed in the distance, constantly surrounded by an unnatural fog, whispers coming from it._

 _Then I was in the dark, crimson flashes of light appearing through the smoke before once again revealing a red throne room: Snoke._

 _ **"Your ancestor wielded remarkable power young Shan. The Light, and the Dark. The Prodigal Knight they called him,"** Snoke says with a gleeful smirk on his face. **"Soon, you shall know the same power, and I will teach you, how it shall be."**_

 _While he speaks, I'm continually moving closer to him, whether I'm actually there or it's just a vision I don't know, but he looks absolutely terrifying, and not just in the physical sense._

 _"No!" I say in defiance, my thoughts dwelling on Ahsoka, as well as Mara. No amount of power would sway me into betraying them._

 _ **"Yes,"** he leers, reaching a hand out._

 _Then Snoke's throne room fades, and I'm left in a dark void, unidentifiable whispers all around me. Then the convor appears far in the distance, chirping softly. I rush for it, desperate to escape this seemingly endless prison of visions and temptations, especially angry and afraid of my so called 'true self' and Snoke._


	17. Ch 16 - Discovering Yourself

**Great Hall, Isle of Berk, Ahch-To; 3rd person POV...**

"This is outrageous!"

Stoick sighed irritably, resting his face on his hand from where he was sat in his chair. After leaving the foreigners with Gothi at her request, Stoick called for a council meeting in the Great Hall with many of the villagers to discuss what to do with them. And of course there was always one voice that nobody liked, yet somehow continued to sway others to his side.

"You found a witch who isn't even a person, and brought her, and her little friends to the village?!" Mildew cried out. "Now only that, but you left our Elder Gothi alone with those beasts!"

"Oh shut your trap Mildew, Gothi's the one who told us to leave," Gobber said in annoyance.

"All the more proof that witch has meddled with our Elder's mind!" Mildew shouted, waving his staff around. "We should have them all burned at the stake!"

A few of the Vikings muttered their agreement, and Stoick glared at Mildew, standing up from his chair.

"Quiet!" he bellowed, and a few of the Vikings nearby flinched at his tone. eve Mildew winced a little. "I understand what you're saying, but Gothi is not one to be swayed so easily by witches! Besides, these people came from the sky on that crashing fireball!" he reminded them.

"Spawns of Loki, that's who they are! He wants us gone!" Mildew cried out again. "That witch is aligned with the dragons! She controlled one of them easily!"

More and more Vikings nodded their heads in agreement, while the other side of the debate rolled their eyes, finding the whole Loki idea to be absurd.

"If they're spawns of Loki then why haven't they threatened us? All they wanted was some healing for their friend!" Phlegma said back in return. "Sure she may be a witch, but she only requested help."

"A ploy to get us on her good side, and then she'll wipe us out!" Mildew challenges.

"What if they're one of those messengers, like the old legends said?" Mrs. Ingerman suggested. Some of the crowd thought about it for a moment. Barely any of them have ever read any of that stuff, but they've heard stories.

"That's just a fairy tale!" Mildew said, waving his hand. "But this witch threat is very real!"

"I've got half a mind to clobber you in the killing ring right now Mildew!" Gobber says, almost at his breaking point with the man.

"Then that witch must be meddling with your mind too!" Mildew yells back accusingly.

Stoick finally slams his fist down on the table loudly, getting everyone's attention. "ENOUGH!" he roared. "Nobody here is under the control of a witch, and we currently have no reason to attack these foreigners, even if one of them has the power to control dragons! We're Vikings! Warriors, we follow tradition, and defend our home from the dragons! But we don't seek out conflict without justifiable cause, or else we'd be at war with everyone around us!"

Everyone listens intently to the chiefs words, and Mildew rolls his eyes, but doesn't dare to speak out again. "Now, if our Elder has elected to offer her help to these foreigners, then we shall do the same, as Gothi is the wisest among us. Until something else happens, we continue on with our lives regularly, and offer the foreigners respect, even if one isn't a regular human. Alright?!" Stoick says.

The Vikings give each other looks and exchange words, before the majority of them raise their hands into the air with an 'AYE' of confirmation. Stoick nods in satisfaction, while Mildew storms out of the hall furiously, his face red in anger.

* * *

 **Ahsoka POV...**

It was later in the night, and Mara was currently asleep on a spare cot laid out nearby. Gothi was somewhere else in the house, probably sleeping as well, and I had to wonder just how these people could sleep in wooden beds. I guess they didn't really have any mattresses but... couldn't they make large leather sheets or quilts of some kind? Force only knew how Mara was able to fall asleep so easily.

I was sitting in a chair beside Jarik's bed, gently stroking a hand through his hair. There were so many questions I had about all of this, most of which included how he even managed to survive in space after those torpedos destroyed the bridge. And why the convor has appeared again now of all places. Was it here in relation to this planet being the birthplace of the Jedi? We learned from Gothi that the first Jedi named the planet Ahch-To, which brought a sense of familiarity to me. Maybe it was mentioned during my studies as a youngling, but I wasn't too sure.

Leaning my head down, I kissed Jarik's forehead, probing him gently and warmly across the bond before standing up, exiting the house to get a view of the outside area. From what I could sense, most of the villagers down below were all getting ready for bed, or were already asleep, since the twin suns had just gone down off the horizon. Yet all of them were constantly tense and alert, even when they were sleeping, as if they were expecting an attack at any time. Do raiders come periodically, or was it those dragons they seem to hate so much?

I wasn't sure, but getting a feel of the air, I decided to walk around the outskirts of the village near the forest for a little bit, not having anything else to do. Sleep wasn't coming very well to me at all either.

* * *

 **Hiccup POV...**

Sitting underneath the large tree behind my house usually gave me some much needed private time, away from everyone else. And I didn't really feel like being near my dad at the moment. Although everyone was talking about how his search party found three strange foreigners, one of whom was being called a witch. I didn't know what to think, but from what I heard she wasn't even human, and could control dragons!

I immediately theorized that she could be one of those Jedi messengers from Asgard, if the controlling dragons part was true. That's what I read, and they came from the sky. What else could they be?

My thoughts were interrupted when I noticed someone walking along the tree line off in the distance, looking out at the ocean. Looking closely, I realized that it was probably that strange woman, and she definitely seemed weird. Her skin appeared to be orange, and instead of her she had weird... tail things and horns sprouting from her head. Her clothing was also unlike anything I was used too.

Curious, I quietly got up and moved over, sneaking along the trees for a better look. She was sitting on a ledge overlooking the ocean, and I crept as close as I could, hiding behind a large bush and peeking out. From here I had a better view, and then noticed two weird cylinders hanging from her belt. What were those?

"I know you're there," she suddenly said, and my heart stopped in terror. How did she know I was here?!

She turns her head to glance back at my position. "Don't worry, I don't bite. Come on," she says with a gentle smile, gesturing me to come by her. Against my better judgement, I slowly stood up from the bush and inched cautiously towards her, my curiosity winning out.

"Uhhh... sorry for spying on you," I muttered nervously.

"It's fine," she quickly says uncaringly. "Not the worst thing I've noticed about me since arriving here."

"I can imagine," I say in agreement.

She merely hums in response, nodding her head before turning to look at me again. "You can sit down if you want, I don't mind," she offers.

"Sure..." I say meekly in reply, slowing sitting on the cliff ledge a couple feet away from her. I couldn't help but stare at her weird, tail things growing from her head.

"So, what's your name?" she questions.

"Hiccup," I reply, a litle embarrassed but resigned. To my surprise, she doesn't say anything, just simply giving her name in response with another smile.

"Nice to meet you Hiccup. You can call me Ahsoka," she says.

I look at her in confusion. "You, don't have anything to say about my name?" I ask nervously.

"No not really," she responds. "Why? Is there something special to it?"

"No, no, it's alright. Just wondering," I respond quickly, not wanting to get into the details of that. "So Ahsoka... what's with your... umm," I say, gesturing to her head. "Tail... horn thingies?" I cringe at the question, worried that she'd take offense.

To my great relief she doesn't. "Oh, you mean my head-tails? They're called lekku, and these are called montrals," she said, pointing out each part.

"Why do you have them?" I ask.

"My montrals help me with hearing and give me a form of echolocation, as well as sensing nearby movement. My lekku are more sensitive, and can change shade depending on my emotion." Ahsoka says.

"Woah... is that how you knew I was there?" I ask her in amazement.

She lightly smiles and shakes her head. "Partially, but not the reason, no. I was able to sense you with the Force," she said.

"The Force?" I ask with a confused frown. "What's that?"

"Essentially, it's why everyone is referring to me as a witch," she says with a frown. "I'm not a witch by the way... basically is a power I'm able to tap into in order to do many different things. Mara, my daughter and Jarik, my unconscious friend back at the Elder's house, are both able to use the Force as well."

"So... what's it do?" I ask again.

"Well in simple terms, it allows us to levitate objects, sense others around us, and influence animals or weak-minded people to some degree," she tells me.

I gape at her in surprise, finding that hard to believe. "Wait, really? You can lift things without touching them?!" I question in shock.

"I can. The group most notable for it's use were the Jedi," she says again.

My jaw drops again in stunned shock. "The Jedi... you're a Jedi?" I almost whisper, unsure of what to think. I'd only ever dreamed about the possibility of meeting some of those messengers, yet here stands one right in front of me! And there's two more up at Gothi's hut!

"I used to be," she replies with a small frown of sadness.

I'm unsure of what she meant by that, but before I can ask her about it she turns to me again. "Well enough about me, what about you?"

"What's there to know about me?" I say hesitantly.

"I'm just curious. What's your life like, and what exactly are dragons?" she asks in interest before frowning slightly in concern. "Why do you feel so sad?"

"Sad? I'm not sad," I protest.

"Yes you are. I can sense it clear as day... why do you feel sad?" she asks with a concerned look in her eyes.

I sigh in defeat, realizing that if she could read people's emotions with this, 'Force' then there was no way I'd be able to hide this from her. "It's just... nothing ever really goes right for me. I'm the village outcast basically," I say dejectedly.

"Outcast?" she questions.

"Every day isn't fair, I'm looked down on by everyone else because I'm a runt. I can do things a regular Viking can, and I always seem to mess things up!" I say, emphasizing with my hands. "Gobber's really the only one that is nice to me, but being the son of the Chief makes things even worse."

"Wait, your chief, Stoick, is your father?" Ahsoka asks incredulously.

"Real shocker huh?" I say sarcastically. "He never listens to me though, and I want to be one of them, but I just can't," I say helplessly.

Ahsoka looks at me with a mixture of emotions crossing over her face, ranging from sadness, surprise, and sympathy. "That's horrible. They shouldn't treat you that way just because your different from them," she says firmly.

"I'm the village screw-up, it's all they'd ever see unless I actually manage to kill a dragon at some point in my life," I mutter hopelessly, pulling my legs up against me.

"I'm sorry Hiccup," she says sincerely, and I glance up at her in surprise when she lays a comforting hand on my shoulder. no one's ever been this nice to me for as long as I could remember, not even Gobber. "I understand a little bit where you're coming from though," she adds in.

"You do?" I ask skeptically.

"I do," she says with a nod. "When I was younger, I was framed for a crime I didn't commit, which killed many people. No one believed me innocent, and even the Jedi, an Order I had spent my whole life a part of betrayed me," she explains. I widen my eyes in surprise and sadness at her story. "The only people who never gave up on me was my master, Anakin, and my best friend Jarik, who has been my boyfriend for some time now."

"That's awful..." I say quietly.

"The point is, no matter what other people think, you should never get up on yourself. I think you have a brilliant mind, smarter than most people here in my opinion, and you can be however you want to be." Ahsoka says. "You seem like a wonderful kid, and I'm sure that eventually you'll be able to do something that matters."

"Thanks... I- I don't know what to say..." I stammer out, stunned by how kind she's being. There's no way this woman could be an evil witch like some of the villagers think!

She smiles at me. "You know, I think you and Mara would get along wonderfully together. You two should meet up with each other tomorrow," she suggests.

"I'd like that," I say with a smile at the thought of a friend.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

 _I walked through the forested area, looking around warily before entering a clearing and coming to a full stop. There, standing on the other side was the dark illusion of me. I'm still sure that this guy is just a fake image made by Snoke to tempt me to the dark side. There's no way I would ever be like him!_

 ** _"Back again ar_ _e_** _ **we?"** he asks casually._

 _"I have just about had it with you," I say angrily, pulling out my lightsaber. "I see through Snoke's illusions, and I will not let them control me!"_

 _However he merely laughs at my words. **"You think I'm a part of that old fool? Still in denial about the truth, it's saddening,"** he mocks, putting on a fake expression of sadness,_

 _"What else could you be?!" I retort back._

 ** _As I've said before, I am you!"_** _he declares once again._

 _Narrowing my eyes angrily, I charged forwards, crossing the clearing and swinging my lightsaber down. He quickly rolls out of the way and comes up with his own crimson blade, brandishing it threateningly while wearing that obnoxious grin on his face. Frustrated, I charge for him again, slashing with my saber before immediately following with a jab to the head. He deflects my first strike before catching my jab, pushing the lightsaber away and raising his arm._

 _He unleashes a small Force blast which causes me to stumble back away from him._

 ** _"Pathetic. If it wished it, my opponent would be dust by now,"_** _he taunts._

 _"Leave me alone!" I exclaim, leaping back at him with my blue lightsaber blazing. We quickly enter a fierce, fast paced duel with each other, exchanging blows. To my great frustration and worry, he is able to counter all of my moves with ease, as if he knows exactly what I am going to do five swings before I do it! I deliver a powerful slash, immediately following with an uppercut using my metal arm, but he backpedals and then spins around, elbowing me in the face before I could punch him._

 _I stumble back painfully, and glance up just in time to see him thrust his arms out, delivering a massive burst of Force lightning. The attack hits me head on, knocking me several feet away as I cry out in pain, my body smoking and sparking on the ground as I groan in agony on the ground._

 _Turning onto my stomach, I slowly attempt to push myself up. **"You are such a hypocrite Jedi, denying the dark side when it has and always will be with you,"** he states, slowly striding forwards, dragging his blood red lightsaber across the ground. **"When your Togrutan friend died on Mortis, I absolutely drank that rage! And then when she was expelled, oh how furious you were, calling on the dark side to fuel your emotions practically every day! It was exquisite!"**_

 _While he speaks, I slowly lift my head up, staring forwards in front of me with realization, while he marched forwards behind me. I was beginning to realize something... all of this relation to the dark side is almost like a test or something. It began with Darth Revan, who I managed to clear from my head years ago. Then when Ahsoka was expelled, and I was in a depression for months after that, uncovering the shocking revelation of my heritage and the Jedi Council's hypocrisy. They believed themselves to be perfect, flawless Jedi, when they were anything but._ _And I would not become that._

 _Ever since the Empire took over, I've been searching for Ahsoka, and now training and raising Mara with her... they're my family. The Light Side isn't about forbidding attachments, rather the complete opposite! Love and happiness are what strengthen the Light, and the bond between me and Ahsoka. Not the ways of the old Jedi Code._

 _Yet with attachment comes emotion, and with emotion comes the pathway to the dark side, which will consume me and anyone else. Anger, fear, jealousy, those are all emotions that people will feel, no matter what. It's impossible to get rid of emotion, so the Jedi Code of forbidding attachments doesn't prevent the dark side. Rather it's how I choose to act on my emotions that determines what kind of person I will be. So I do have a dark side to myself, everyone does, and that won't change. But I won't let that control me._

 _And I am going to choose the Light: I am a Jedi Knight, descendent of Revan and Bastila, and Satele Shan. Yet I am also a father, and romantically engaged with the love of my life. And I will do anything for her, and for my adopted daughter._

 ** _"It's sad however, that a Jedi will never understand the truth. You are arrogant, weak and selfish, blinded from what really matters. So now I shall be the one to end that!"_** _he declares, drawing closer and raising his blade._

 _I stand up, peace and serenity overcoming me as I turn around to face myself. Sensing the change, my dark side stops, hesitating before scowling and rushing forwards. Before he reaches me however, I raise my right arm and focus the Force, the light side coming to my aide._

 _My dark side stops mid-run, completely helpless against me, and he widens his eyes in fear and rage. **"No!"** he cries out, turning his body around and trying to escape, he feet pushing against the ground as he reaches desperately in front of him._

 _"You know you were so right dude. I was a hypocrite," I state calmly, pulling arm back like I'm pulling on a rope. He struggles, but is still pulled in my direction. "I was lying to myself, lying to you, and lying to the Force," I continue, pulling my dark side closer._

 ** _"Let go of me you scum!"_** _he cries out furiously, desperately holding onto a tree._

 _"No I don't think I will," I say with a grin. "It was satisfying when I redirected Darth Revan's force lightning back at him all of those years ago, and now I get to face my own dark side!"_

 _With one last pull, I grasp hold of my dark side, and now he stands inches directly in front of me, struggling fiercely against my power of the force. "But something you got wrong, is that you are not my true self. You may be a part of me, but you do not decide my actions. I control my own destiny, and I choose to be what the Jedi always should have been!"_

 _I lay my hands on my dark sides face, and he screams as he begins to disintegrate into gleaming golden specks of dust, drifting off into the sky. I watch them go, and sense something else._

 _Turning around, I spot my ancestors standing there, Satele in front between Revan and Bastila, as well as the convor perched above them on a branch. They all smile and nod proudly at me, before my vision begins to fade into nothingness._

 _Before the scene goes away completely, Satele's voice echoes through the mist. **"Come to the Temple..."**_

My eyes shoot open, and I quickly sit up with a small gasp, breathing heavily as I recall everything that has just happened to me recently. I look around to see I'm in some sort of wooden house... and I was lying in a bed... weren't we in space over Hypori? How long was I out?!

"Jarik?!" Ahsoka's voice cuts through the air, and I look over to see her entering the house, quietly rushing over to sit in the chair beside me.

"Ahsoka?" I ask in surprise.

"You're awake!" she says happily, although taking care not to be too loud. She wraps her arms tightly around me, and I return the hug, still confused by where I'm even at. "Thank the Force!" she continues.

After hugging me, she immediately forces me to lay back down on the bed despite my feeble protests, and begins to dote on me, brushing back my hair and checking me for any sort of injury or problems.

"Wait wait, Ahsoka-" I start to say.

"Hush! I just want to make sure you are completely, 100% fine after the stunt you pulled mister," she says sternly with a fierce glare. I swallow nervously and quickly nod my head.

"Well... can I at least ask where Mara is?" I say.

"Asleep on the cot over there," she replies, gesturing to where she was still sleeping on a small wooden bed.

"The cot... where the kriff are we even at?" I question in bewilderment.

"Well... you've missed a lot, that's for sure," she says sheepishly.

I raise an eyebrow at her in response.

* * *

 _OMG Jarik is finally awake! And Ahsoka had a long talk with a wary but curious Hiccup as well! By the way, this is not going to be a Hiccup/Mara thing, let me be clear from the start. It's still going to end up as Hiccup and Astrid._

 _Jarik completed his final Jedi trial: the Trial of Spirit! Wonderful, and he faced his dark side and won! Now he's got to come to terms with the fact that they are stranded on the planet of Ahch-To, with a primitive village of suspicious Vikings haha._

 _Thank you guys so much for continuing to enjoy my stories! :D_


	18. Ch 17 - Social Status

**Jarik POV...**

"So let me get this straight: we've crashed on a planet in the Unknown Regions, out of contact with anyone and a ship in need of repair, and said planet happens to be the birthplace of the Jedi Order?" I ask in bewilderment.

"Yup," Ahsoka says simply.

"Kind of funny huh?" Mara asks.

"Funny... in a poetic sense I guess... how long was I out?" I question.

"Probably the entire day and a half." Ahsoka tells me. "And by the way, how in the universe did you survive the explosion and fly back through space?!" she exclaims.

"I what?!" I say in stunned confusion.

"Are you telling us you don't remember dad?" Mara asks with wide eyes. "Come on!"

I frown, thinking back intensely. We were under attack by the Empire... we were trying to escape and I was having our ship fire back at theirs... then the bridge exploded. My eyes widened in disbelief as I now remembered what had happened.

"...oh," I say quietly.

"Really. That's all you have to say," Ahsoka says in displeasure.

"Well, I don't know how! All I remember was the bridge exploding, and I thought I saw the Daughter, then I just have to desperate need to get back to you. That's all I got!" I say honestly, before developing a thoughtful and wonderful expression on my face.

"Do you think I could do it again?" I wonder aloud quietly to myself.

"No! Absolutely not, and don't you dare even consider it Jarik!" Ahsoka says, jabbing a finger threateningly at me.

"Yeah! Don't even think about it!" Mara warned, just as fierce as Ahsoka.

"Alright alright, I get it. Probably not a good idea anyways," I say in agreement.

"'Probably not a good idea' he says," Mara mutters mockingly in exasperation.

"Anyways..." I said, attempting to change the subject. "Are we going to try and fix the ship now?" I ask. "We can't stay here forever."

"I know," Ahsoka says in reply. "R5 is still with the ship, taking care of it while we've been gone."

"That's good I guess," I reply.

In the middle of our conversation, an old woman suddenly appears from another part of the house, and stares at us with thoughtful eyes. She then hobbles forwards in our direction, more specifically, in my direction.

"Oh, who are you?" I ask warily.

"That's Gothi. She's the Vikings elder," Mara tells me.

I nod my head, eyeing her in confusion as she moves closer. "Do you need something from me?"

However she doesn't answer, the response instead coming from Ahsoka. "She helped in healing you when we arrived in this village," she says.

"Ok, why is she not talking?" I ask them with a raised eyebrow.

Gothi then wacks me in the head with her staff, rather painfully in fact, and I quickly flinch back in surprise. "Ow! What was that for?!" I demand. All she does is give me a stern look, making a few gestures with her hands.

"I don't know, she doesn't really speak as far as I know. Also she probably wants to make sure you're in perfect health," Ahsoka suggests.

"Anyone who smacks their patients randomly should not be the designated healer," I mutter quietly to myself. Unfortunately she heard me, and raises her staff threateningly. "Ok ok, no offense Gothi, you're the Elder!" I quickly say in surrender. Mara snickers in amusement while Ahsoka grins to herself.

Satisfied, she begins her health examination, feeling my forehead, checking my eyes and a few other things before nodding to herself. Then she picks out a few small wooden panels, showing them to me. The script is a bit weird and hard to understand but I make out the words 'go eat' on them. Now that I think about it, I am absolutely famished right now, probably because I've been unconscious for almost two days.

"Where should I get food from?" I ask her.

"I think down near the village in the 'Great Hall,' right?" Ahsoka asks Gothi, who nods. She then begins to shoo us out quickly, and fearing a hit on the head from her staff all three of us heed her instruction, exiting the house. Gothi closes the door behind us, and I get my first view of the island we seemed to crash on.

"Wow. Nice place here," I admit, taking in the scenery. "How in the world was this house even built on top of a mountain though?" I ask incredulously.

"I don't know," Mara says with a shrug. "I think it looks cool."

* * *

After leaving Gothi's house, the three of us traveled down the long staircase to the village, moving in the direction of the Great Hall as discretely as we could, not completely comfortable with being out in the open. We traveled along the outskirts of the village, not in any of the actual streets. Unfortunately that didn't stop some of the stares we received, most in Ahsoka's direction at her appearance. They also accused her of being a witch for calming down a fire-breathing reptile called a dragon which I frowned at. Seriously?

If someone got to close for comfort, or glared at Ahsoka, then Mara would glare right back defiantly, not at all bothered by her age or size compared to the massive people that lived here. Ahsoka even said that the chief of this place was approximately seven feet tall! Just... wow! Along the way, we passed by a group of young kids just slightly older than Mara; three boys and two girls. The person who seemed like the dominant figure of the pack was one of the girls with blonde hair, and she watched us walk by with suspicious, yet curious eyes. The others didn't hide their expressions, openly gaping at us.

"Want to go hang out with actual kids you age?" I say jokingly to Mara.

"Are you kidding me? Nuh uh!" she immediately protested, and Ahsoka rolled her eyes in amusement.

Walking up the stone steps to what had to be the Great Hall, because what else would be this massive, I opened one of the doors and peeked inside, relieved to find that there was barely anyone inside, only a couple of Vikings simply chatting with each other, immediately stopping once we entered. Ignoring their stairs, we moved to the side of the room where there was a table of food, most of it gone since it was late morning by now, and picked out a few things, although warily at first. New planet, new food after all. I'm sure me and Mara would be fine since these Vikings are human like us, but Ahsoka isn't, so who knows what could be potentially harmful.

I can still sense the few Vikings in the Hall still staring at us, so I let out a sigh and turned my head to look at them. "Do you mind with the staring? Please?" I ask them.

Immediately, every one of them looks away, muttering a few words to each other before going back to what they were doing, although some also left quickly, out of embarrassment, wariness, or just because they were finished I don't know.

"With all the stares we're getting you'd think the Emperor was all 'fluffy fairytails' happy for us." Mara remarks. I snort in amusement at the image, and Ahsoka does the same, picking up her plate of all meat.

"More like there's a dead rat on our heads. And you are the gundark," I reply, gesturing to Ahsoka at the comment. She gives me an annoyed look and I shrug in response. "What? Compared to them you might as well be."

"Yeah I see your point," she says, shrugging as we all sat down at a corner table to eat. It started off awkwardly, with us picking at or checking out the food before eating it. Ahsoka lifted a piece of meat to her face and sniffed it, eventually judging it to be safe for her to eat.

"So?" I ask her.

"It's... actually pretty good," she remarked wondrously.

"Huh," was all I said in response.

Most of the time we were silent, not finding too much to talk about at the moment before I notice that group of younger kids walking through the doors. They all stare at us for a few moments before heading to another table and sitting down. Whispering too each other while glancing 'not-to-subtly' at us. Mara rolled her eyes.

"Wow. Very secretive," she said.

"Meh. I think its kind of funny," I commented, turning my head to look at them. Those who were staring at us immediately turned their heads away and I shook my head.

"Didn't you call out those adults for staring at us not five minutes ago?" Ahsoka asked with a raised eyebrow.

"And that was five minutes ago," I replied cheekily.

Then another kid walks through the doors, this one a bit smaller from the rest, and definitely more scrawny. He grabbed a plate of food and moved to sit down. The other kids all stared at him, some even moving to stop him from sitting at their table, but it was already clear he didn't bother going to their table anyways. With a quiet sigh, he sits down by himself and starts eating as the rest of the kids continue their quiet discussion about us.

"Whose that? You know?" I ask Ahsoka or Mara.

"Hiccup. I had a good chat with him last night, he seems like a good kid." Ahsoka replied.

"You did?" Mara asks.

"Yeah. Both of you were asleep, but I couldn't so I just decided to walk around when he tried to spy on me, obviously not realizing I could sense him." Ahsoka says nonchalantly.

"Why does he look so sad?" Mara questions, glancing over at Hiccup, who continues to pick at his food, only eating small amounts.

Ahsoka sighed slightly. "He's... more of the outcast in this village. A runt compared to the others, and it doesn't help that his father is the chief," she said.

Mara and I both gape at Ahsoka in surprise, glancing over to Hiccup. "Wait, that giant, bearded chief is his dad?!" Mara asks incredulously.

"I was just as surprised as you are," she replied in agreement.

"I haven't seen the chief but considering the size of everyone in this village he must be big right?" I ask her, and she nods her head.

"I'd say about seven feet tall," she tells me.

"Wow," was all I had to say in response.

"That's so mean!" Mara says with a frown, not understanding why the Vikings would treat him that way.. "Why would they be mean to him just because he's small?"

"Society," I replied. "If you're not similar or aligned with the same views as most of the people, then you become separated from the rest. Unfortunately many people are treated like that," I tell her, glancing at Hiccup with a look of sympathy.

Ahsoka then looks at Mara. "I think you should go talk to him," she suggested.

"Huh?" she asks with a furrowed brow. "Right now?"

"Well why not? He's a good kid, and I think you both would get along well with each other," she says.

"But... I'm still with you, a space traveler, it would be weird, you know what I mean?" she questions.

"Mara, I doubt you're the person to care about other's criticism of what you're doing," I said with a raised eyebrow, and she gets a determined look.

"Yeah, definitely. I think it's stupid they make fun of him just because he's small. I'll go say hi!" she declares, taking one last bite out of her meal before standing up. She rushes over to Hiccup's table and sits down across from him. He looks up in surprise, obviously not expecting anybody to come sit with the village runt, least of all foreigners from space with things they've never seen before. The group of kids all have the same reaction as well, opening gaping at her sitting with Hiccup in a mixture of shock, confusion, surprise and in one kids expression, irritation. They glance over at me and Ahsoka and I give them a cheeky wave and a smile.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

Sitting down at the table across from Hiccup, he glanced up at me with eyes wide in surprise, obviously not having expected anybody to sit with him. Once again I'm bewildered by the fact that his Viking tribe makes fun of him for being small and scrawny. Just looking at him I can tell he's smart and talented, like who couldn't see that?

"Hi! You're Hiccup, right?" I ask with a smile.

"Huh?" he asked in a shocked state before coming to his sense. "Oh- uh- yeah! Yeah that's me. Who're you?" he asks timidly.

"I'm Mara," I tell him in response. "My mom suggested I talk to you since she thinks you're a cool," I tell him.

He furrows his brow in confusion. "Your... mom?" he asks.

"That's her over there," I told him, pointing to my mom.

"She's your mom?" he asks in bewilderment. "No offense but... uh, you don't even look like her..." he says in confusion.

"Adopted, they adopted me," I explained.

"Oh, right. That makes more sense," he replies sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Are you a Jedi too?"

"No, not really. More of a Jedi-in-training, since I'm still a youngling," I explained. "How'd you know about the Jedi? From those old stories you guys seem to have?"

He nods his head. "Yeah, that and you're mom told me about them last night," he says.

"Oh." I replied simply. "Out of the three of us, I think dad is really the only full Jedi Knight- he's the one sitting across from mom," I told him.

"Really?" he asks in wonder and amazement. "Why's that?"

"He was actually made a Knight before I was born, and mom would have been one too if she wasn't blamed for killing people," I told him, frowning at the thought of my own mother (adopted) being considered a criminal. She's way too nice for that! And she gives good lessons about the Force! I'm still waiting for the chance to get my own lightsaber!

"That sounds bad, being blamed for something she didn't do," Hiccup says sadly.

"Yeah. Why does everyone seem to make fun of you? I think that's dumb," I said simply, frowning at that fact.

He lets out a long, sad sigh. "Well... I'm really just the runt of the village..." he says, glancing over at the other kids, who I notice are staring openly at us, much to my annoyance.

"You know it's rude to stare!" I called out, and they immediately looked away, although one, ugly kid with a punchable face scowled angrily at me, making a face. I stuck my tongue out at him as well.

Hiccup grinned in amusement before his face fell again. "I'm just the screw-up that constantly breaks things during a dragon raid."

"Thats ridiculous, I can tell you're a lot smarter than those people," I say firmly. He smiles lightly at me in gratitude, and deciding to stop talking about this depressing matter I change the subject. "So, you fight... dragons? What are dragons?"

"You don't know- oh right, you're not from here," he says sheepishly. "Well, every few weeks we get raided by dragons, who constantly take our stuff and destroy our village," he says.

"Destroy your village?" I question with a frown. "But everything around here looks perfectly fine!"

"We specialize in house repair," he says sarcastically.

"Huh," I say. "Well, if that's true then no wonder everybody seems so tense all the time."

"My dad even sleeps with an axe under his pillow," he remarks in amusement, and I snort lightly in laughter.

"Ha! That's even worse than my parents, although they sleep in the same room so they don't really do stuff like that." I replied. I glance over at them both again, and dad even has the nerve to grin at me and give me a 'thumbs up' in response. I glare at him and make the 'throat-slicing' motion silently as a warning. He rolls his eyes and I shake my head.

"Well, I gotta go, we've got some things to do later today. See you around?" I ask, standing up.

"Sure, no problem," he says with a smile, sounding eager at the prospect.

I jog over to Mom and Dad, who are both standing up too, having finished their meal. They both look over at me in curiosity.

"So, how was it?" Mom asks.

"It was good, and you're right. Hiccup is cool," I replied, nodding my head with a grin.

"That's good. Maybe I should meet him sometime," dad says as we walk towards the door.

As we walk passed the table with the group of kids nearby, one of them, who looks like a pig in my opinion, stands up and approaches me, wearing the most ridiculous helmet with horns I had ever seen.

"Hey, why'd you sit with him?" he demands, gesturing over to Hiccup.

Mom and Dad frown in disapproval while I glare at him. "Because I wanted to, so go away!"

"But he's so skinny, and stupid and useless!" the oaf of a boy protests.

"Oh the irony," Dad mutters and Mom smiles in amusement at his comment. Even some of the oaf's friends look a little irritated at him for saying that to us, the girl with blonde hair and a blue shirt in particular.

"Yeah? Well you look like a pig so shut up!" I say in annoyance, raising my hand and using the Force to push him back. He falls to the ground with a surprise cry, and his friends stare in shock while Mom and Dad shakes their heads in amusement. I nod in satisfaction and exit the Hall with them, and I'm sure the three of us can sense Hiccup's amusement and wonder at what just happened.

That oaf kid seems like a jerk.


	19. Ch 18 - Searching for Answers

**Jarik POV...**

"No, not that! This one goes there, that one goes there! Got it?" I explained irritably, pointing at the different electrical components of the ship.

R5 squealed back at me in annoyance, but did as I told him to do, fixing up the correct parts of the ship. I sighed in exasperation before continuing with my own part of the repairs. During the last day we've gone through, Ahsoka, Mara and I had all returned back to the ship in order to fix it up. We've already been out of contact with anyone else for almost an entire week by now, so Senator Organa was bound to be freaking out. I don't entirely know how he would be taking it, and he'd probably rule out the possibility of us being dead, since the Empire would probably send out a public message to boast about it.

While Ahsoka worked on the engines, having more experience than the rest of us, me and R5 were working on repairing the electrical grid to the ship, as well as fixing the hyperdrive. During our escape, it was hit pretty badly, and the hyperdrive motivator was cracked, in need of serious repair. Luckily the Knight Hawk has spare hyperdrive parts that are required to fix it, but without the proper equipment or tools, it would definitely take some time. Mara spent the time practicing with her lightsaber and the Force or receiving some mechanical lessons from Ahsoka. While we're here ti would be a good opportunity to get some practicing in for her, since there's nothing else for us to do really besides repair the ship. And I was curious about this planet as well, especially after hearing Satele's voice before waking up.

The electrical comparator suddenly sparked violently, and I pulled my hand back with a muffled curse, shaking it to relieve some of the pain. This was some absolute crap right now. R5 let off a small laugh at my accident and I sent him a death glare in return before getting up from where I was on the floor.

"Well this is a bust," I muttered to myself, exiting the room towards the engines, where Ahsoka currently was. On my way there, I passed by my room before stopping, turning to look in there with a confused frown. Sitting on the desk was my holocron, and it had a dim blue glue, something I haven't really seen it do on its own before. Curious, I entered the room and slowly walked up to the holocron, raising a hand to pick it up.

Upon touching it, the blue glow turned a little bit brighter. That's when a voice starts to echo around me: it sounds like Satele, although I can't make it out. Almost instinctively, I reach out with my other hand and touch the holocron gently with the tip of my finger, pulling my hand away after.

A small hologram of Satele shows up, which surprises me. How could a hologram recording of her be on this? It was never made or had any such files of her in there...

She speaks, although it seems like broken up files and dialogue mashed together.

 _"...are you alright...(static)...peace is the ideal padawan...(static)...these are the moments we strive for...(static)...the temple is buzzing with...(static)...suggest you prepare to face...(static)...you...(static)...always made me proud..."_

I continue to listen to the different recordings of her speaking, finding the last bit kind of touching, and I have to wonder if this is her way of trying to tell me something.

 _"...find the temple...(static)...disturbing confrontation...(static)..."_

That's when things start to get weirder, as the hologram of Satele suddenly clears up, no longer full of static, and she seems to be looking directly at me. I widen my eyes slightly.

 _"... **Sidious**..."_ she says, like a warning, which triggers some flash of a vision in my mind.

 _She stands with another man, similar in his looks to her, staring up at a massive, humanoid looking droid... or something else, which stares down at them._

 _Vision changes to show a much older Satele standing inside of what looks like a dark, shadowy temple. In front of her is a series of misty images, and Darth Sidious appears in the smoke, cackling in delight. Satele stands in a defensive position, and then the vision fades away._

I'm jerked out of my vision, and then the hologram fades away with a slight glowing shade of red. As the red glow fades away, I can hear a distant echoey shriek... and I know immediately that the scream belongs to Darth Sidious.

With a startled yelp, I drop the holocron as it feels like my hand was shocked violently, and watch it fall to the floor, now sitting innocently as if nothing ever happened. I stare down at it warily in confusion, slowly picking up the holocron and placing it back on the desk. Through the Force, I then sense someone at the door and turn around to see Ahsoka standing there, a look of concern on her face.

"Are you alright?" she asks.

"I'm, not sure," I admit, glancing back at the holocron.

"What did you see?" she asked, moving forwards.

"It was Satele, in a jumbled message," I told her.

"Satele?" she asks in confusion. "I thought she wasn't ever recorded on that holocron..."

I nod my head in agreement. "I know... but thats besides the point. It sounded like she wants me to find something, a temple."

"A temple..." Ahsoka murmurs. "You don't think she means the first Jedi Temple, do you?" Ahsoka questions thoughtfully.

I give off a shrug. "Maybe... but we are on the planet that birthed the Jedi Order," I pointed out. "When I came out of my coma, Satele also told me to come find the temple. I think it's something I have to do," I told her.

She nods slowly in understanding. "Alright, then go. Mara, R5 and I can finish up the repairs of the ship while you're gone."

"You sure I should go galavanting off like this?" I ask her skeptically, despite the pull from the Force to do exactly that.

"I think this is, I guess once again, another journey you need to go on Jarik," she tells me.

"Oh how familiar," I mutter with a role of my eyes.

"Yup," she says with a smirk. "Besides, we'll all be fine. It's not like the Empire has any presence on this planet right? We only got here through sheer luck," she points out.

"Alright, well, I'll see you soon then," I tell her.

We share a quick goodbye kiss before I separate from her, grabbing a small supply kit and exiting the ship with a small speeder in tow. We keep two of these on the ship just for emergencies whenever we need to use one on a planet, and how wonderful it'll come in handy here. Force knows how awful it would be if I had to travel at the rate of one of the Viking's boats on water and wind travel. I grimace at the thought of that.

Mounting the speeder, I close my eyes and stretch out with the Force, looking for the pull that I've been feeling ever since coming out of the coma. It feels like it takes forever, but once I finally do, the Force seems to pulse around me, showing me a certain direction to travel. Opening my eyes, I turn in the direction the Force is guiding me, and take off, weaving through the trees on this island before quickly coming out to a beach, shooting southwest across the open ocean in the direction of what I hope is the Jedi Temple.

* * *

 **Ahsoka POV...**

Later that evening, hours after Jarik had left, I was sitting on the ramp of the ship, looking out at the view of the sunset through the trees, being able to have such a view from our ship crashing through them. I was worried for him of course, but he could take care of himself out there. Mara was already asleep, having gotten tired early after spending the day filled with Jedi lessons and ship repair.

I sensed a familiar light presence in the Force, and looked up at the branches of a nearby tree to see the convor once again perched there, looking down at me. I stood up and looked back at the convor curiously.

"Who are you? And where do you come from?" I ask. "I'm curious to know," I tell the convor.

She blinks her eyes and hoots, stepping off of the branch and taking flight, swooping through the trees. Before disappearing, it turns on its wings and hovers in the air, chirping at me with a gesturing motion before taking off again. Getting the message, I jog after the convor, brushing aside small trees and bushes that are in my way in pursuit of it.

This goes on for another few minutes as she continuously stops periodically to make sure I'm following, before flying off again. Eventually, I move a bush out of my face to reveal a small clearing in front of a cliff at the edge of the island. Sea stacks and large mountainous cliffs surround the area, the ocean smashing against the rocks far below. What really gets my attention is something that the convor is perched on at the edge. I widen my eyes in shock when I realize what the statue resembled.

The statue was a crumbling, ancient and eroded, but close enough sculpted image of the Daughter.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

I don't know what I hate worse: sandy deserts or massive expanses of ocean. I'd probably been speeding across the surface of the ocean for about an hour and a half now, and it seemed like their was no end to this ridiculous adventure in sight as far as I could see. The twin suns were now positioned lower in the sky, signaling the start of early evening, and I sighed irritably in slight exhaustion, pulling a ration bar from my kit attached to the speeder. Taking a bite, I grimaced at the bland tasting food, having never liked it since my first mission on Geonosis anyways.

Thinking about Geonosis... that feels like such a long time ago now, when things were different. I never expected to gain such a huge name for myself in the Clone Wars, much less figure out I'm descended from Revan and Bastila. Despite all the bad things I've seen during the Clone War, part of me wishes to return to that time of ignorance, when I was young and happier, with Ahsoka as my best friend, Master Kenobi being a wonderful teacher, and Anakin as the funny, if determined and serious Jedi General to banter with. Reality to what the Clone Wars really were with Sidious is just a killer. Me and Ahsoka have come so far since then... I lost my arm, battled Sith Lords and apprentices, and now I'm a father with an adopted child, and a Jedi Knight, teaching my own student alongside Ahsoka.

I was broken out of my trip down memory lane when the water beside me suddenly exploded, and out popped what looked like a huge green marine reptile, probably another species of dragon that seems so popular to this planet. It roars at me, and I swerve to the side with a yelp when a blast of water gets shot from its mouth in my direction.

A small splash of that dragon's water manages to hit my left hand, and to my surprise, my prosthetic steams and groans and some of the metal becomes deformed under the heat of the water.

"Are you kidding me?!" I exclaim in shock and irritation.

The dragon roars again and I gunned it hard on the speeder, going as fast as I could away from it. I was in no mood right now to think about fighting a water dragon, especially one that can melt my face off, in the middle of the ocean. Glancing behind me, I notice it following underwater after my speeder and roll my eyes in exasperation. What could I have possibly done to anger the stupid thing?

The Force sends me a warning, and I swerve to the right as the dragon bursts up from underneath the surface, intending to ram me before I moved. As it comes down again, I raise a hand and send a Force blast at it, sending the dragon flying back through the water a few feet. It cries out in obvious surprise, not knowing what just happened as I travel onwards.

Looking forwards, I see a small pinprick on the horizon in front of me and narrow my eyes. Whatever that is must be an island, so I push myself faster. Stretching out with the Force I try to confirm whether or not that is the place I'm looking for, but there's too much going on for me to tell. A burst of water gets shot at me again, and I dodge the water blast, moving towards the island. This guy just won't give up! And apparently water dragons are fast too, which is so lucky for me.

The island ahead of me gets closer, and now I can get a sense of serenity from the island in the Force, very lightly, almost unnoticeably, but it slowly grows the closer I get. I smile to myself. This must be it!

Another loud splash from behind me gets my attention, and I glance back to see the dragon raise its head out of the water, preparing to fire a blast of boiling water. I prepare to move out of the way, when it suddenly closes its mouth again, and almost... calms down. It falls behind, lowering its head underneath the water again before disappearing, apparently not having an interest in me anymore.

"What...?" I mutter t myself in confusion before shrugging it off. No water dragon chasing me, the better. Turning my gaze forwards once again, I can now see the island clearly, the twin suns setting behind it, bathing the island in a warm, beautiful glow. The light side of the Force resonates gently around it, and yet I can also sense a small amount of something else on it somewhere, feeling like an annoying itch. I can't make it out, but this has to be the place based on the Force signature.

Eventually, I pull up alongside a small rocky beach, slowing down and parking the speeder in the middle of the flat earth. Dismounting, I look around, wrapping my cloak tighter around me against the cold, salty mist that sprayed up. In front of me was the beginning of a long pathway of stone steps, leading up the island towards the center.

"This is it..." I say quietly to myself, pressing forwards.

I could hardly believe it. I was at the sight of the actual, first Jedi Temple, a place nobody has visited for probably thousands of years.

* * *

 _Oooohh, the first Jedi Temple has been found! :D_

 _Also all of the words Satele said in that hologram, besides "Sidious" of course, are actual quotes from her in Legends that I picked up. And big surprise for you all, she learns about Darth Sidious! How and where, that's yet to be known hehehe, but in her later years something happens where she obviously learns his name._

 _And Ahsoka is on her own little quest to find out why the convor really has been following them, and just who Morai truly is._

 _Thank you guys so much for supporting this story! And also, a new side-story will be coming out, and it's going to be Forces of Destiny (suggested by Shadow Solaris), which I think would be a fun little idea. I know not many people seem to like it, but I think its a fun little mini-series directed at much younger audiences, but we can all agree that the Ahsoka episodes are great. :)_


	20. Ch 19 - Revelations from the Force

**Ahsoka POV...**

I stared at the statue of the Daughter in surprise and wonder, slowly stepping forwards towards it. The convor sits on the Daughter's shoulder, staring at me with curious eyes and I stretch out my arm. Lightly touching the statue, I run my hand along the stone, even still feeling a small bit of light side Force energy emanating from it.

"Daughter..." I whispered quietly to myself.

The convor chirps again, ruffling her feathers and looking pointedly at me. "How did this get here?" I ask her. "Did she build the statue, or was it the first Jedi?"

She lets off a quiet, hooting call and hops onto the Daughter's head, looking down at me and the rest of the statue, which is probably around six feet tall. Then I hear a voice:

 _I am Daughter..._

I look up at the convor in surprise, remembering when the Daughter said that, introducing herself to us on Mortis. "Who are you really...?" I ask her, needing to know. I can sense a very noticeable tug in the Force calling to me, stretching towards the statue and the convor, but I can't place a finger on what it means!

 _...when you reach the altar... give you what you want..._

The Daughter's voice echoed again, this time sounding more directly in front of me than around me.

"What altar?" I ask the convor. "What am I not seeing?!"

The convor looks directly at me, making direct eye contact with a gaze that pierces through my very soul. I was struck by how green... and how familiar they looked.

 _I am Daughter..._

That line was repeated again, and as the convor continued to gaze directly at me, the revelation hit me like a proton bomb. My eyes widened in shock, and I stumbled backwards, staring at the convor with wide eyes in disbelief and awe.

"Daughter... it's you..." I whispered, in a state of shock.

The convor nods her head lightly, letting out a happy trill, and then her voice echoes around me once again, the statue pulsing brightly in the light side of the Force in response.

 _"Hello Ahsoka... my true name is Morai,"_ she finally says.

"Morai..." I repeated quietly, sitting on my knees partly from humbleness and awe. "I never got the chance to thank you... I owe you my life," I said in gratitude.

 _"You need not thank me. It is in my nature to always be selfless, and compassionate. And it is yours as well. Your spirit is as pure as one could ever be,"_ she tells me.

I furrow a brow slightly. "I don't understand... I've made so many mistakes before in my life," I say, not believing I could be the purest soul out there.

 _"You have. But there is something you must know,"_ she replies, blinking her green eyes down at me.

"What is it?" I ask her curiously.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

The stone steps look to be ancient, which makes sense considering this place is over thousands of years old. Walking up takes a while, and during the trip I take the time to look around at the island. Small, brown and white feathered birds fly through the skies around it, and let out the occasional hoot or chirp to their buddies. The grass, or moss is very green, showing how the place is constantly wet throughout the whole year.

My hike takes minutes just to climb up to first part of stone steps, and then I turn onto a stone pathway walking across a ledge, where I get a good view of everything I just walked. Far down the steep slope I can just barely make out the space in which I landed at, my speeder a simple dot at this distance.

A small hissing noise beside me gets my attention, and I turn my head to find one of those little dragons staring at me with inquisitive eyes. It lets out a curious warble, inching closer, looking absolutely adorable, I have to admit. I raise a hand to it, and the little dragon eyes me warily before moving closer, allowing me to scratch it behind the ears.

"Well aren't you a cute little guy," I remark with a small smile.

It purrs in response to the scratching before I lower my arm, continuing onwards up the pathway. The dragon watches me go before taking flight into the sky, letting off a shrill cry.

The stone pathway soon shows signs of actual buildings and structures up ahead. The mossy rock walls beside me turns to rocks packed in a Fieldstone wall style, and small stone huts are visible up ahead. I duck through an arch, coming up a few steps to enter a small, abandoned village of some type, and I can sense it much more clearly now. The light side of the Force is very strong here, and it also is pulling me in a certain direction.

Looking to my left, I see another pathway exiting the village and heading over towards another section of the island, where the Force feels strongest.

Deciding to go the way the Force is leading me, I head over towards the pathway. Continuing on my long trek throughout this island, it takes another few minutes before I reach a new location, which is situated on one of the tallest points of the island. Climbing another large flight of stairs I take the time to compare this place to the Jedi Temple back on Coruscant. While that temple is massive and grand in scale, with huge columns and rooms showing large statues of Jedi, this place seemed smaller, more humble. Everything about it so far is simple, yet has a purpose. All of the huts are small and simple, looking very much the same, yet they housed ancient Jedi from ages past. The stone pathways are small and tiresome, but allow great views of the small island, giving you a sense of wonder at the natural beauty of the world.

And despite how powerful and special the Coruscant Temple was for me, comparing it to this place made me wonder. Now that I see the simple, humble beginnings from which the Jedi first came, the Coruscant Temple with all of its majesty and power, now seems like another example of our arrogance, displaying our power for all to clearly see.

I sighed sadly, thinking about how flawed the Jedi Order truly was. Nobody in that temple was exempt from it, save for the youngest of younglings, who were still so pure and innocent. Ki-Adi Mundi and Mace Windu were proud examples of how arrogant the Order truly had become, believing we knew everything there was too know. They couldn't have been more wrong.

The entrance to the first temple now looms in front of me, the cave inside a large cut out, the sunset shining through to the inside, bathing the place in a orangish, golden glow.

I stepped inside to gaze around in awe at the Temple. Once again, it was very simple, no fancy statues or carvings about the power of the Jedi, but that doesn't take away any of the serenity I can sense, and I feel truly humbled. The only prominent form of art inside is a large mural directly in the center of the floor. I walk up to the mural and stare down at the image, which depicts someone in robes sitting in a meditative position. One side is dark, while the other is light, with a black and white colored lightsaber, or vibroblade held in front of him. His face isn't fully visible, but judging from his head the figure is not human. He wears some sort of earrings, and on either side of his head are a dark circe, and a light circle. What the mural is showing is that the figure is in a state of balance, feeling the Force from both the Light, and the Dark.

"The Prime Jedi... it has to be..." I muttered to myself. Who else could it be?

Something else that gets my attention is how strikingly similar the Prime Jedi looks compared to Snoke, but I quickly brush aside the possibility. The Prime Jedi lived over six thousand years ago, so there's no way it could be Snoke. Even Master Yoda is only around 900 years, not a thousand. Maybe they were the same species...?

Shrugging to myself, I brush off those theories. No way I'm going to be figuring out the answers to that right now so why bother thinking about it?

I then feel a strange call off to the side and glance behind me. There, laying against the stone wall, propped up as if on display, is some sort of stick or staff... I'm not sure. Curious, I head over to what I think is a staff, before widening my eyes in surprise. It's a saberstaff! Why does it seem so familiar...

Upon closer inspection, I lean down to get a better look at it before gasping in shock, eyes wide in disbelief as I recognize the lightsaber.

This belonged to my ancestor Satele! She's been here before!

* * *

 **Ahsoka POV...**

 _"Lay your hand against the statue Ahsoka,"_ Morai tells me.

I raise an eyebrow questioningly, but do as she tells me, stepping forwards and touching my hand gently to the shoulder of her statue. I close my eyes, and am then suddenly drawn out of my mind into a vision.

Surrounded by a smokey landscape, I turn my head to see Morai standing before me in her true, human form, smiling softly down at me.

"It's good to be able to see you again Ahsoka," she says.

"Yeah... but if I recall we barely spoke to each other on Mortis," I point out before frowning. "Actually I don't think we spoke directly at all, just when you sensed me and Jarik talking to each other."

"I suppose," she replies, nodding her head.

"Speaking of which, how did you even hear us? We spoke over our Force bond," I said in confusion.

"I'm the personification of the Light Ahsoka, as well as a Force-Wielder. As such, I'm one of the most powerful beings in existence. Sensing and listening to a Force bond between two Jedi Padawan's is simple for someone of my stature," she tells me.

"Oh," I reply, grimacing slightly at that.

"I assure you that is not meant to be an insult, it is merely how things are," she reassures me.

"I get it," I reply understandingly. "But I'm lost right now; if you were killed by your brother, then how are you here now? How have you been watching me and Jarik all this time?" I ask her.

She nods, having expected the question. "That is what I will show you Ahsoka," she says, gesturing me forwards by her side, and once I step forwards we both look to the side, where a misty image of that night on Mortis shows up. The place where she died, and apparently I died as well. I see the Son press a finger to my head, and I collapse. Seeing how easily that happened to me in 3rd person, I shiver slightly at it. My heart breaks slightly when I see the reactions that Anakin and Jarik gave, as both charged straight at the Son with blinding rage and grief.

"That was horrible," I say quietly.

The image then changes to show me laying lifeless on the ground, Morai right beside me, with the Father, Jarik, Anakin and Obi-Wan crowded around us.

"As my life was slipping away, I gave all my remaining energy to ensure that you would live. One as young as you were should never have to die in such a way," Morai says, and we watch as Anakin kneels on the ground between us, the Father behind him.

"I gave up my life to save yours Ahsoka, yet that sparked something I did not foresee," she continues.

Anakin presses his fingers to both of our heads, and all three of us suddenly glow brightly, bathed in light. As my body glows brighter, Morai's grows darker and paler. Yet what I find most baffling is not the three of us glowing, but Jarik's eyes lit up in a white glow as well during the event, before going back to normal once the procedure is finished. I can see him in shock over what happened before everyone's attention is turned to me, and the vision fades.

"What... what happened to Jarik just there? With his eyes glowing?" I ask her, needing to know what it was I saw.

"When I transferred my light energy to save you, it also renewed the bond between you, as it had been shattered by your death. Incidentally, young Jarik shared in the transfer with it," she explains.

"So my revival made our bond stronger, and connected us through the pure Light Side of the Force right?" I confirm, and she nods her head. "That's crazy... but if that's true, that still doesn't account for how you're able to be here now, since you still died."

"When I saved you from the cold darkness of death in the dark side, I transferred my spiritual energy to revive you, as well as my own life force." Morai says, and I slowly widen my eyes as I come to the realization of what she means. "As a result, my spirit lives on through you Ahsoka, and while I am only with you, your connection to Jarik means he shares in the pure light that my soul offers as well."

I gape at her with my mouth open in shock, not able to believe it. This whole time... Morai's spirit has lived within me? I'm the reason she's alive?!

"What... what?!" I exclaim, stumbling backwards in shock. "You're saying that you're now part of me?!" I demand, and she nods her head, a little sadly.

"It was never my intention. I only wished to save you from a horrible fate. But the Force willed me to continue through you as a guide, while Jarik continues to be guided by his own family." Morai says, sounding genuinely concerned for our wellbeing, having never wanted to cause any possible harm to me in the first place.

"Force..." I whisper in shock, looking back up at Morai. "So that's why you've followed us around, and Jarik as well?"

She nods her head. "It is Ahsoka. I cannot appear to you in this form, not young Jarik, except in the most dire of circumstances, such as when he was blasted into space, but only if the Force wills it so." Morai informs me. "His purpose has not yet been fulfilled, so I helped keep him alive long enough to escape the vacuum of space."

"So you saved him as well..." I said, looking up at Morai with a small tear in my eye in gratitude. "Thank you."

"It was my pleasure Ahsoka," she says in reply before looking up around her with a thoughtful expression.

"What is Jarik's purpose then?" I ask her hopefully.

Unfortunately she shakes her head. "It is not my place to say I'm afraid," she says before looking up and around with a thoughtful expression. "Our time is nearly up. I cannot commune with you for much longer," she tells me, and the landscape begins to slowly disappear.

"When will I be able to talk to you again?!" I ask desperately.

"I cannot answer that Ahsoka, but know that I am always with you..." she says.

Then the Force landscape dissipates, and I open my eyes to the real world with a gasp, pulling my hand away from the statue of Morai. I glance around quickly, and notice that her convor manifestation is no longer anywhere in sight.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

The lightsaber looks old, unused that's for certain. Dust covered it in droves, and I had to wonder just how long his thing has been sitting here on the island. Reaching my hand forwards, I slowly move to grasp the hilt, but when I make contact with it, an image of Satele flashed in my mind, and I blinked my eyes, holding the old lightsaber up to inspect it.

The hilt was a mostly silvery color with a brownish tinge to it, and was riddled with intricate designs for the handgrip. I pressed the activation button for one side, and as expected, it didn't turn on at first. I pressed it again a few more times, and the lightsaber finally responded, the blue blade extending forwards, although flickering on and off in protest from age. The blade didn't stay active for long though, and soon turned off again after a few seconds, despite it still switched in the on position.

"3000 year old lightsaber sitting in a stone temple, and it still works? Who knew," I remarked casually, tapping the lightsaber lightly.

 _"Who indeed?"_ Satele's voice asked.

I quickly turned around to see her spirit standing before me, appearing in a much older and wiser version of herself than how she usually seemed. Instead of two braids on either side of her face, her hair now had small braided ends all around her head, and she wore a cloak, covering up her usual Jedi battle gear.

"Satele," I said in surprise, not expecting this. "I have to admit I never would have thought you'd be here," I admitted.

 _"Yes, I can imagine why,"_ she said dryly. _"Nor would have I expected you to fly through space."_

"Still have no idea how I did that," I said in exasperation. I didn't feel too surprised at seeing or communing with her spirit anymore since it's happened so much, although this is the first time since the Jedi Purge. Guess I'm more matured now or something.

"So... you found this planet too?" I ask, gesturing to her lightsaber in my hand.

 _"I did, in the final years of my life when I was no longer needed in the galaxy. This is where I spent the remainder of my days,"_ she says.

"Yeah I can see that from your lightsaber. How did you find this place? On accident like we did?" I ask her.

 _"Not on accident. I sought it out in order to live the remainder of my days in peace with the Force,"_ she revealed.

"Well aren't you a planet finder, you found Tython, which surprise surprise is lost again, and you found this planet?" I remark in bewilderment.

 _"Ahch-To,"_ she says. _"That is what the natives call their home, and what the first Jedi named the planet on their arrival, for its many archipelagos, and its indigenous species."_

"Ahch-To..." I murmured. "To be honest, the people here think Ahsoka is a witch," I said bluntly. "Although some of them still have old folktales, which are true stories, about the Prime Jedi and his followers first coming here. Called them messengers."

 _"The people of this planet are very traditional, and have remained in their ways for a long time."_ Satele says, and then a small smile forms on her face, almost unnoticeable. _"Although some are kindhearted without knowing it. What really drew my interest were the dragons that populate Ahch-To."_

"From what I've seen there are plenty of different types around. I was chased by a dragon that shot boiling water on my way here," I added.

 _"And I'm sure there are many more species than they realize,"_ she says. _"Tython was always a good location for the Jedi Order. The Force ran strongly across the planet, and it had the peace that Coruscant could never have. Yet Ahch-To will always be more preferable to me. The Force is filled with serenity, peace, and is a very humble place, with no need for grand buildings."_

I nod my head in agreement, thinking about my own comparisons of this place to Coruscant. "I can't argue with you there, not one bit," I say in agreement. "But this isn't just a 'good-to-see-you' visit isn't it? Usually there's a reason for any of you to visit me," I say knowingly.

She shakes her head. _"There is. Over the course of your life you faced many trials, the most recent of which was the Trial of Spirit."_

I nod my head slowly. "I suppose... so we're they all tests I had to complete for some future 'grand purpose?'"

Satele nods her head. _"They are. And in our eyes, you have finally become a proper Jedi Knight, knowing right from wrong and understanding the many flaws the Code caused."_

Whispey, smoky forms of Revan and Bastila slowly appear on either side of Satele, much to my surprise. They then step forwards, all of them activating a lightsaber. Despite the seriousness of the situation, I can't help but be amused at the sight. Ghosts activating lightsabers in the presence of a living person? Hah!

Revan and Bastila move on either side of me, smiles on their faces while Satele steps forwards. I take the hint, understanding what this truly is and sit on my knees before her, bowing my head.

Satele lifts her saber and lowers it, over my head, and on either of my shoulders as she speaks. _"By the right of the Jedi Council I served, by the will of the Force, and by the grace of our family, Jarik Shan, rise as a Knight of the Force,"_ she says.

I do so, standing back up as they deactivate heir lightsabers, smiling at me. "Thank you," I tell them all gratefully.

 _"Certainly outdid yourself,"_ Revan commented with a grin before fading away. Bastila smiled as well, fading back into the Force just like Revan, leaving Satele standing in front of me again.

"So what happens now?" I ask her.

 _"Only you can choose your path in life. But in the darkest times, some choices will happens inevitably, and the decision you make will alter the course of many things as you know it,"_ she warns me.

I grimaced. Not a very friendly or inviting message for me to hear. "So basically, no pressure," I remarked dryly. "Well, what else is new."

 _"Until next we meet Jarik,"_ Satele says, disappearing into the Force with a soft smile.

I stare at the place where she was for a few more moments before looking at her lightsaber in my hand. Walking back to the wall, I return the saber to its original position, and then head towards the outside ledge of the temple. On a small incline is a large rock, perfectly sized for someone to sit on, or meditate on. I stand at the edge, looking out at the setting twin suns, thinking about this planet as a whole, and the situation the galaxy is in.

"I just got a great idea..." I suddenly said to myself with a small smile. Turning around, I rush through the Temple and exit the other side, traveling across the pathway back to my speeder to get back to the Viking village with Ahsoka and Mara.


	21. Ch 20 - Future Plans

"Wait wait... what?" Ahsoka asked me with a raised eyebrow.

"Come on, isn't it a pretty good idea?" I ask her. I had just gotten back from my trip a few minutes ago, and shared my idea with Ahsoka in our room. It was dark outside by now, and most living things were definitely asleep at this point. Including Mara.

"I guess... but how'd you even come up with something like that?" she asks.

"I don't know it sort of... came to me. That island is honestly a really nice place." I told her. "Besides the Temple itself there's a small Jedi village there as well. Small, but habitable huts, plenty of open space to do whatever, and also there's a good place to land the ship. Wonderful for a place to call home."

"What about the Rebellion though? We can't just suddenly abandon them without a reason, besides the possibility that we're dead." Ahsoka points out.

"Yeah I know," I reassure her. "We'll still fix up the ship and then we'll figure out how to get back to familiar space. Once we let Senator Organa know we're alright, then we could continue our Fulcrum work. We work from the ship anyways, so if we get a better signal receiver and broadcaster then we could work right here."

She frowns thoughtfully, crossing her arms. "You know, I kind of like that," she says in agreement. "But we aren't telling anyone about this planet, not even Bail," she says firmly.

I think it over before nodding in agreement. "Yeah, I can accept that." It definitely made sense about how crucial it would be to not tell anyone about Ahch-To. First reason; the first Jedi Temple is here, so the Empire cannot be allowed to take it for Sidious's own twisted ambition. Second reason; nobody here knows anything about space travel, or even has any electrical technology. None of them are ready to deal with anyone from another planet, not for a long time. The only reason that doesn't include us three is because we're Jedi (at least I am) and we're deities in their old folklore, and we won't try to abuse or harm anything in their society.

"Good," Ahsoka says with a smile. "So you've told me about your wonderful trip to the island, learned the name of this planet, became an official Knight, and got the idea to live here while also continuing to support the Rebellion. Is that all?" she summarizes.

"Yup. Pretty much," I reply.

"You want to know what I learned while you were gone?" she says.

"You... learned something?" I ask in confusion. Wasn't she with Mara and repairing the ship the whole time? "What?"

She gathers herself before telling me. "That convor we've been seeing all these years?" she asks, and I widen my eyes slightly in surprise at the news of that, and that she's seen it as well. I nod my head and she continues. "Well... that's actually the Daughter," she says bluntly.

It takes a few moments for that to register in my mind as I stand there with a blank look on my face. Then I gape at her in shock.

"Wait... WHAT?" I exclaim in disbelief.

"Shh!" she replies harshly. "Do you want to wake Mara up?"

Lowering my voice I talk again. "You're saying that the convor is actually her? I knew it was connected to her from the Lothal temple but... it's her? How?" I ask in bewilderment.

"Her real name is Morai... and apparently she never fully died," she explains. "When she gave her life to save mine, she inadvertently transferred what remained of her spirit into me."

I'm speechless, struggling to comprehend the fact that the Daughter- or I guess _Morai_ \- is actually living on as a spirit within Ahsoka. "That's... geez. How do you even respond to learning that?" I say quietly.

"I still have a hard time believing it myself, trust me. But you'll flip out when I tell you that you're partially connected to her as well," she continues, a small smirk on her face as she waits for my reaction.

"Ok, now you lost me," I deadpanned.

She rolled her eyes. "The bond silly! She repaired it when she saved me from death!"

I blink my eyes, not expecting that but at the same time, not too surprised. When Ahsoka was brought back to life, I remember the feeling I had when our bond was mended with incredible amounts of light. I then recall my encounter with Snoke, specifically when he said I was immune to the dark because of the bond... and something else. Now it all makes sense, because Morai's connection to Ahsoka, and from her to me is what keeps me rooted in the Light. Now that I think of it, the only reason at all that I'm tempted by the dark side so much is because of my relation to Revan, since his blood runs through me, and my dark self and Snoke kept talking about Darth Revan.

"Well, every day since we've been on this planet has certainly been crazy," I mused.

"No kidding," she says in agreement.

Ahsoka moves over and lies down on the bed, patting the spot beside her. "Alright, no more "Force-rebel-problem" talks. I'm tired, and I'm sure you're tired so let's go to sleep already," she suggests with a grin.

"Oh how could I refuse you Sweetie Horns?" I ask rhetorically, rolling my eyes but laying down in the bed beside her with a grin. I pull the covers up and she immediately wraps her arms around me, laying her head on my shoulder. I wrap my own arm around her as well, pulling her closer as she buries her face in my neck.

"Good night little Jari," she says quietly.

"Good night Ahsoka," I reply, using the Force to flick off the light switch, and she snuggles even closer to me.

* * *

The next morning, Ahsoka, Mara and I were headed towards the Viking village to inform their chief of our plans for the future.

"Why do I get the feeling that I missed out on something yesterday?" Mara asks.

Before Ahsoka could answer, I reply rather bluntly. "Because you did," I remarked.

Ahsoka throws me a small, exasperated glare while Mara frowns up at me in annoyance. "Wow. Thank you so much for that dad," she says sarcastically.

"Anytime sweetheart," I reply with a shrug and a mischievous grin.

Eventually, we come up to the edge of the village, standing by the treeline. Taking a moment to survey the whole place, I frown a little bit. "Wait... where is the chief's house?" I ask.

Mara and Ahsoka both stare blankly at the village as well, realizing the problem. "Oh..." Ahsoka says in realization.

"We're idiots." Mara adds in agreement. "How did we not know which house belonged to the chief?"

"Well in that case, let's look for the most likely house then. Size? Space from the others? Impressiveness? Anything really." I suggest hopefully, trying to lift the mood.

"Actually they get raided by dragons every few weeks, so they constantly have to rebuild their houses," Mara deadpans.

I groan and rub my face with my hand. "Of course they do," I muttered in annoyance.

"Why don't we ask Hiccup?" Ahsoka suggests.

"Huh?" I ask in response.

She points to a nearby bush, where Hiccup is standing there, head peaking out. He fives off a startled yelp before walking out sheepishly towards us, much to my surprise. Guess I was so caught up in trying to figure out which house belonged to the chief that I didn't pay attention to my surroundings. Bad Jarik.

"Guess that's the second time you caught me..." Hiccup laughs nervously.

Hearing his voice, I frown thoughtfully. Have I heard that somewhere...?

"You don't need to hide around us you know," Ahsoka remarks in amusement, crossing her arms.

"Sorry, just a usual habit from my experiences I guess," he apologizes.

"Oh come on you're fine Hiccup! Nobody here can really sneak up on us anyways because we have the Force," Mara points out with a grin, saying the last part with pride.

"That's true. I guess I didn't really remember that myself," he admits dryly.

Hearing him continue to speak, I widen my eyes slightly in realization, remembering where I've heard him from before...

 _Walking along this strange pathway was absolutely mesmerizing, and the different voices continued to speak all around me. Some familiar, some different. Gateways and transparent pathways that defied gravity and physics were all around me. Who knew a place exited like this on Lothal?_

 _Hearing the Daughter speak about her brother after being stabbed brought back sad memories. Another voice spoke, sounding a couple years younger than I am._

 _"I looked at him, and saw myself."_

 _I didn't pay it much attention, continuing onwards as the voices continued to speak. Why did Satele tell me to come here? And what could Master Yoda be doing on his own personal journey...?_

I pulled out of the memory with wide eyes. Back during the final days of the Clone Wars, when I entered the World Between Worlds, I heard Hiccup's voice! He sounds younger currently compared to what I heard there, but it's still him. Ahsoka glances over at me with a slightly raised eyebrow, having sensed something off.

 _"What is it?"_ she asks over the bond.

 _"Tell you later,"_ I replied.

"Everyone's got their moments right?" Mara says to Hiccup, bringing me back to the present.

"I've had plenty of those," he replies. "So... you were looking for my dad's house?" he asks.

"Yeah," I tell him. "We just need to talk to him about what we're going to do next once our ship gets repaired."

"Ok. It's the large house on the top of the hill, next to the Great Hall," he says, pointing it out to us in the distance. "See it?"

"We do. Thanks," Ahsoka says gratefully. "You know what Mara, why don't you spend some time with Hiccup while me and Jarik talk to the chief," she suggests.

"Seriously?" Mara asks.

"Huh?" Hiccup says in surprise.

"I think that's a great idea," I say with a smile, nodding my head. "You two seemed to hit it off pretty well last time. I'm sure you'd be great friends with each other."

Hearing this, Mara shrugs. "Yeah, ok sure," she says in agreement.

"You really mean that?" Hiccup questions, and hearing the genuine bewilderment in his voice makes my heart stop a little bit. Is he really treated that badly in this village? We all saw what that one kid was like when confronting Mara. Poor Hiccup.

"Does it sound like I was kidding?" she demands, putting her hands to her hips and stepping forwards, giving Hiccup a threatening glare. He quickly backs up nervously, raising his hands.

"No no no, just making sure!" he quickly amends, and Mara immediately switches back to happy mode.

"Great!" she exclaims, and Hiccup sighs in relief. Ahsoka and I both share a quiet laugh with each other at Mara's threatening attitude.

"Well you kids have fun, we'll be back in... you know what, whenever," I say with a shrug, the two of us leaving Mara and Hiccup to their own devices. I just have to hope that nobody bullies them, because then I'd be worried.

For the bully.

"You sounded so responsible," Ahsoka says sarcastically.

"Hey, who knows how long our meet up with the chief may go?" I ask rhetorically.

"I doubt it'd be more then ten minutes," she says.

"You never know. Considering the way these people feel about us he could spend the first half hour either staring at you in bewilderment or threatening us with an axe," I remarked.

As if on cue, there was a sudden commotion nearby as one Viking threatened the other with an axe about them messing with their property of some kriffing bantha fodder I didn't care about.

"My point exactly," I tell her, gesturing to the two Vikings.

"Oh for Force's sake Jarik," she mutters, rubbing her face.

We continued our walk around the village, staying more out of the busier streets just to not gather so much attention. Those we did pass by stared at us with suspicion, confusion or bewilderment, giving us a wide berth as we moved by them. Eventually, we head up the small incline to the chief's house, and I knock on the door.

I muffled shout from inside immediately answered as someone stomped to the door. "SPITELOUT, FOR THE LAST TIME I AM NOT-!"

The door slams open in front of us, and the chief's angry ranting is cut off as he notices us, staring in surprise for a few moments. Me and Ahsoka both glance at each other before looking back at him, and he coughs nervously.

"Oh... Sorry about that I didn't know it was you..." he apologizes quietly, obviously embarrassed. He coughs once more before straightening his posture, standing proudly before us. Ahsoka was right; he is really tall.

"What're you here for?" he gruffly asks, not rudely, but not polite. Just blunt and straight to the point, obviously still wary of Ahsoka, and on a smaller level me as well.

"We just want to let you know what our plans for the future are once we finish fixing our ship," she tells him.

Stoick frowns thoughtfully before nodding his head once. "Aye, let's get it over with then," he says in agreement, opening the door wider and inviting us into his house. In the center of the room is a fireplace, which is currently lit. To the left side is a set of stairs leading to the second floor, and scattered around the room are weapons, some chairs, and also what I think is a small kitchen are off to the side. There's also another door at the back of the room, which I assume to be Stoick's bedroom.

We sit down a a few chairs around the fire as Stoick closes the door, pulling up another large chair and sitting down as well, eyeing us with narrowed eyes. He turns his gaze to me analytically.

"Who were you again?" he questions.

"I'm Jarik Shan, chief," I reply.

He nods once. "Good to see you doing better," he says simply before getting to the matter at hand. "So, what've you got to say?" he asks.

"As you know, we came from the stars, other planets really and crashed here. I can't exactly explain our reasons for crashing or what we do exactly in simple terms, so I'll skip that for now." Ahsoka tells him. "Once we fix our ship, we'll head back to our allies and let them know we're alright and where we've been."

"And these allies of yours... will they come here as well?" he asks cautiously, narrowing his eyes.

I shake my head. "No. We're not going to tell anyone else about this planet. It's quite obvious you've never encountered people like us before, so more coming here isn't a good idea, especially if the wrong people learn about your planet."

"What kind of people?" Stoick questions.

"Jarik and I are a part of a rebel alliance, fighting against a ruling Empire." Ahsoka explains. "And bringing the Empire's attention to your world is something we absolutely do not want to happen."

He nods his head in agreement. "Aye, that's true. Many in the village are already suspicious enough of you three, so more would only worsen the problem. Thank you for that," he says.

"Of course," I reply.

"Also... after we let them know, we've considering coming back here and living on another island nearby," Ahsoka says.

He furrows his brow in confusion. "Another island? Why would you even bother? You aren't from our world," he demands.

"Our lives are really dangerous, and having our daughter Mara added into that is something we've never enjoyed," I explain. "We constantly have to move from place to place, but nobody else in the galaxy knows about this planet but us," I say, and he nods in understanding. "Also, the island I found has a special significance to us, since it's actually the first Jedi Temple... do you know what a Jedi is?"

Stoick furrows his brow in confusion, before his eyes widened in recognition. "Wait... Jedi?! You found the temple of the Jedi? How?!" he demands. "That place has been lost for millennia!"

"Jarik found it because he was called there yesterday. You see, the three of us, we're all Jedi ourselves." Ahsoka tells him.

"That's absurd! Blasphemy!" he says angrily, glaring at us. "You dare claim to be the messengers sent from Asgard?!" he demands.

"Whoa whoa, hey stop for a second!" I exclaim, quieting him down. "Look, I don't know anything about your gods, or 'Asgard,' but I am a Jedi," I say firmly.

"How could you possibly be a Jedi?" he demands skeptically.

"Because we use the Force. It's what gives a Jedi their power," I answer.

"Power? What in Thor's name are you talking about? You mean your supposed witchcraft?" he asks, glaring at us suspiciously.

"No I'm not a witch!" Ahsoka replies in annoyance, crossing her arms. "All Jedi possess the Force, which gives us different abilities. It's how I calmed down that dragon before, letting it know I wasn't a threat."

"I'll believe it when I see proof of your claims," he says stubbornly, refusing to believe us as Jedi. This will always be a problem to the more primitive cultures who haven't discovered much electrical technology yet; they take their beliefs in religion very seriously. It's not a bad thing by any means, I believe people are allowed to believe in whatever they want, it just makes it harder to explain this to them. Especially if they're stubborn like Stoick.

"You want proof?" I ask, standing up. Holding out my right hand, I call on the Force to summon a large axe resting on the wall to my hand. It flies across the room, and I grip it perfectly, although finding it a little bit heavy.

Luckily that did the trick, and Stoick stares at me with wide eyes, shocked that I was able to pull an axe to my hand without moving.

"Gothi believes us," Ahsoka adds.

He looks between the two of us with wide eyes. "Odin's beard..." he whispers. It takes a few more seconds before he finally, slowly nods his head. "I can't believe it... but you are Jedi."

I can sense he's about to go into a humble apology, and shut him down before he could even start. "Before you go into an apology or prayer, whatever you were about to do, we aren't gods. Never have been. We live to be the same age as normal people, have the same mortality as anyone else. Depending on the species anyways," I told him.

He nods again, laying back in his chair after being just about ready to get up. "Okay... but may I ask... why return to Ahch-To now? Jedi haven't been here for thousands of years," he asks in confusion.

"Well, it was actually more of an accident." Ahsoka admits sheepishly. "Your planet was lost to us a long time ago, and faded from memory. As for why..." she sighs sadly, gathering herself before continuing. "About ten years ago, nearly all of the Jedi were wiped out."

"What?!" he asks in shock. "By this Empire you've spoken of?"

"Yeah," I reply with a nod. "The Emperor brought down the previous government from the inside, and had us all wiped out to establish his rule. He's a Sith Lord, the ancient enemy of the Jedi." I then eye him with a serious gaze. "Which is why we will not let anyone else ever know of your planet. If the Emperor found out that the first Jedi Temple was found, he would crush you."

Stoick nods his head, understanding the severity of the situation. "I'm... sorry for you losses. But thank you for keeping us hidden from this... Emperor," he says gratefully.

Ahsoka nods her head. "Of course chief Stoick."


	22. Ch 21 - Curious Friendships

**Mara POV...**

After mom and dad set off to go speak with the Viking Chief, me and Hiccup started to do our own thing. He was leading me to their forge, where he worked as the blacksmith's apprentice. Coincidentally the blacksmith was actually Gobber, the blond mustached, smelly Viking man from before. From what I've heard he's really the only one in the village who likes, or at least even tolerates Hiccup. As we head through the village to the blacksmith, many Vikings give us a wide berth, eyeing us in a mixture of wariness, annoyance, suspicion, and disgust. Most of that was directed at Hiccup, which I found stupid. I'm the one who's the adopted daughter of the one they call a witch and they still hate Hiccup more!

"Not to be rude but, how do you even lift those massive swords to sharpen?" I asked incredulously. "Your arms seem way to skinny to do that."

"Oh it's definitely not easy that's for sure," he says in agreement. "I've lost count of the number of times I've almost cut or smashed myself with something in there."

"That's ridiculous," I reply, shaking my head. "Do you make anything else in there? Like, your own little gadgets or something?"

"Yeah, but almost all of them end up doing more harm than good," he says dryly.

I shrug my shoulders. "Hmm. Practice makes perfect," I remarked. "At least that's what dad tells me every time I'm training with him."

"Wish I had that," he says quietly, and I frown in response, remembering the fact that nobody seems to care about him. Before I could respond, he quickly speaks again. "So, what kind of training do you do?" he asks curiously, eager to know.

"Mostly Jedi training," I told him. "Either lessons about using or feeling things with the Force, or lightsaber training."

Hiccup frowned. "Your mom Ah... umm, what was her name?" he asks.

"Ahsoka."

"Yeah that's it!" he says. "She told me about the Force a little bit. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that but... what's a lightsaber?"

I look at him in bewilderment before remembering the problem. "Oh, well basically it's the weapon of a Jedi. Umm... It's a, sword I guess you could say, but made of weightless, plasma energy."

He stares at me with a blank look. "You just lost me."

I make and irritated noise and try to think of a better explanation. "Alright, how about this: a lightsaber is basically, a blade made out of... compact fire?" I say slowly, shrugging. "Lets go with fire, although it isn't fire by any means. And they can cut through almost anything, with the blade being weightless."

He gaped at me in bewilderment. "A blade made of fire? But you're saying it's weightless... so it just pops out of the sword handle or something?"

I nod my head with a pleased smile. "Yes, exactly! But never touch the blade, or else your hand or whatever part you touch it with will be immediately sliced off or burned," I told him. "I wish I had my own, then I'd be able to show you."

"That's nuts. But if you're training with those, why don't you have your own?" Hiccup asks me, slightly confused.

"Lightsabers are powered by kyber crystals, which are small crystals flowing with the Force." I explained slowly. "In order to make one, I need to find my own specific crystal, and it can't just be any kyber crystal I find."

"Why not? All of those crystals you said have the Force, so why wouldn't any of them work?" he questions.

"Mom says that I have to bond with my own specific crystal through the Force. Once they say I'm ready, then they'll take me on a trip to get my own," I said longingly, imagining the bought of me having my very own lightsaber. I wonder what color it would be? I'd prefer purple, because purple is a cool color.

Hiccup has a thoughtful look on his face as he takes it all in. "Well, I kind of understand what you mean, but not all of it," he finally says. "You know what, I'll figure it out later," he decides.

"Yeah I'm not the best at explaining it either," I say in agreement before stopping beside a small house, frowning in annoyance as I sense something. Hiccup stops as well, eyeing me in confusion.

"Why'd you stop?" he asks.

"Because of these nerfherders," I reply, turning to the right and quickly pushing away a large cart of apples with the Force. Hiccup jumps in surprise, still not used to seeing the Force in action, and crouching behind the cart was three of those other kids from earlier. Two of them are twins, brother and sister while the other is the annoying jerk I pushed away earlier. They widen their eyes in surprise at being caught, and the jerk eyes me nervously, afraid I'll do more.

Hiccup sighs. "Snotlout, what are you three doing?" he asks dryly, wanting nothing more than to leave.

I cover my mouth with my hand to hide my laughs at Snotlout's name. Seriously?

Speaking of which, he gets to his feet with a glare, standing up straight in an attempt to look intimidating, leering at us. "Nothing Useless, why don't you mind your own business?" he says rudely.

"Why don't you mind yours?" I demand, giving him a glare.

Despite trying to look in charge and tough, I don't miss how his eyes glance at me with a hint of fear, and I can sense his unease clearly. I smirk in amusement.

"Mind our what?" one of the twins asks.

"Our business you moron!" his sister says, smacking him on the helmet.

"Our business? I thought we were spying on their business," he says rather stupidly, a look of intense confusion on his face as he points to us.

"No we weren't Tuffnut!" Snotlout exclaims angrily.

"Oh really? Then whose business are we minding? Ruffnuts? Yours? I don't get it," he replies, and I raise an eyebrow in surprise and confusion at his stupidity, leaning over to Hiccup.

"Is he serious?" I whisper.

"Yeah, stupid is really the only word to describe the twins. Everybody knows it," he replies simply, obviously used to it.

Apparently Snotlout is as well, since even he rolls his eyes, fed up with them. "Whatever. You two are of no help at all," he grumbles.

"Yeah, you guys suck!" Tuffnut exclaims. "Especially Ruffnut!"

Said person glares at him furiously. "What did you just say?" she demands.

"I said you suck!" he repeats mockingly.

"At least I don't suck like you!" she retorts, and the two get into a brawl immediately, bashing each other in the face and rolling back down the hill overtop of each other. They pass by another Viking, who watches them go by incredulously before shaking his head in exasperation and irritation, continuing on like nothing happened. My eyes are wide in bewilderment and surprise, seeing Hiccup's point.

"Yeah, I see your point..." I trail off as the twins move out of sight, and Hiccup hums in agreement.

"Anyways..." Snotlout drawls. "What are you losers doing?"

I frown at him in annoyance while Hiccup sighs. "Heading to the forge, like every other day. To work with Gobber," he replies, saying it like he's repeated it a thousand times.

"Oh yeah? Then what's your reason?" he demands, pointing a finger at me. "Hanging out with Useless?"

"I'm with him because I want to have a friendly conversation with him," I reply angrily. "Which you seem incapable of having, so why don't you shove it and go away before I make you?" I say threateningly.

Sadly his stubbornness and pride don't let him back down, like he should have and he gets up in my face. "What're you gonna do then huh? Use your weak magic push, you little witch?" he taunts insultingly.

"Snotlout-" Hiccup starts to say but I raise a hand in his direction to get him to stop. Glaring up at Snotlout, I huff at his stupid insult.

"Better a little witch than a fat little pig," I retorted, smirking.

He widens his eyes and his face turns red with rage. "Why you little-"

He doesn't get to finish his sentence as I shove my hand into his chest, pushing him away with a powerful force burst. He slammed into the wall of the house right next to us with a cry, and then fell to the floor. Looking up fearfully, he glanced between me and Hiccup when someone else nearby spoke up.

"What are you doing Snotlout?" a girls voice asked in irritation.

I looked over to see the blond girl from before staring at us with an annoyed look, arms crossed. Nearby, a husky boy also stood, watching us with wide eyes, me in particular.

Snotlout's demeanor instantly changed. "Oh nothing, just messing around you know Astrid?" he said sweetly, acting all innocent. "How've you been babe?"

Hiccup sighed, slumping forwards while I snickered, shaking my head.

Astrid groaned in irritation, glaring down at Snotlout. "One, you were not just 'messing around,' you got your butt kicked just now," she says, and I grin smugly. "Two, I'm not your babe!"

Snotlout scowled angrily as Astrid turned around and started to head back from wherever she came from. "Stop being such an idiot Snotlout, they're not worth it," she says.

I frowned in annoyance at the way she said that, as if we weren't even worth her time. At first I thought she would be cool here, but apparently she doesn't give a kriff about Hiccup either. She may not bully him it seems, but she sure doesn't care either, and I doubt she intervened just to play nice person. Glaring furiously at us, Snotlout got up from where he was on the ground and stalked away after Astrid, face red in embarrassment. The husky boy looked between us, and I could sense he was considering talking to me before deciding against it, scurrying away nervously. So he's not too much better either, playing it safe with the 'cool' kids.

"No respect I have to say," I remark with a frown.

"Yeah..." he replies with a small sigh, and to my surprise I can sense hopeful thoughts in him about Astrid before he shakes them away.

"We're almost to the forge," he says, and I follow after him again.

Not much later we enter the forge, which is a larger looking building by the cliff ledge, overlooking the ocean. Inside, different tools and pieces of metal are scattered all over the place, as well as what looks like, simple prosthetic hands. I grimace at a strange looking one, glad that dad doesn't have any of these things for a hand.

"Geez, looks like something blew up in here," I remark.

"Yeah, this is mostly cause of Gobber," Hiccup sighs in exasperation. "He can never keep the place clean, so I'm mostly doing it myself." Speaking of which...

"Ey, Hiccup!" Gobber's voice calls out, and I turn around to see said Viking hobbling towards us. "Back for work again today huh?" he asks before noticing me.

"Oh... wasn't expecting you here," he says in surprise. "Ehh... what's your name lass?"

"Mara," I tell him.

"Well, nice to meet you properly Mara," he says, moving around his shop. "What're you doing here anyways?"

"My parents are talking with the chief, so I decided to spend some time with Hiccup," I said honestly. Said scrawny Viking put on an apron and began picking up all the scattered parts.

"Oh really?" he asks genuinely in surprise. "No ones ever done that before, so good for you!"

"Yeah, splendid," Hiccup adds in, grimacing from lifting a large hammer which is about to fall from his grip. Raising an arm, I used the Force to help right his grip on it, and make it easier for him to place it on the rack. Gobber doesn't notice, but Hiccup clearly does, looking at himself in bewilderment before turning to me with a raised eyebrow. I shrug with a small smile on my face.

"Well well well, Mara working with a blacksmith," dad's voice spoke up, and I turned to see him leaning against the entrance, mom standing beside him with a small smile on her face. Gobber and Hiccup looked up as well, the former looking slightly wary.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask.

"Meh, you just don't seem like that type of girl," he replies.

I frown thoughtfully before shrugging. "Maybe..."

"So uh... your talk with Stoick go ok?" Gobber questioned hesitantly.

"Yup," mom replies. "We have a plan set up, he's satisfied, so we're good."

"Great!" Gobber says.

"That's cool," I say in agreement.

Dad then lets out a small sound of pain, immediately clutching his metal arm with his right hand, hissing between clenched teeth. I could hear the small sound of sparking wires.

"Oh Jarik, not again," mom sighed, moving beside him and rubbing his left arm.

"Really? You ok?" I ask worriedly, having not really dealt with his metal arm before.

"Yeah I'm fine, just need this fixed," he muttered in annoyance.

"Get what... fixed?" Hiccup asks.

"You got an injury on your arm or something? You should see Gothi for that," Gobber remarks.

Dad merely smiles in false amusement with a grimace. "Yeah, Gothi will be of no help for this I'm afraid."

"What, you crazy? She's the best healer we've got!" he replies in exasperation.

Hiccup narrows his eyes. "You said fixed, not healed... what does that mean?" he questions, and I have to smile at his perceptiveness. Before dad can answer, mom does it for him.

"He lost his arm years ago, and now has a metal prosthetic as a replacement," she says simply, applying some pressure to the damaged area to keep the wires from acting up.

They furrow their eyes in confusion. "Prosthetic? What prosthe...tic.." Gobber says, stopping in shock when mom pulls back part of dad's clothing around his shoulder to inspect the sparking wires. Both of them gape in shock and disbelief at seeing the arm completely made of metal, not understanding what they are even seeing or how it's possible. Gobber even drops the half-made axe he was forging while Hiccup's arm slipped from the spinning wheel.

I smiled in nervous amusement. "Surprise... his whole arm is actually metal."

Mom frowns, assessing the state of his arm before sighing. "How long has it been since it was last fixed?" she questions with a raised eye marking.

"Not to long ago..." he replies hesitantly.

"About 6 months!" I said cheerily, flashing an innocent and happy smile while he glares at me.

"Seriously? 6 months?!" she scolds incredulously.

"Hey be fair, I was gonna fix it soon but then I was in a coma and now we're on an isolated planet in an unknown corner of the galaxy!" he says defensively.

"Oh I don't want to hear this," mom says irritably in exasperation. "That's it, we're going back to the ship to fix up this piece of junk."

Hearing her tone of voice, dad sighs while I smile widely, enjoying it. Watching the two banter or mess with each other was always something I found wonderfully hilarious.

"Well, see you guys later!" I tell Hiccup and Gobber, waving at them as I leave with Jarik and Ahsoka. Walking away, I manage to hear Hiccup finally speak, although he's still in a shocked state.

"Did he have an actual... arm of metal...?" he says.

* * *

 _Ha! How do you explain a metal arm as sophisticated as the ones in Star Wars to a group of Vikings that don't even know the word electricity yet, or even have the printing press yet?_

 _MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU! :D_

 _Also just a few hours before posting this chapter I saw Avengers: Infinity War. I'm not going to give anything away because spoilers but..._

 _THAT MOVIE WAS INSANE! :OOOOOO_

 _So worth it._


	23. Ch 22 - Departure? Not Really

**Jarik POV...**

"You seem more annoyed than usual," I commented.

"Because you seem to forget about your arm all the time." Ahsoka replies in exasperation, jabbing a wire slightly with a tool. I flinched in response before rolling my eyes.

"Not like I want to remember that," I muttered.

She sighs in apology. "I know, and I can't imagine what it would be like to lose your arm, but it happened, so you have to take care of it. Force only knows how you'd survive on your own," she says with a small grin.

"Wanna take it to a bet?" I challenge.

"No," she immediately says.

"Eh, whatever," I reply with a shrug.

A few minutes later she manages to solve the problem with my arm and it no longer causes much pain. She replaces the outer covering and puts her tools away while I roll my arm around, testing it before smiling. "You're a life saver you know that?"

Ahsoka merely rolls her eyes. "Stop being so dramatic Jarik."

She pauses for a second, looking thoughtful before smirking. "And you're right, I am."

"So, how long do you think it'll take to get the ship back in working order?" I ask.

"Engines are mostly repaired, not much left to do," she comments. "How's the hyperdrive?"

"The motivator is almost repaired, probably will take another day or two in my opinion." I told her.

She nods with a small smile. "Good to know we aren't stranded here forever, even if this is a nice planet," she says.

"I know something nicer," I comment.

"What?" she questions.

I grinned. "You."

However, Ahsoka merely raises and eyebrow at me, not impressed. "That is so cliche and you know it," she says.

I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. "Yeah, I'll give you that-"

She then cuts me off with a quick kiss, breaking apart after a few seconds, her lekku a shade of purple. "But it was also very sweet."

I stand there silently for a few seconds. "So it wasn't too cliche then?"

She smacks me on the head in response, rolling her eyes.

* * *

Some time later, Mara and I were standing in a decent sized clearing in the forest for lightsaber training. R5 was continuing to do his own thing with the ship, and Ahsoka was also in the forest, although she was looking to see if there were any animals she could possibly hunt for food. She may have been raised a Jedi, but each race is allowed to keep their cultural heritage with them, so Shaak Ti would teach Ahsoka different Togruta traditions from time to time. That and she also had to go on an Akul hunt to get her headdress, although she hasn't had it since she left the Order. Basically, she was naturally an accomplished hunter, and I think the Vikings mentioned something about... 'boars?'

Meh, what do I know about boars, something I've never heard of before. Must be another kind of animal, although I think they're some kind of pig. The closest thing that I think of upon hearing 'boar' is a Gamorrean guard, which are ridiculous by the way.

"How do you feel about using a lightsaber so far Mara?" I ask her.

"I think I'm ready for my own dad! right?!" she asks, throwing me a puppy eyed look.

I shake my head immediately. "Ok no, wrong answer. You're good, but no. Puppy eyes don't work."

Her face falls as she pouts. "Worth a shot," she muttered.

"Although... you could prove me wrong right now..." I say casually with a small smirk, knowing that will get Mara ready to go. Like I expected, a fierce and determined expression develops on her face as she activates Ahsoka's green lightsaber, which is pretty much mine at this point since she has her own white blades.

"Show me what you've got Mara," I tell her, activating my own blue blade and standing in a formal Makashi opening stance. With an excited grin, she rushes forwards, lightsaber held aloft and swings it quickly at me. I casually deflect the blow with one arm, and she follows up with a spin, trying her hardest to outpace me. However it doesn't work very well, but for her age she is definitely doing very good. Eight years old and already capable of what a youngling three years older than her at the Temple could do. She's definitely determined that's for sure.

"Don't push yourself to hard," I advise her, noticing how much power she was attempting to put into her swings. "Lighter on your feet."

Frowning, she attempts to change her form to my suggestions, slashing at me again with more finesse and focus. She takes on a style more similar to Ahsoka's: aggressive but fast, yet I still manage to hold her off, being a much more experienced combatant. Still, I can definitely tell that she's improving.

Mara lunges forwards and I sidestep, causing her to tumble to the ground, where she looks up at me with a scowl of irritation.

"Don't become aggressive, otherwise you'll make more mistakes," I warn her.

"Yeah, got that," she replies in annoyance, taking a breath before charging at me again. She swings upwards, attempting to knock my blade off balance, but I hold strong and retaliate with a downwards counterstrike. She manages to block it before jumping into the air and attempting to lash out with her foot. I lean my head back and she falls back to the ground, stumbling slightly before correcting herself, attempting another swing of the lightsaber. I deflect her blow and then quickly disarm her, tossing the blade into the air before catching it.

Mara sighs in annoyance. "Beaten again," she says glumly.

"You can't expect to be perfect in a day Mara. Besides, I was a dueling prodigy as a kid so I'm naturally going to be a tough opponent." I remind her.

"I guess... but I couldn't really concentrate during the fight as well as I wanted to," she says.

I raise an eyebrow. "Why? Because those Viking kids were watching us, thinking they were stealthy?" I ask, crossing my arms after deactivating my lightsabers.

Mara nods her head. "Yeah.

As soon as she and I said that, the bushes nearby shook violently from their obvious shock at being caught. There were a few hushed and scared whispers as they attempted to make themselves more invisible, hiding completely behind the bushes and trees instead of peeking their heads out. Mara and I both turned in their direction, a look of amusement on our faces.

"You guys are horrible," she comments.

"No we're not! We're invisible!" the voice of the female twin, Ruffnut? I think that's her name, shouts back.

I roll my eyes as the sound of metal ringing loudly carries across the clearing, followed by Tuffnut's voice. "You're such a mornon! Why would you do that?!"

Raising a hand, I clench my fist and the large bush immediately gets compacted tightly, branches snapping and leaves falling off to reveal all the Viking kids, excluding Hiccup. The two twins stop whatever they were about to do in surprise, and all of them stare at us in shock and fear, although the girl I think is named Astrid seems to be the least fearful of the group. The large husky boy however...

"Oh please please please don't kill us! We're sorry we won't ever do this again let us go please!" he wails in obvious terror.

Me and Mara share a glance of bewilderment as she turns her head back to them. Astrid and Snotlout are both staring at him in irritation.

"Uhh... why would we kill you?" Mara questions with a raised eyebrow.

"Fishlegs..." Astrid growls out warningly.

He gulps, whimpering in terror before remaining silent, although he's still shaking, attempting to hide behind what remained of the bush.

I narrow my eyes incredulously in confusion at them before sighing. "So, any reason why you guys were spying on us?" I question.

"S-spying? Who said we were spying?" Snotlout says, trying to cover up their actions, failing miserably. Astrid, Fishlegs and even the twins stare at him in mixtures of irritation, bewilderment and looks that say 'you're-such-an-idiot.'

"Uh, yes we were." Tuffnut says.

"Yeah, even we knew that," Ruffnut says in agreement.

Astrid shakes her head, looking obviously aggravated before turning to us, obviously the leader o their little group. "We just wanted to know what you were like, and didn't mean to spy on you," she says, rather confidently for someone her age. Kind of reminds me of Mara, a little bit, although I certainly won't tell her that.

I give off a shrug. "Ok."

"Wait, that's it?" Astrid questions confusedly, not expecting to get off that easily.

"Yup," Mara replies, a grin of amusement on her face at their bewilderment.

"I mean, I would be mad, but you guys are just a bunch of kids, and also you were also being spied on yourselves, so we're even anyways," I remark with a smile.

They all frown in various looks of confusion, wariness, and fear. "Wait, what...?" Snotlout questions before yelping in surprise.

Leaning against the tree behind them, watching the whole confrontation with a smirk on her face is none other than Ahsoka, who is casually tossing her lightsaber hilt in her hand, a dead boar lying at he feat, the head having been pierced by her blade.

"It seems the younger Vikings make it a habit of spying on outsiders," she comments.

"Uhh..." Tuffnut says, even he looking quite nervous.

"You know what, I'm not even gonna bother anymore," she mutters in annoyance. "Yes, this is how I look, deal with it, I'm proud of my species and I'm most certainly not a witch. Now don't you five have somewhere to be?"

The group don't say anything, just sharing looks of fear and wariness before whispering to each other, slowly moving off into the trees back to their village. Astrid gives us one last look before following after them.

"Alright seriously, what is with these people?!" Mara says in exasperation, throwing her hands into the air. "At first it was funny, now it's annoying."

"Well... Satele seems to find something to like about them," I comment.

"Yeah, remind me how a ghost can talk to you again, that still seems weird." Mara says. Oh yeah, she knows about my encounters with Satele in the past, since I've told her stories about it when she was younger and demanding of storytime before we sent her to bed at night... according to our clocks, since we were constantly moving.

"She's one with the Force, and not everyone can know all of it's mysteries." Ahsoka says, walking up and dragging the boar behind her by its legs.

"And that answer makes no sense! Why does the Force have to be so confusing?" Mara complains. "All it ever seems to be for me is just something I can use to push or fight people with!"

"That's because you're younger, and certain things only come with time. Most of what regular people see of the Force is the Living Force, which is the power that us living beings have and are capable of using. Past that we know very little, except that many things are possible which we can't even dream of," she replies wisely.

Mara nods slightly, although we can both sense that she doesn't fully understand what we're saying.

"Don't worry, you'll understand it better when you're older. It's one of those things that comes to you through experience," I say.

"If you say so," she replies skeptically.

* * *

Approximately a day and a half later, the three of us were standing on the outskirts of the village with Chief Stoick, Gobber, Elder Gothi and Hiccup, who looked nervous at being in his father's presence but otherwise normal, informing them that we were about to leave. We had finally just finished fixing up the Knight Hawk, and R5 was all too thrilled to be ready to leave this "backwater-bantha-fodder-planet" as he so passionately called it, only to squeal in rage when I reminded him we would be coming back in approximately two weeks or so.

"Glad you were able to fix up your, ah... ship," the chief says as politely as he can, still weirded out by everything about us.

Gothi writes a few lines in the dirt and Gobber translates. "'I hope your journal- ow! Journey, goes well," he reads.

"We will. Thank you for your help and acceptance of us," I said in return.

"We bid you farewell then... Master Jedi," Stoick says hesitantly, but confidently nonetheless, inclining his head before heading off with Gobber and Gothi, obviously still not fully comfortable with us. The only one who seems fully fine with interacting with us is Hiccup, which I guess is relatable, since he's unfortunately an outcast within his own tribe.

"So, this is goodbye?" he says sadly.

"Come on, it's only for two weeks," Mara says in return.

"In fact, we found a wonderful island nearby that we'll most likely live on, perhaps we can visit you every some often," Ahsoka reassures him with a small smile.

Hiccup genuine smiles in relief, and then to Mara's surprise, actually gives her a quick hug. "thank you for being my firned," he says gratefully.

She widens her eyes in surprise, unsure of how to react and looks to us desperately for help. However me and Ahsoka simply grin and gesture for her to do something. Mara responds with a few hesitant pats on the back as well before they break apart.

"Sure, no biggie," she replies.

Hiccup smiles before heading off back towards the forge in the village to continue his everyday life.

"I think you made his life much brighter," I remark proudly. Ahsoka moves behind me and lays her head on my shoulder, holding onto my arm with a grin. "I'd have to agree with that," she says.

Mara smiles back in response before we leave the village, heading back through the woods to our ship in order to finally let the Rebellion know we aren't dead... This is gonna be a tough one.


	24. Ch 23 - Returning Rebels

Having just lifted the ship into the air, Ahsoka sat in the pilot's seat, turning it around slowly to face upwards in the direction of space. It groans and shudders slightly in protest, still fairly damaged but otherwise stays in the air. The ship is heavily damaged for sure, but thanks to our efforts it will be able to hold together, and once we get back we'll be able to fully repair it with help from Bail and actual, proper tools.

"Oh thank the Force it works just fine," I say in relief.

"Still sounds like junk though," Mara says with a grimace, listening to all the shuddering sounds coming from the ship.

As long as it doesn't break in the middle of flying, we'll be just fine," Ahsoka says reassuringly. R5 beeps loudly, making it very clear to us how much he wants to be out of here, and that he's still upset at how much damage is left on the ship.

"Relax R5, we'll fix it up when we get back," I tell him. He demands to know how we will get back if we don't know where Ahch-To is even located.

"One thing at a time buddy," I remind him.

Below us, the village of Berk gets smaller and smaller as we leave the planet, the island eventually being a simple speck in the middle of a large expanse of blue. Several other specks, probably other islands miles away are just visible, the sky clear of clouds today.

"That looks so cool," Mara says in awe.

"And now the hard part," Ahsoka mutters.

"R5, is there any way to indicate the trajectory in which we came from?" I ask him. He replies, saying that he isn't sure since the navigation computer was damaged in the crash, but goes to try anyways. Plugging into the astromech port, he beeps to us that there are broken coordinates of the accidental jump in the computer, which he could possibly fit together if lucky.

"Do what you can R5," Ahsoka says.

Free of the planet's atmosphere now, the ship starts to cruise along a little more smoothly, no longer affected by Ahch-To's pull of gravity and atmosphere, although still shakes from the damage.

Eventually, R5 tells us that he's reviewed the galaxy maps in our ships navicomputer, and managed to put together a small jump to Lwhekk, another planet in the Unknown Regions, and this planet's location is known. However it's still risky as to whether or not our ship would hit anything midjump, since the calculations aren't completely precise.

"Good enough for me. Also, do you have Ahch-To's position mapped out?" I ask him.

He grumbles back in reply, not wanting to answer.

"R5..." Mara pleads with him.

Muttering quiet beeps to himself, he says that he'll be able to map out its location into our navigation harts once we return to known space, which will allow us to return later when we're ready.

"Great job, now let's get out of here R5," he told him, and he all to happily complied, activating the hyperdrive. The stars around us blurred into long streaks, and our ship entered lightspeed, the starry landscape transforming into the blue smoky clouds that accompanies every hyperspace jump.

* * *

Pulling off my Jedi cloak that I usually wore to reveal the simple shirt and pants underneath, I sighed to myself, exhausted but relieved. We were still traveling through hyperspace, and our communications weren't available to contact anyone yet since we still didn't know where we were exactly, but I was happy. We finally weren't going to be stranded anymore, even though Ahch-To was a cool planet. Besides, we would be coming back at some point to live there. Mara was currently doing her own thing in her room, most likely trying to lift some things with the Force, while R5 busied himself with checking out the ship to make sure it was in 'perfect' order.

"Last time I was stranded on another planet, it wasn't this easy to get back," Ahsoka remarks, standing by the doorway.

"Yeah, but you didn't have the difficulty of being in Unknown space that time. Maridun was a known planet," I said.

"True, but the Separatists had invaded, making it dangerous for us. We had it easier this time, with no outside threats. And we found the first Jedi Temple," she points out, taking off the usual silvery-tan colored armor she wore.

"True enough," I said in agreement, plopping myself down on the side of the bed. She moves over and sits down in the middle of the bed behind me, leaning up against my side.

"You know, you seem to worry too much," she says.

I look at her incredulously with a raised eyebrow. "Me worried? I'd say I'm the last person to seem worried about stuff lately, besides the usual 'Empire' part."

She rubs my shoulders soothingly. "Well yeah, there is that part that everyone thinks about," she says in agreement. "But while you may not realize it, I can still sense it though our bond. You're worried about a number of things. Mara's safety, our future, Snoke, and your own dark side," she points out. "What happens if the Rebellion fails, or if any of us die."

With a small start I realize she's right. My biggest worries that I've ignored are about my dark side, and the fear of anyone I care about dying. I know I defeated my dark side earlier, but there's still that lingering sense of worry.

"What if I'm right to worry?" I ask her. "I dont really want anything bad to happen."

"We'll be able to deal with it," she reassures me. "No matter what happens. I have no doubt that you'll stay away from the dark side."

I smile at her. She always seem to have something to say to help reassure me that things will be fine. I little bit later, we're both lying down in the bed, although Ahsoka positions herself so that she's more laying on top of me, seated in my lap then the actual bed. I wrap my arms around her as she makes herself comfortable, absentmindedly stroking one of her lekku as we drift off to sleep.

* * *

After a tough, suspenseful trip through hyperspace, thanks to R5's updates and calculations we finally arrived in the Lwhekk system, back in known space. Upon arrival I immediately attempted to use the communications channel to see if it was working. It sputtered at first, and I had to try different frequencies and improve the range, but eventually we managed to get the communications up and working again.

"Yes!" Mara cheered, and Ahsoka smiled.

"We're finally back in contact," she said in relief.

"Now we just have to hope that Bail hasn't gone crazy by now," I remark, inputting the code in order to open up a secret channel to him. We waited on standby for a couple minutes for him to answer, but this was normal.

"What's taking so long?" Mara asks.

"Senator Organa is a busy man, having to deal with supporting the Rebellion while also keeping his cover within the Imperial Senate," Ahsoka tells her.

"That, and we're probably on one of the furthest planets possible from where he is. Lwhekk is... pretty far out there," I add in.

The comm channel beeps, and a hologram of Senator Organa replies, looking passive and very much a politician. He doesn't react to our presence yet, since it'll only appear to him as a cloaked figure with a voice scrambler. However he knows this is a rebel transmission, so he'll have taken steps to keep it secret

 _"This is Senator Organa. How may I assist you?"_ he asks in a business-like manner.

"This is Fulcrum, code phrase 'Hawk.'" I say in reply, using our identification code, which tells him who we are.

As expected, he widens his eyes in a mixture of shock and relief, quickly glancing around to make sure he's alone before replying. _"A-Fulcrum? You're alive?!"_ he whispers quietly, catching himself from saying our names just in time.

"Yes," I tell him, being careful not to give away indications of it being one or more person to stay secretive.

 _"How? When you didn't return from the mission, I feared the worst! I'm glad to know I was wrong,"_ he says in obvious relief.

"The hyperdrive was hit when jumping to lightspeed, accidentally sending aiming for the Unknown Regions. Managed to find the way back just now," I reported.

 _"Oh thank goodness. Do you wish to meet up soon?"_ he questions.

I glance over to Ahsoka, who shrugs. "How about meeting sector 5," I suggest.

 _"I'll be there as soon as time allows,"_ he promises.

With the location and meeting set up, we bid each other a quick farewell before I close the transmission, leaning back in the copilot's seat with a relieved sigh. "Glad that was taken care of."

"I thought it was funny when he had that shocked look on his face," Mara comments in amusement.

"Well, when you go missing all of a sudden with no trace, people tend to get worried, then shocked and happy if you turn back up," I remark.

"I can attest to that." Ahsoka says in agreement. "Now let's get going to Polis Massa."

* * *

Some time later after spending about an hour in hyperspace, we emerged in Polis Massa, coming to a landing in the base's hanger. As soon as we touched down, the Knight Hawk shuddered violently with a few very loud and unpleasant sounds, and I could tell something on the ship was broken, maybe even an outer piece falling off, still suffering from damage. R5 squealed angrily at the noise while the rest of us glanced at each other sheepishly.

"At least it happened _after_ , we landed," I said with a wry grin.

"Could you imagine what could've happened if it broke in hyperspace?!" Mara asks with wide eyes.

R5 beeps up indignantly and irritably at her, complaining about all the damage the ship has suffered.

"No, and I don't want to," Ahsoka says, and I nod in agreement before sighing in annoyance.

"Hey, shock-bucket!" I exclaim to R5, getting his immediate attention. "I get you're upset at the condition our ship is in, but can you please not scream about it so much? Thank you!" I tell him sternly.

He beeps lowly and angrily at me before ramming into my leg, scurrying off as I cringe unpleasantly at the small bit of pain. "I swear..." I mutter to myself.

Mara snickers in amusement while Ahsoka rolls her eyes, standing up from the pilot's seat and heading out. "Alright, we better not keep Senator Organa waiting," she says, grabbing her cloak from off the wall. I pull my hood over my head, handing Mara a small cowl to cover her head as well as we head for the ship's exit. We may be in friendly territory, but hiding our identities is still important. As far as the Empire knows, Ahsoka is dead, and Vader is always going to be constantly on the hunt for me or Obi-Wan. None of us also want to risk the chance that there might be a possibility of the Emperor figuring out where Mara is if she's seen publicly for any possible spies lurking about. Her red hair is a major clue as to who she really is.

Lowering the ramp of the ship, it shutters before the hydraulics fail, sending it crashing into the ground violently. I let out a disappointed sigh, following Ahsoka out of the ship while holding Mara's hand. A technician nearby approaches us, eyeing the ship with a critical and disbelieving eye.

"We're here to see the Senator. Also, try and see if you can repair the ship in the meantime," Ahsoka says, holding out a small ID card that has the high level code clearance. He takes it, scanning it to make sure it is real befoe handing it back with a nod.

"Very well ma'am, we'll do what we can," he promises.

"Thank you," she replies.

Glancing back up the ramp to see R5, I narrow my eyes at him. "No messing with any of the workers while they're doing their job," I remind him. He beeps lowly in a 'whatever' fashion before disappearing back inside of the ship, and the three of us continue on our way.

Heading through the hallways, it takes us a few minutes before we reach Bail's office, opening the door without permission. Ahsoka has always done this ever since we found her. Probably a habit she picked up while hiding on her own for a year. Inside the office in a side room, Bail looks up from his desk in surprise before relaxing upon noticing who we are.

"Oh, it's you. Breaking into my office again I see?" he questions.

"Old habits die hard," Ahsoka comments, and we all pull back our hoods.

"I'm inclined to agree," he says before standing up from his chair. "I'm so glad to see all three of you safe. When I heard that you stayed behind to hold off an Imperial fleet and never returned, I feared the worst."

"Almost, but luckily it didn't happen," I said, recalling my flight through space after the bridge was destroyed.

"Did something happen?" Bail asks.

We all glance at each other before shrugging. "I... don't think you'd really believe it if we told you," I replied.

Mara snorts in laughter. "No kidding."

Bail raises an eyebrow at us but doesn't comment any further, sitting back down in his desk and gesturing to the chairs before it. "Please sit. I'm sure there is plenty to talk about."

We accept the invitation and sit down, pulling up another chair for Mara to hop into, her feet dangling just off the floor as she leans her head on the desk. It's moments like this when I remember just how young Mara is. She's still only eight, yet she's alright such a smart girl, and a fierce fighter.

"Did the Munificent cruiser and the rest of them make it back safely?" I ask him.

"Yes, they exited into friendly space. I must admit I wasn't expecting to add a Separatist warship to our fleet at any point," he admits.

"It was a good find, and Hypori was full of droid bases back in the war. If it wasn't for the Empire we would have two." Ahsoka says.

"Even so, one warship is a big help to us." Bail says, and Ahsoka nods in agreement.

"So, what happened to you after Hypori?" he qeustions curiously.

"During the escape, we used the other Munificent as a distraction, however they spotted us and managed to hit our hyperdrive as we were making the jump. That knocked us off course and sent us to a random location in the galaxy." I informed him.

"The amount of time that you were gone means you had to have been stranded on another planet though, correct?" he deduces.

"Yeah. In fact, it was an undiscovered planet in the Unknown Regions that we crashed on, so we had no way of communicating," I said.

"The Unknown Regions?" Bail says in surprise. "How did you manage to find a way back?"

"Luckily the ship wasn't too damaged, although it took some time since we didn't have anything for repairs other than what was already on our ship." Ahsoka says.

"That must be quite lucky," he remarks. "Although from what I know, Jedi do not believe in luck?" he asks for confirmation.

"Some of them don't, but to be honest, saying that nothing at all is ever a stroke of luck is kind of silly in my opinion," I comment. "The Force works in mysterious ways, but that doesn't mean every tiny thing, like a random gambling game between criminals for example, has to be influenced by it."

"Fair point," Bail says.

Mara sighs, a little bored with us retelling what happened to us and I lightly kick her foot underneath the table, raising an eye at her. She glances at me before laying her head on her arms, otherwise ignoring me. Yup, still a young, albeit intelligent girl.

"We, do have a request however," I tell him, and he puts his chin on his hands thoughtfully.

"What kind of request?" he asks.

"After our ship is fully repaired, Jarik, Mara and I have decided to continue our work as Fulcrum while living on that planet," she says.

Bail eyes us in confusion. "What brought you to this decision? Is there something important there?" he asks.

Having agreed not to tell anyone about Ahch-To, we won't say what we really found. "There is, but it'll have to remain a secret, even from you I'm afraid," I tell him. "If the Emperor managed to learn of what we found... it won't be good."

He sighs in disappointment but nods his head. "I understand what you mean Jarik. But why go live there? How would you continue to work as Fulcrum if you can't get in contact?" he questions.

"Considering how hidden it is from the rest of the galaxy, it's the perfect place for us to go into hiding." Ahsoka says. "We aren't giving up on the Rebellion of course, and will return to known space when necessary," she reassures him.

"And since we know where it is, there is a way for me to make communication possible. If I can get the proper frequencies based on the planet's positioning compared to the galaxy, and apply a much stronger dish to our ship, then we'll be able to continue our work for Fulcrum like normal," I add in, explaining the idea. "That, and it'll also give us a safe place to train Mara."

"Oh yeah, that I'm eager for!" Mara perks up excitedly before slumping back down.

"Hmmm," he says thoughtfully, considering the suggestion. "How big of a dish would you need in order to get the signal required from all the way out there?" he asks.

Both he and Ahsoka look to me for my input, and I frown thoughtfully, considering how far out Ahch-To was. Based on the what the navicomputer told us for our hyperspace travel, Lwhekk was further out into the Unknown Regions than Ahch-To was, which seems ridiculous but it's true. So in that case we'd need a pretty good rectenna to get this done...

"We'd need an 'ANq-51 sensor array computer' to get a proper signal range," I decided.

Both of them widen their eyes in surprise and slight worry, small frowns on their faces. "Sensors that powerful are... very hard to come by. Even with my resources," Bail says in concern.

"Well, I guess we'd better find one. I'm sure the Empire has plenty on hand." Ahsoka says.

Coming to a decision, Bail nods his head. "Very well. If you are able to get yourselves that sensor, then you are free to live on that planet," he says.

"Thank you Bail," I say gratefully.

* * *

 _Yeah... I guess you guys can guess what they're next mission is going to be huh? Oh this is gonna be good. :)_

 _Also more Jarisoka moments! So adorable, and fun to write, even though I don't consider myself a good writer of dialogue by far. TO be honest I keep impressing myself with how much crap I'm able to think up for dialogue that actually makes sense and sounds realistic. It's a pain._

 _Also quick note: I haven't abandoned my side stories, I just put more attention into the main storyline than those, but I'll get to updating the Avatar crossover and Transformers crossover as soon as possible! :D_


	25. Ch 24 - Stealing Some Sensors

**Hiccup POV...**

Ever since Mara and her... adopted parents I guess, left I was really busy with myself. Meeting actual legends from the old stories that have been the birth of our culture for thousands of years was absolutely amazing, and I still couldn't believe it! Sure they aren't actually messengers from Asgard, or immortal like we originally believed, but it was still stunning. And their powers with that 'Force' thing... I've never seen something so bizarre. No wonder we originally thought they were gods from Asgard.

Hidden away in my back room of the forge, I was sitting at my desk, pictures of Jedi all around me while I scribbled on the current drawing I was making. I already had drawings of Mara, Ahsoka... and Jarik I think was his name? Yeah, I had plenty of pictures of them, as well as the brief glimpses of their lightsabers that I saw. The idea of a fire sword being a thing was also crazy, but the rest of the teens tried to spy on them, which failed obviously but they viewed those weapons in action. Apparently Mara is a very skilled sword fighter, but Jarik even more so.

The more you learn right?

Then there was Ahsoka, who was apparently a whole different species, not human at all. That was probably one of the weirdest things about them, since we've never seen other people like that. When my dad announced to the tribe that the foreigners were actually Jedi, some of the villagers went insane, claiming that as a lie. I knew my dad was uncomfortable with that, and he did let the people know he understands their skepticism, but some still refuse to believe it. Mildew in particular. You can never please that guy, and now he's saying that the 'witch' has taken control of my dad, sprouting lies.

Of course no one believed him on those points, but it was still absurd and stupid.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

While our ship was getting repaired, I spent the time hunting through the holonet for a suitable sensor in order to reach the galaxy from Ahch-To. From what I've been able to find, an Imperial Outpost, military base or even a simple Gozanti class cruiser should have the sensor array with the quality I need. So now I focused on tracking different Imperial hyperspace lanes, looking for one that has a Gozanti class cruiser. What makes it a good choice to attack is that the ship itself doesn't have too large of a crew, and only has basic weaponry. Anything larger than these three options would be too tough of a mission to handle, and as for a Star Destroyer? Forget that bullcrap.

"Alright... where are you hiding you little punks, I wanna steal from ya," I muttered to myself, glancing between the different files I cracked open and the map of Imperial hyperspace lanes. The computer then let off a beep and I focused my attention on it. A new message came through, orders from some Imperial officer, unaware that I was listening in. I smiled as I heard them talk about sending the right ship I needed on a simple supply route. Or so they think.

"Bingo," I said with a grin, saving it's location.

* * *

"You found a ship?" Ahsoka says.

"Do you even need to ask at this point?" I question rhetorically, raising an eyebrow at her. She shrugs in response.

"Well, doesn't hurt to check," she replies simply.

We entered a small shuttle that Bail was lending us for this mission. It was essentially just a simple, four seater ship that is used for small groups to get around easily. Upon entering the ramp however, we see Mara sitting in one of the back seats of the cockpit.

Ahsoka sighs. "Mara..."

"Can I come this time? Please?" she pleads, hopping off the chair to give us her best puppy-eyed look.

"Not until you're older," I said, leaving no room for argument.

"Come on! It's just a simple raid! On a Gozanti cruiser no less, and those things are tiny. What could I possibly be endangered from?" she demands, crossing her arms with a displeased glare.

"Lot's of things. Look what happened last time we went on a raid," I pointed out, referring to the ambush that brought us to Ahch-To in the first place, nearly killing me in the process. The thought that I flew through space at all still has me shaking my head in disbelief.

"But this is a simple supply run for that Gozanti ship. Besides you two will be right with me the whole time anyways right?" she retorts. I move to answer but she immediately cuts me off. "I'm going whether you like it or not, and you won't stop me!" she says firmly in declaration.

I share a glance with Ahsoka, and we open up to each other across the bond.

 _"Should we really consider taking her with us?"_ I ask.

 _"No... but she does make a good point. Gozanti cruisers are not too dangerous in the first place,"_ she says.

 _"But I don't want to put her into danger like this! What if something happens?!"_ I protest.

 _"You're worrying again,"_ she reminds me, and I let out a disappointed sigh. _"Nothing bad will happen this time I'm sure of it. Besides, even if we did prevent her from coming with us she'd probably sneak onto the shuttle somehow anyways."_

 _"So unfortunately true,"_ I muttered, turning my attention back to Mara. "You can come with us Mara."

She pumps her fist into the air with a cheer, twirling around in excitement. "But ONLY, if you do exactly what we say," I reminded her.

"I know dad!" she beams brightly in excitement ready for some action. So much like Ahsoka before the Clone War... speaking of which, Ahsoka thinks of her younger self as well, seeing the influence we've had in Mara's growth shining through in her eagerness for action and adventure.

* * *

"Coming up on the supply route... now," Ahsoka says, pulling the switch back. We dropped out of hyperspace, coming up on an empty void of space, nothing anywhere in sight except for the bright spots of stars far in the distance, light-years away. I pulled out a datapad, checking to see how far along the Gozanti cruiser is while Mara looks over my shoulder.

"Any second now..." I said, seeing the blinking red dot that indicates the Gozanti getting much closer. Then with a loud thud, the cruiser emerges from hyperspace directly above us, our ships mere feet away from slamming into each other. Because we're so close to the ship and in a smaller sized shuttle, they don't notice us as they sit and wait for the ship they'd be resupplying from to emerge from hyperspace as well. That won't last for very long, so it's time to make our move. Ahsoka slowly shifts the shuttle so that it flips upside down the other way, and then lands it on the hull of the Gozanti, connecting to the emergency airlock right next to the slots holding two TIE Fighters.

Oh Force do I love my absolutely stunning and accurate coordinates that allow maneuvers as insane as this one.

"Alright Mara, time to watch and learn," she says, getting up from her seat as she shuts off the ships power.

"I'm ready for some action!" she says hopefully, stretching her arms.

"Not yet sweetie. First you watch, then you learn, and then you join in once you have experience." Ahsoka replies knowingly. Mara sighs in disappointment but nods in understanding.

"Good, then let's go!" I said, getting up from my seat as well and moving towards the entrance of the shuttle. I open the door, and we step inside, immediately adapting to the Gozanti's artificial gravity compared to ours. Changes like that were strange, because you could stand up in one ship like normal, but on their ship it looks like you'd be standing on walls, and nothing is falling. Stepping inside, I glance around a corner with a cautious gaze before waving my hand, stalking forwards.

Ahsoka and Mara follow behind me, and we sneak through the ship, headed for the bridge. Our shuttle won't be able to carry the sensor array, so that means we'll have to commandeer the entire cruiser. How wonderful.

"So what's the plan?" Mara asks, buzzing with excitement.

"Get to the bridge, take the pilot's out, then knock out the crew with some nonlethal gas, and send them on their merry way while we steal the ship!" I replied quietly, but with a hint of confidence. I open the door leading to the last room between us and the bridge, only to stop in my tracks once it's opened. Right there, just a few feet away is basically the entire crew of stormtroopers on the Gozanti, about twenty people in total. Ahsoka and Mara stop beside me in surprise as well before Ahsoka levels me with a glare.

They all stare at the three of us and I slump my shoulders in response, an irritated expression on my face. "How typical," I muttered.

"I hate you Jarik," Ahsoka muttered in response.

"Intruders!" one of the stormtroopers sayd in alarm, raising his blaster. Ahsoka raises an arm and blast him back with the Force, and the three of us rush in. The rest of the troopers raise their blasters at us, but they were still too surprised to react to us in time. I grab one's arm with my metal arm and toss him across the room, kicking another in the chest. Ahsoka leaps up into the air and slams her feet dropkick style into the helmets of two others, landing with a flip before shoving another guy. Even Mara is surprising the troopers, as one fires off a shot in her direction but she already dodged, jumping up and over his head, twisting around to grab his head and bring him to the floor.

Another stormtrooper charges at me and shoots his blaster. I lean my head out of the way before spinning around, activating my lightsaber in the process to slice his blaster apart. He only has a moment to glance at his destroyed blaster in shock before I slam my metal fist into his helmet, knocking him out cold. Ahsoka pulls out one of her lightsabers as well, blocking two laser bolts before destroying the rifles of three other troopers, sending them into the wall with the Force. Finally, Mara gets up from where he had bashed one troopers head on the floor and pushes outwards with both arms, sending the last two troopers into another wall with a quick Force push.

Me and Ahsoka deactivate our lightsabers with a sigh. "Well that could have been worse," I commented.

"Yeah, so much worse," Ahsoka says in annoyance. "Let's just be glad these were only shiny stormtroopers."

"Are you kidding mom? That was awesome!" Mara exclaimed. "Why can't I go with you on more secret missions?"

"You know what, how about we have this conversation later?" I suggest, moving on to the bridge entrance. They follow after me, although Ahsoka rolls her eyes. Walking up to the control pad, I yank off the outer panel and mess around with a few wires before the door opens smoothly. Ahsoka strides in with Mara behind her as the pilots turn around in confusion.

"No one's supposed to be-" one starts to say before stopping in surprise as Ahsoka aims a blaster at his head, an eyebrow raised. I walk up behind the other pilot as well, smirking in amusement.

"Hey, could we borrow your ship please?" I ask, very politely.

He quickly whips out his own blaster, about to aim at me. "You rebel-"

However his words are cut off when Ahsoka stuns him in the head, quickly shooting the other with a stun blast as well. They fall out of their chairs with a cry, and she puts the blaster away with a satisfied smile.

"Well that was easy," she comments.

"Hey, you wanna pull off bad luck like I did?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't need to. You are bad luck," she replies, and I frown at her.

"These guys are wimps," Mara says in amusement, nudging one of the pilots.

"No argument there," Ahsoka says in agreement. "Alright Jarik, pile them all into the escape pods."

I frown. "Why me?" I demand.

"Because I said so, and I'm the pilot anyways," she says in response.

"Yeah, but I'm the tech guy, here to help take the sensor array," I argue.

"I thought we were taking the whole ship?" Mara speaks up questioningly, face shining with confusion, and Ahsoka flashes me a triumphant grin while I sigh reluctantly. Yeah, I did say that earlier. Because of our shuttle being smaller in size, it won't be able to transport the sensor if we managed to disconnect it from the cruiser. So, we're taking the whole thing.

"Alright, I'll get it done," I say in resignation while Ahsoka sits down in the pilots seat. I grab the pilot's by the arms and drag them back out into the other room, and start piling everyone by the escape pods while the other two work on the ship.

* * *

"You done?" Ahsoka calls out.

"Yeah I'm good," I say back, tossing the last guy into the escape pod and closing the door. In response, Ahsoka presses a few buttons on the terminal and all of the escape pods carry the crew are shot off into space. They should be fine anyways, when the ship they were supposed to meet with arrives or if they get into contact with someone. And speaking of which...

"Ahsoka, you better jump into hyperspace now because the other ship just arrived," I informed her.

"Working on it," she says as I rush into the copilots seat.

"As fun as this was, I'm not looking forward to getting blasted in space again," Mara says nervously.

"They won't fire unless they realize something is wrong, which of course, there is because we hijacked this thing," I say. "But they don't know that."

"At least until they notice the shuttle attached to the underside and the escape pods, which will be too late," Ahsoka says, setting in the coordinates to Polis Massa. The intercom then crackles to life as the other ship makes contact with us.

 _"Gozanti cruiser 8567, what is your situation?"_ an Imperial officer demands.

I respond immediately. "Oh no sir, don't worry everything's fine. We just have someplace to be," I tell him.

 _"What? Who is this!? What's your identification number?!"_ the officer demands angrily.

"See you later boys!" Ahsoka calls out with a grin, and pulls the lever that blasts our ship into hyperspace.

"Can I do that next time?" Mara asks hopefully.

* * *

 _Yay, they got the sensor array. As well as a whole 'nother ship by being awesome. Kicking the crap out of all of those stormtroopers!_

 _Sorry for the late update I've just been preoccupied by other things, and am currently on a short vacation right now. Also inspiration to write this chapter was a little bit blank because it's more of a side plot in my opinion, considering I've written a similar chapter like this back during the Clone Wars._

 _But enough of that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks for supporting my story so much! Never thought I'd get this far when I first came up with the idea of Jarik Shan. :)_


	26. Ch 25 - Return to Berk

**Jarik POV...**

After we got back to Polis Massa from our fun little heist mission, we brought the Gozanti to one of the landing pads, disconnecting the small shuttle in the process. We had to quickly transmit clearance codes so that the base realized we weren't a threat, allowing us to peacefully land the Imperial cruiser. Now, two weeks later the Knight Hawk was finally repaired and functional again, which R5 was pleased about, as well as the rest of us. I managed to get the sensor array installed in place of the old one that used to adorn the Knight Hawk with the help of a few other workers.

Our work done, we thanked Bail and promised to continue giving off missions through the Fulcrum Intelligence agency. There's already been a few agents added into the agency, although none of them know our true identities of course, but they do a good job in keeping watch over other sectors of the galaxy. Me and R5 may be very accomplished in finding things but... we're just two people, compared to the thousands of planets throughout the galaxy. Makes it very hard to do stuff like that.

Now we were all back in our ship, preparing to take off and head back to Ahch-To to start our secret lives on the first Jedi Temple island. "Everyone ready?" Ahsoka asked.

"Yup, we're all clear," I replied, and Mara eagerly nodded her head.

With that being said, she powered up the engines and lifted us off, Bail watching us fly away from nearby. We lifted into space above the base and left the asteroid belt around the system. I inputted the coordinates for Ahch-To and Ahsoka pulled the lever, blasting us off into hyperspace.

* * *

 **Hiccup POV...**

It's been two weeks now since Mara, Ahsoka and Jarik left and I was already back to my dull, sarcastic self. Snotlout and the twins haven't broken off with their constant bullying, and now he starts to mock me about how I don't have a 'protector' anymore with Mara not here. As usual, I would give a witty sarcastic response and then do my best to get to the forge or the house depending on the time of day as quickly as possible, although despite my attempts to ignore them, they're words have always hurt me. It doesn't help one bit that dad is in no way any help against them, and even Gobber sometimes isn't helpful, although if he sees it happen he sends them on their merry way with a glare and warning.

But now it's the middle of the night, and it started off just like any usual, regular night before a Viking's greatest threat showed itself once again: dragons.

"DRAGON RAID!" someone's voice called out from the village, and I bolted out of bed, waking up immediately. Below me I could hear my dad storm out of the door with a war cry, and quickly got to my feet as well, rushing down the stairs. The sound of fire burning and dragon's roaring could be heard, starting to grow louder as more of the nest arrived in this new raid. Everybody who lived here was used to stuff like this by now, with it being what we train to fight against. Despite missing them, I was glad Mara and her family weren't here for a dragon raid, since I don't want them getting hurt, even if they have fighting capabilities.

I slipped into my boots and threw on my furry vest, opening the door. Looking outside, I immediately closed it with a yelp when a burst of fire from a nearby dragon was shot straight at me, slamming against the door violently. I closed my eyes tightly, holding the door back as best as I could before opening them with wide eyes once the shaking stopped. Peeking out again, I rushed outside once the coast was clear and made a run for the forge, where Gobber told me to be whenever a raid happened. It was chaos everywhere, although nothing I wasn't used too. Dragons torched the houses, Vikings brought them down with bolas or went flying from the explosive blast of a Gronckle or Zippleback.

"Get back inside!" a passing Viking yelled at me angrily. I ignored him, continuing onwards.

"What are you doing out?! Go back inside!" another roared, shoving me as they went past. I stumbled, barely catching myself before moving onwards, groaning to my self. I've told them all a thousand times that I go to the forge every raid, but no one ever listens, as usual. I've long since given up of trying to explain it to them.

"HICCUP!" my dad's voice yelled, and he yanked me off the ground right as a dragon crashed where I was moments before. I flinched at his angry gaze. "What is he doing out- what are you doing?!" he demands furiously.

"I was getting to Gobber's forge-" I start to explain.

"THEN GET THERE! And stay there!" he exclaims, tossing me forwards. I stumble upon landing, then continue on my way to the forge as fast as I could. I really hate this stupid crap all the time. Even Gobber's attempts to explain it sometimes don't receive any attention. About a minute later I reach the forge, throwing off my vest and grabbing an apron, putting it on. Gobber is already there, pounding more weapons with his hammer.

"Where've you been all this time laddie?!" he says quickly, focused on his work.

"Running here, got yelled at a few times Gobber," I replied tiredly, pushing down on the bellows to heat up a few broken swords lying there.

"Well maybe if you ran faster they wouldn't have to yell at you, eh Hiccup?" he says rhetorically with a laugh, not in a mocking way but just genuine amusement.

I don't respond, the comment stinging slightly even though I know he never means it that way, it's just who he is. He's a full blown Viking, with beefy arms and big stature. If that isn't enough, he's lost two appendages to prove it even more! Speaking of prosthetics, both of us still couldn't believe that Jarik's left arm was actually metal and lost, and even more of it was gone than Gobber's arm! Yet it looked so real... I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see the sparks and metal covering near his shoulder when Ahsoka confronted him about it. But I so wanted to know how those things worked. Gobber told dad about the metal arm as well, and he at first dismissed it as impossible, which I don't blame him for, but at Gobber's insistence, and surprisingly at Gothi's word he had to believe it, which he eventually did, although still wasn't fully sure.

"FIRE!" another Viking yelled, and I glanced out the window to see a large cart of water pulled up by Fishlegs, the rest of the teens grabbing pails and throwing the water onto a blazing house. They had just been given the job of fire brigade last week, and they were all excited about it, since it's their first real job during a dragon raid. They may not be fighting dragons, that won't happen for another few years, but its as close to the action as they could get, and it makes me jealous. Worse still, Snotlout knows it, and he takes every second he can to taunt me and boast about his status.

A harsh tap on my shoulder snaps me out of my longing gaze and I sheepishly look up at Gobber, who is glaring down at me in disapproval.

"I know what you're thinking lad, and you're not doing it!" he says sternly.

"Come on Gobber, they're helping in the raid, while I'm just sitting here in the forge, I need to make my mark!" I protest.

"Oh, and forge duty isn't important either?!" he demands. "Hiccup, sharping weapons and repairing them is one of the most important job of all, and you're exceptionally good at it!" he exclaims.

"Not like anybody believes I'm the one doing it," I mutter irritably, and it's true. Gobber praises me for my sharpening and repair skills in the forge, but nobody else actually believes I'm the one doing it, they think it's just Gobber doing all of that. Even if they did know I'm the one fixing their weapons, they'd throw them all away anyways, thinking I would have done something to make them fail.

"Look, does it look like they're fighting dragons either?" he retorts, waving his hook out the window. "No? Then forget about them! You've gotta do this stuff here, build up muscle so that you stop being all... this," he deadpans.

"Wh- you just gestured to all of me!" I protested.

"Yes, that's it! Stop being this skinny boy, otherwise you'll never get out to fighting dragons! Now axe, sharpen, now," he says gruffly, tossing a large axe at me. I barely manage to catch in my arms, almost falling from the weight while Gobber strides back over to the anvil, making some more weapons. I stagger over to the spinning wheel, sighing in relief once I rest the axe blade on it, beginning to sharpen it. This goes on for another few minutes until I hear it: the tell-tale shrieking that all of us have come to fear.

"NIGHT FURY!" someone cries out.

"GET DOWN!" another yells.

All of the Vikings cower behind their shields, not knowing where the attack will come from, but it soon becomes known as our catapult tower is suddenly engulfed in a massive, fiery explosion that came from a purple blast. I barely notice the midnight black shape fly past it, and then another shriek can be heard through the air, as the catapult tower is completely destroyed by another blast, barely anything left to recognize it by.

"Ahhh, for the love of Thor!" Gobber exclaims angrily, tossing his tongs to the side and grabbing an axe that he fits into his arm. "You stay here Hiccup, I've gotta get out there," he tells me, rushing for the entrance. He turns back to me with a stern look. "I mean it! No rushing off, got it?" he presses.

"Ye- yeah, sure Gobber, I got it," I reply quickly.

Satisfied, he hobbles out of the forge with a war cry, while an eager smile forms on my face right after. I rush around the forge and grab a few things I'll need, such as my dagger and a portable device I've been working on that could hopefully shoot arrows without me needing to actually use a bow, or crossbow. With all of that, I push the arrow cart out of the door and run as fast as I could towards one of the higher areas of the village. Everybody takes notice and starts shouting at me immediately.

"What are you doing?!"

"Get back here!"

"I'll be back!" I reply, pushing the cart onwards through all the chaos going on. I manage to stay clear of most of it, staying out of sight of dragons as best I can by moving close to the houses, although every so often the night fury fires off another bolt of plasma, destroying another structure instantly in a massive explosion. Eventually, I reach a high point of the village, and a few houses away is a group of Nadders corralling some of our sheep. I set up the arrow contraption as quietly as I could.

"Ok ok... this is my moment," I say hopefully. If I can take down some of these dragons then maybe I could finally be recognized! I aim the arrow launcher and hold my fingers over the trigger...

But then the problems arise.

"Hiccup?!" a voice rings out incredulously with a hint of anger. "What are you doing?!" they demands.

I glance over in surprise and worry upon seeing Astrid and the rest of the group looking over at me in a mixture of surprise, irritation and glee. This causes my shot to miss and I fall to the ground from the backlash. All the dragons look over and roar at us in rage.

"Oh come on!" I exclaim.

"Run!" Snotlout cries out, taking off with the rest of the group not for behind, and I rush after them. However the twins throw their buckets away, not looking at where they were throwing, and hit Astrid in the feet, surprising her ad causing her to fall over with a cry of surprise and anger. The dragons are flying at us way to fast, most headed in her direction!

"Astrid!" I cry out in blind panic, pushing her as hard as I could behind a house while she tries to stand up. She rolls across the ground looking up at me in surprise and I glance behind me in terror to see the dragons about to shoot streams of hot flame at me. I hold my arms in front of me to protect myself, closing my eyes tightly although I know it's futile, and my life flashes before my eyes.

"Hiccup!" Astrid exclaims in shock.

The dragons all shoot fire at me... but the flames never reach, even though I can still feel the heat and hear the roar of the fire.

I slowly open my eyes and look up in shock to see Jarik standing there, arms held out in front of him. His hands and thrust out together in a V shape, and some strange white glow comes from them as he somehow manages to... PART the flames! All six of us gaped in shock at Jarik blocking the fire, and then a tap on my shoulder gets my attention. I yelp in surprise but notice Mara there as well.

"Hey hey, chill Hiccup! Come on, let's go!" she says, pulling me to my feet. I'm in too much shock to resist, and she leads me, Astrid, and the rest of us away, all of us staring at Jarik blocking the fire.

The dragons then stop shooting the fire, squawking at each other and staring at Jarik in what can only be surprise and confusion... and honestly who could blame them? Jarik on the other hand, lowers his arms and slumps over in obvious exhaustion.

"I never thought blocking fire would be that difficult..." I think I hear him mutter.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

I glance up tiredly at the different dragons again, still sensing some confusion from them, seemingly a lot more intelligent then I would have originally thought. Then they began their approach again, growling threateningly.

 _"You ready?"_ Ahsoka asks me over the bond.

 _"Yup, go for it,"_ I reply.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breathe, focusing on the Force to help replenish the exhaustion I was feeling from blocking the flames. Ahsoka jumped off of a nearby house to land beside me, and we held out our hands, bringing the Force down on the dragons. Feeling it, the group of dragons stopped their dangerous approach, and growled softly while we walked forwards. As we passed by them, Ahsoka walked backwards behind me, while I stayed forwards as more dragons felt our influence and stopped why they were doing to follow after us on all sides, hissing and growling softly, but otherwise making no other movements.

I reopened my eyes to get a better look of my surroundings, and headed in the direction of the edge of the village, Ahsoka following after me, bringing the dragons along with the Force. More and more dragons felt out influence as we spread it out across as far as we could, although not all of them. Attempting to bring all of the attacking dragons under our influence is a feat I'd only expect Master Yoda capable of considering their numbers, but if we get enough then hopefully the rest will follow.

Hiccup and the rest of the kids watch us in obvious shock and disbelief, while Mara looks on with a sense of awe and longing. Of course our activites don't go unnoticed by the Vikings as well, and some stop the fighting when the dragons leave them for no reason, pausing to watch us in a mixture of shock and fear. I notice the chief standing nearby, watching the procession with narrowed eyes. The dragons continue to stalk after us, or fly slowly as we lead them out towards the edge of the village, probably around a dozen or two dozen in total. Some others that aren't under our influence still watch and follow us, more curious about what we're doing. There was also that stealthy, unseen dragon that fired the purple blasts, but I don't sense it anywhere, much to my surprise. It seems to have just... vanished.

 _"Oh no,"_ Ahsoka says in worry.

I glance over to where she's looking and widen my eyes in alarm when I see a small group of Vikings charging forwards, weapons raised to kill the dragons.

"Stop!" I call out in a panic, before quickly brining my focus to the dragons again, my surprise almost causing me to break my hold over them with the Force. Luckily, the chief intervenes.

"Wait, hold it!" he calls out, blocking them with an arm. "I want to see this," he says, eyeing our situation critically, like a strategist. It's a look I've seen all to well during the Clone Wars, with different admirals analyzing a battle scene to get the upper hand over the Separatists.

"But chief, we could kill them right now while they're under their control!" one of the Vikings protests.

"You touch them, and our influence is broken," Ahsoka warns, grimacing from the strain before refocusing her efforts on the Force. We continue on our way, the dragons occasionally squawking or growling quietly to each other. Eventually we reach the edge of the village, standing near a cliff ledge, with a large crowd of dragons surrounding us. A third of them aren't under our influence, being more curious and suspicious about why the rest were following us, but as long as they're following then that's a win. Perspiration trickles down my face from the effort of holding the Force over all the different dragons, and I can tell Ahsoka is struggling as well, even though we're sharing our power with each other over the bond for this task.

Ahsoka steps forwards, raising her hand out towards the large dragon in the front of the group, and lightly touches it on the snout, closing her eyes. A moment later she backs away, and the dragon squawks a few times before taking flight, heading out over the ocean, with the crowd of dragons following after it. The others not under our influence growl in confusion but go with them, their instinctive need to be with their pack overcoming their confusion. Soon enough, all of the dragons take flight and leave the village, disappearing into the night sky.

With our job completed, Ahsoka and I release our hold over the dragon's minds, and lean over on our knees, breathing heavily in exhaustion. I remember Obi-Wan telling me how he used a similar ability on Ryloth to save his troopers from a pack of carnivorous beasts, but it was on a much smaller scale then what we just did I'm sure.

"That was awesome!" Mara exclaims happily rushing up to us with a beaming smile on her face. "When can I learn to do that?!" she asks eagerly.

"Soon... in the... future," I promise her with a weak smile, sitting down on the ground. "Ohhh I'm tired."

Ahsoka flops onto her back beside me, mumbling in agreement. She took the majority of the effort, being more gifted in the Force than me, even though we did our best to split it evenly between us so she's definitely exhausted. But then the bad parts start to happen.

All the Vikings that watched then rushed forwards to surround us, shooting off questions and demanding answers, some even wary or in the worst cases, slightly threatening with their words, and I can't even make it out. Mara yelps in surprise and nervousness, backing up and I get to my feet, standing in front of them protectively while Ahsoka gets into a crouch, an arm over Mara's shoulder with a narrowed gaze directed at the Vikings.

"EVERYBODY QUIET!" Stoick's voice roars over the crowd, and he pushes through the stand before us. Thankfully they all listen to their chief, and he looks at us with a sense of gratitude, but still the lingering suspicion that he usually has around us.

"How did... how did you manage to do that?" he questions.

Me and Ahsoka glance at each other as she slowly gets up before I reply. "We used the Force to influence them, calming them down."

"You mean... control them?" he suggests.

"No. We don't control them," Ahsoka says. "We merely brought their focus to us and calmed them down, sending them on their way. If there was a move made to attack them, then they would have responded violently, lashing out at us and their attackers," she explains. "It's... hard to explain but we never forced them to do any of that. We just influenced their decision."

Stoick nods, a deep frown on his face as he tries to understand what we're saying before eventually giving up and nodding. "Well, in any case you have our deepest gratitude for stopping this raid before they could steal any of our animals and supplies."

"Of course," I responded.

"So uh..." Gobber's voice speaks up, and he shuffles through the crowd to stand next to Stoick. "Why have you, uh... come back then?" he asks.

Ahsoka and I share a look with the chief. "We've found an island here that had our interest... so we're gonna live there," I told him simply.

Gobber frowns before shrugging. "Eh, well if you're able to do that during a dragon raid then I won't complain, ha ha!" he finishes with a laugh, walking away. Most of the crowd disperses after that, speaking intensely with each other and eyeing the three of us with a mixture of awe, fear, respect, and wonder. I'm guessing that, 'demonstration' has put us in a good light in their eyes.

Stoick however still stays, eyeing us with a look I can't determine. "We can't promise we'll help with every raid though," I warn him.

He nods in understanding. "Aye, I understand. You'll be living on another island anyways," he says.

"Very true," Ahsoka says, hugging Mara close with one arm while grinning down at her, and she smiles up in reply, then sends a small wave to Hiccup, who is still standing nearby. He waves back nervously in response.

"We might visit though, from time to time if that's ok with you," I offer.

He considers before shrugging. "I don't see the problem. It'll be an honor to be allies with Jedi once again like we were ages ago," he says respectively, and I get a better understanding of why the village admires him. He's strong, fierce and determined to see things through, yet under the circumstances he can be understanding, or at least considerate of what's going on. That and he has the people's interests first. As for being a father... I still don't know, especially considering the life Hiccup is living right now.

"Looking forward to it," Ahsoka replies.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

 _ **Mustafar - Atravis Sector**_

When one considered a place to call home, Mustafar is the last planet anybody would think to choose. Yet placed on the planet's fiery and hostile surface was a towering black castle made of pure obsidian, and reeking of the dark side of the Force. This is where the Sith Lord Darth Vader, the enforcer of the Emperor, and his apprentice resides. When choosing this planet as his personal abode, the decision was not made lightly. He basks in the dark side here, constantly reminded of his failure, and his constant need to find Kenobi and Shan, and make them pay for taking away that which he held most dear. Constantly reminded of how he murdered his own wife, all thanks to the ones he considered friends, now the bane of his existence, especially Kenobi.

When making the decision to reside here, the Emperor went along with it, gleeful in the fact that this can also serve as constant punishment for failing to kill the Jedi, and the following battle which resulted in the death of Barriss Offee, who originally held such promise as a Grand Inquisitor.

As if he suit doesn't constantly remind him of that, and the burns which will also cause him insufferable agony for the rest of his life.

Yet those aren't the only reasons that Darth Vader chose Mustafar as his fortress, much less the place of an old Sith Temple. His hatred and self-loathing were a big part of it yes, but there was another reason. When the Emperor gave him orders to eliminate the Separatists all those years ago, he felt an ancient power underneath all the rock of Mustafar. At the time he didn't give it much thought, too occupied with his duel against Kenobi and killing the Separatist leaders. But it's that same power that he sought to learn and control, that same power he keeps secret from his master, Palpatine.

Striding through the dark obsidian hallways, Vader's breathing continues to echo through the tunnel as he heads deeper into the depths of the castle. His personal acolyte, Vaneé, walks at a respectable pace off to the side and slightly behind him. Vaneé is one of the few people he knows to trust, and everyone in this castle he has made sure is loyal only to HIM. Not the Emperor, with the royal guards being the exception. Those guards are only around whenever he has to meditate in the bacta tank, under orders from Palpatine to protect him while in his most vulnerable state. The Emperor could not be allowed to learn of this power before he harnesses it, so that he may overthrow him and rule to galaxy for himself, as is the way of the Sith. His hate for the Emperor has also grown, as he has not looked into ways to bring back his wife from the dead as he first promised.

"What do you eventually plan to do with this power, my lord?" Vaneé questions quietly.

"That is none of your concern at the moment Vaneé." Vader responds, and the acolyte bows his head submissively in response. They stop before a set of thick doors, opened only through application of the Force and Vader waves an arm at Vaneé. "You may go no further Vaneé. Return to your chambers," he orders.

Vaneé once again bows his head. "As you wish my lord," he says, turning around and walking back up the pathway at Vader's wish.

Once the acolyte was gone, Vader raises an arm and calls upon his anger and great power to open the thick doors with the Force, allowing him access to the inside, where the source of this great power resides. He enters, his heavy footsteps echoing in the dark cave, where in the center stands a large stone block, colored as black as the void of space. Yet the rock is not of his interest, rather what is hidden inside, that he seeks to understand.

When he had this castle built, he could sense incredible power from an object, buried deep within the original Sith Temple and found this room. Apparently the ancient Sith Lords of old had discovered this power as well, and attempted to harness it as well, but with no luck. not even he, Lord Vader could understand how to retrieve this source of power from within the rock, try as he might. But he was ready to try again, seeking to understand what lies within.

As Vader reaches an arm out, he calls on the Force, stretching it to push into the rock, surrounding the source of power that has him so bewildered, yearning for this knowledge. Yet he can't make any headway, and the rock itself gives off a purple glow in response, the source obviously being from what lies within, ancient and full power he had never felt anywhere else before.

Not even Mortis held such power as this single, strange object that hides itself within the rock, protected and impenetrable.

* * *

 _Jarik, Ahsoka and Mara have finally gotten their ship repaired and returned to Ahch-To, yaayyy! :D And upon arrival they managed to use the Force to send away the raiding dragons, stopping them before they could steal any of Berk's food. I'd say at about this point in time, Jarik's power level in the Force is around Obi-Wan's level as a Jedi Knight, while Ahsoka power level in the Force is about Obi-Wan's strength during the Clone Wars, for those who want to know how powerful they've become._

 _Also that last scene with Darth Vader... oohhhh mysteries. Secrets that won't be revealed until much later, but this is a very big thing that I'm bringing in, and will heavily influence stories far in the future. What source of power could Vader have discovered that he believes could help him overthrow Darth Sidious himself?_

 _Seems like such a long time ago when Jarik was just going on his first mission to Geonosis, an eager, but surprised Jedi Padawan brought into the horrors of war. Four months later and here we are... man._

 _Thank you guys so much for supporting this story, and I hope you all continue to enjoy it! :D_


	27. Ch 26 - Thrawn's Web

**8 BBY - 3rd person POV**

 _ **Imperial star Destroyer - Brema Sector**_

Two stormtroopers wrestled their captive down the hallways and shoved him into an interrogation room, where they forcefully cuffed him down into the chair sitting before a simple table. The prisoner threw his head back and glared at the two troopers.

"Rude pieces of kriffing junk," he said.

In response, one trooper raised his blaster and smacked him on the head with the butt of it. "Quiet you smuggler scum!" the trooper said angrily, and the two left the interrogation room, their captive rolling his eyes but grimacing from the pain caused by the hit to his head. Once the door closed, he began looking around the room with narrowed eyes, scanning the area for any ways of possible escape, or something to help further along his purpose here.

Eventually he spotted a small electrical socket about the size of his thumb and smiled. As best as he could, he carefully managed to wedge a small file drive out of his arm sleeve, and tossed it at the socket. Such a toss in his position would barely go very far because of his hands being cuffed to the chair, but luckily he didn't really need a good throw, and the drive quickly flew through the air and plugged itself in, unnoticeable to any of the Imperials.

"Wonderful," he said quietly to himself with a small smile.

He quickly wiped the smile off his face when the door once again opened, revealing a high-ranking Imperial officer, with the rank of commodore and someone else, who he was surprised to see was a nonhuman with the commander rank in the Imperial navy. Didn't the Empire have a strong dislike for alien species? By the alien's side was someone who looked like an aid, with the ensign rank.

"So, I suppose we best get to the point then shall we?" the commodore said not to nicely, sitting down in the chair across from him while the blue skinned alien stood a few steps to the side, gazing at the scene calmly with blood red eyes.

The commodore narrowed his gaze. "Mr. Aven Ikorria," he continued.

Aven focused his gaze on the commodore, smirking slightly to himself at the officer's demeanor. If only they knew who he really was... although if they did he would have Darth Vader on the ship in a heartbeat.

* * *

 **Ahsoka POV...**

"I can't believe he's doing this," I muttered to myself in annoyance, pacing around the ship's common room, R5 and Mara both watching. Right now Jarik decided to have the brilliant plan of getting himself captured by the Imperial's in the Brema Sector in order to get some classified intel on the Moff overseeing the area, Moff Malcom. R5 responded with a few beeps, once again showing how unconcerned he was.

"I know it's some important information, but I still don't like it," I said with a sigh.

Mara crossed her arms in a pout. "I wish I could do some sneaky work like this."

I stiffened and narrowed my eyes at her. "Absolutely not young lady! No way are you doing stuff like this when you're only nine years old! Besides, they'd sooner throw you in an orphanage or prison then bother interrogating someone your age."

"Well that stinks," she replied.

R5 speaks up again triumphantly, and I looked over at the computer screen. "He actually got through?" I asked.

R5 beeps in affirmative, and on the small datapad numerous bits of intel started streaming through, which meant that one way or another Jarik managed to get his drive connected to some electrical socket. He is so, so proud of his invention of that particular socket, because as long as the port is electrical, it can find a way through the system to a file database, which is of course a genius creation. Makes espionage work much easier, and doesn't require infiltrating a heavily fortified Imperial control room to gain access to intel.

"That is so cool!" Mara says happily, her disappointment briefly forgotten.

"Yup," I said proudly before my face fell. "Now he just has to escape the place. R5, get the ship ready in case we need an evac," I tell the droid, and he complies, heading towards the cockpit with me following him.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

"So, what problem you boys have with me? I ain't do nothing wrong!" I said casually, putting on my best smuggler impression, trying to appear dumber and innocent.

"The problem," the commodore growls. "Is that you have been stealing from the Empire, and that is punishable by death!"

I rolled my eyes in disinterest. "So? I know the penalty, but I haven't stolen nothin' man!" I protested.

"Oh really? We seen proof of your crimes when you stole four shield generators for your clients," he accused, leaning forwards. "Don't try and play dumb with me you filth."

Oh yeah, real intimidating for sure. Obviously this commodore only got to his position through influence and wealth, so he obviously doesn't have much to offer for his services except for that massive ego of his, although his pride gets damaged easily. However for some reason, the other guy in the room, the blue skinned alien with red eyes has me unsettled. The way he stands there so calmly, so silently as if he were a statue is offsetting. Something about his gaze has me wary, although I don't show it.

"Shied generators? Naw naw, you must be mistaken man, I did steal a few shield generators, but they weren't, they weren't Imperial," I said with a laugh, waving my finger in a 'no-no' motion. "Got a pretty good pay from the Hutts for those generators, yup," I tell him.

"They. Were. Imperial generators!" the commodore says, slamming his fist on the table. I jump slightly in surprise, playing my character very well. "Either you confess for a prison sentence Ikorria, or we execute you right now for treason!"

"Look man, it- it wasn't me!" I protest, developing a more panicked tone to sell the act.

Before the commodore can respond, the blue skinned officer finally speaks up. "If I may make an observation, with your permission commodore?" he asks calmly and respectfully.

The commodore turns to face him. "What would you have to say Commander Thrawn? I'm the one conducting this interrogation," he says, with a look of disgust that makes me roll my eyes. Imperials, unnecessary hate towards non-humans. Ridiculous.

To his credit however, Thrawn, that's his name apparently, doesn't give any indication that he is effected by the obvious discrimination. "I do not truly believe that Mr. Ikorria here will confess to stealing Imperial generators, but there is something... odd about him."

"Like what?" the commodore demands, and the ensign looks over at Thrawn questioningly. As for Thrawn, he turns his gaze to me, and I full uneasy with the way he looks at me, although I don't visibly react.

"As if he isn't who we believe him to be," Thrawn finally says, and my blood runs cold. There's now way he'd know who I am, right? I made sure to make it impossible for any facial recognition scans on me to match up with pictures on the holonet of me before the Empire took over!

"Sir?" the ensign questions in confusion.

"May I see the pouch I had you bring, Vanto?" Thrawn asks him, holding out a hand. the ensign raises an eyebrow but pulls out a pouch, and Thrawn opens it to reveal Ahsoka's Padawan braid, further worrying me. When I was captured, the took away any personal possessions I had on me, including her braid. I always carry it with me, mainly because of habit, so I was upset when they took it, but I could just as easily recover it during my escape. Good thing I didn't bring my lightsabers for this mission, which would honestly have been stupid if being captured was my intention.

"Commodore, do you find this item, recognizable?" Thrawn asks.

The commodore shakes his head in irritation. "What are you talking about Thrawn? This is an interrogation, not show-and-tell!"

I don't comment, keeping silent and hoping that they don't uncover my identity. "I am getting to it commodore, if I may be allowed to continue?" he asks calmly as ever.

The commodore sighs. "Fine, carry on. But this is an absolute waste of time," he grumbles with a glare.

Thrawn strides around the room slowly, gazing at Ahsoka's braid and I struggle not to stare at him in annoyance, wishing I could snatch that off of him right now. "When we first brought our guest, Aven on board I immediately noticed something off about him. His demeanor was too casual and confident, as if he had a plan laid out before hand, while his accent seems off. Good... but practiced."

I watch him walk around the room, growing more and more worried. This guy... he is freakishly intelligent and observing in a way I've never thought possible before.

"Our records of him show that he is simply the average smuggler stealing from the Empire, but a man of Aven's skill would never be able to secure Imperial shield generators so efficiently." Thrawn continues, walking around the table with an arm behind his back. "Even more intriguing, many of his heists never seem to come up on record of the facilities he steals from, as if he was never even there. A reason that can only be explained through the skill of slicing through Imperial firewalls."

Oh no, no no no... this is a dangerous zone. I look down at my hands, keeping quiet as Thrawn continues to talk.

Thrawn then stops his slow pacing around the room and turns around to look back at the commodore. "If I may ask you again sir, do you know what this is?" he says, gesturing to Ahsoka's braid.

"Some, broken necklace?" he guesses, and I almost roll my eyes at the stupid answer.

Apparently Thrawn thinks so too based on the slightly disappointed expression of his face. "These are the silka beads of a Togrutan, Jedi Padawan," he says.

I widen my eyes in disbelief and shock at his answer. How could anyone... nobody outside of the Order knows the level of importance that those silka beads represent, much less that they are even related to the Jedi!

Vanto and the commodore are apparently just as stunned, judging from the looks on their faces.

"An important piece of the Jedi's training for a Togruta inducted into their Order, bearing cultural significance to their species, worthless to those who aren't Jedi, priceless and symbolic, for a Togrutan Padawan." Thrawn says.

"Yes well, how does that relate to this smuggler?" the commodore demands, gesturing to me, and Thrawn turns in my direction, settling his analytical gaze on me. I slowly look up at him with narrowed eyes, beginning to drop my act. I can sense that he knows now, who I really am.

"Yes, how so?" he questions rhetorically, and I stare up at Thrawn with an unflinching gaze of determination, without fear.

"Ahsoka Tano," he says, and I don't react visibly, yet internally screaming on the inside. "That was the name of your best friend wasn't it?" he questions. I don't respond and he continues.

"You were only teenagers when she left the Order, the greatest friend you could ever have. No wonder you keep hold of her memory so much, carrying it around with you wherever you go. You thought about her, every day she was gone. It must have been heartbreaking when she was declared dead after the Siege of Mandalore," he says, and I flinch slightly, otherwise keeping myself intact. Good to know that the Empire doesn't know she's alive still.

"I met her master once, General Skywalker. He was a respectable Jedi, one worthy of recognition. It was sad to hear that he passed, and now you've been left with no one else. Your master, your friend, and the mentor of Ahsoka." Thrawn says, and at the mention of Anakin, I quickly look down, suppressing the emotions of his turn to the dark side before staring back up at Thrawn with a cold glare.

"Thrawn, what the blazes are you talking about?!" the commodore demands furiously, standing up from his chair.

"I may be alone physically Thrawn, but their memory will always live with me, and through the Force," I declare, and Thrawn hums thoughtfully.

"Silence you-!" the commodore starts to say before Thrawn interrupts.

"Sir, please, don't be so rash to the Slicer," he says.

"Wait... the Slicer?" Vanto asks with wide eyes.

"May I introduce, Jarik Shan. Jedi Padawan, Clone War veteran and apprentice to Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Negotiator." Thrawn says, waving his hand over to me. Vanto and the commodore slowly look over at me in shock, as well as fear, probably having never met a Jedi before, only hearing about the Emperor's propaganda and lies about the Jedi being evil murderers.

My cover blown, I laugh humorlessly. "Well I must admit when getting myself here, I never expected someone so smart to actually exist in the Empire's ranks," I admitted. "However you got something wrong my dear Thrawn."

"Oh? And what was that?" he questions in interest.

I smile at him. "I'm not a Jedi Padawan. I'm a Jedi Knight!"

With those words, I call upon the Force and blast it outwards, releasing me from the cuffs while throwing the three of them harshly against the wall. They let out cries of pain as I leap to my feet, snatching Ahsoka's braid from Thrawn and grabbing the drive from the electrical socket. The commodore gets back up and aims a blaster at me, but I raise an arm to slam him against the wall again with the Force, knocking him unconscious.

I suddenly fall to the ground as Thrawn kicks me in the back and roll over. He attempts to punch me in the face but I lean my head out of the way, bringing my feet up to kick him in the chest. I knock him off me and get up, grabbing his shirt with my prosthetic arm and throwing him across the room, where he slams into the wall with a pained grunt. I may miss my real arm but, man this prosthetic arm is epic with how strong it is!

"You should've gotten Force binders for me!" I say before quickly using the Force to open the door, rushing out and slamming it behind me, locking them inside.

With my belongings secured, I rush down the hallways, searching for the hanger so that I could find a ship to escape in. It only takes half a minute before the ship's alarm comes on, signaling an escaped prisoner. Concentrating, I reached out towards Ahsoka over the bond, who was only a system away. Our connection had grown stronger over the years, so we could speak with each other over longer distances, although the max distance was still less than a sector, over only a few systems at a time.

 _"Ahsoka! think maybe you could come by and pick me up?"_ I said quickly.

 _"Are you in trouble?"_ she asks in concern.

 _"Yeah, I got what we needed, but some blue guy named Thrawn figured out who I was!"_ I replied urgently.

 _"What?!"_ she says in alarm. _"How?"_

 _"I don't know, just hurry!"_ I told her.

 _"Alright, we'll be there soon,"_ she promises, cutting off the connection.

Returning my focus to escape, I swung around a corner to see a patrol of Stormtroopers in front of me. They looked at me in surprise before raising their blasters, however they never got to use them as I blasted them aside with the Force, continuing on my way. Thankfully the structure of a Stay Destroyer is similar to a Venator cruiser, so I made my way to the hanger relatively easy, blowing past a few Stormtrooper patrols.

I reached the doors to the hanger and opened them up, glancing inside to see a bunch of TIE Fighters and a few shuttles nearby, as well as a lot of Imperial pilots, mechanics, and some officers. I rushed inside, staying close to the walls as quickly as I could but got tackled to the ground all of a sudden. The person who tackled me punched me in the face, and I retaliated by grabbing their head with my left arm and throwing them off of me, quickly getting to my feet. I turned around and came face to face with a Deathtrooper, who spoke through the helmet with a few strange noises I couldn't make out.

"Oh dear," I sighed.

The Deathtrooper charged, swinging a fist and I ducked, moving out of the way and delivering an uppercut. He stumbled back before pulling out a blaster pistol, firing at me. I leaped to the side, rolling across the ground to dodge the laser blasts and leaped at the trooper with a kick. However he deflected my strike and grabbed my arms, head butting me. I fell to the ground in surprise and pain, shaking my head as he aimed at me again. Thinking fast, I raised my left arm in front of my face, and the Deathtrooper shot my arm instead, causing it to spark violently, a large smoking hold in the forearm.

"You kriffing jerk!" I exclaimed irritably, rolling backwards and pushing off the ground with my feet, leaping through the air and kicking him in the helmet with my armored foot, knocking him out cold.

With the Deathtrooper unconscious, I rushed towards one of the TIE Fighters locked on the top of the hanger, using the Force to jump all the way up to the catwalk where TIE pilots enter their craft. At this point most of the hanger had noticed me, and some began firing their blasters in my direction. Moving quickly, I used the force to open the cockpit of one TIE Fighter and leaped inside, closing it behind me. I immediately began to power it up, blaster fire hitting the outside of the ship.

"This is not how I thought this day was gonna go," I grumbled in annoyance.

Pressing a button, I released the locking mechanism to free my fighter, and gunned the engines. The ship hovered in the hanger for a moment, the thrusters blasting a few people behind me away, and then I took off, bursting through the Star Destroyer's shields and into space. However now I had a bigger problem: the Star Destroyer. One blast from that ship and this TIE is completely destroyed. No way am I counting on any space flying powers to save me this time.

As soon as I reached open space, the Stay Destroyer opened fire, massive green laser bolts shooting all around me while I did my best to predict and evade them, although I wasn't liking my chances.

"Come on Ahsoka, where are you?" I said to myself.

As if she heard me, the Knight Hawk immediately comes out of hyperspace, and I direct the TIE Fighter straight towards it. Taking notice, the Star Destroyer shifts some of their focus towards the Knight Hawk, however Ahsoka manages to maneuver the ship and avoid the laser fire, showing her skills as a pilot. Once I get close enough, she turns the ship around and I connect to the docking clamp, magnetically sealing the ship together. As soon as I do, Ahsoka turns away from the Star Destroyer and blasts into hyperspace, much to my relief.

* * *

"So, tell me how exactly they figured out who you were again?" Ahsoka asks with her arms crossed. We were all sitting at the table in the main common room, and I sighed, leaning back in the chair.

"Some guy named Thrawn figured it out, and he wasn't a human," I told her.

"He wasn't?" Ahsoka asks in surprise. "You mean there was an officer there who was NOT, human?"

"Why would that be an issue?" Mara asks in confusion.

"The Empire discriminates against nonhuman species, putting them down for not being a human," I explained.

"Well that's stupid," Mara says with a frown, and we both nod our heads in agreement.

"Thrawn. How did he figure out your identity?" Ahsoka quesioned, bringing us back to the discussion.

"I still can't even believe it," I admitted. "But it was because of your old silka beads."

Ahsoka blinked in surprise. "My Padawan braid?"

I nodded my head. "Yeah. Whoever he is, he is extremely intelligent, and observant. Somehow he knew exactly what those beads represented, and connected my cover identity to me as 'The Slicer' with how effectively I broke through Imperial firewalls in order to steal their shipments," I informed her. "And he could see through my act, picking up little bits that even I didn't realize."

Ahsoka frowns in worry, while Mara has her eyes wide, surprised and awed at anyone being able to out-think me, since our plans have always been met with success after careful planning and slicing.

"That's... very bad." Ahsoka finally said.

"It is. That means my cover identity as Aven Ikorria is now blown. I can't use that anymore," I told her sadly.

"And considering they now know what you look like presently, we'll have to lay low then," she decides grimly.

"We do? But can't you still do missions like this mom?" Mara asked.

"The Empire believes I'm dead, so we have to keep that secret for as long as possible," she explained, and Mara nodded in understanding.

"Thrawn will know that we'll be laying low now, I'm sure of it. As far as I know, he doesn't realize you two are with me, so that has to be kept on the down low as well." I spoke up.

"I agree. Back to Ahch-To then?" Ahsoka says.

"Yup. Back to Ahch-To for a while now," I replied. "Also, we better tell Bail about Thrawn. Being an Imperial senator he may have heard some things about him, and he should know to be cautious with rebel missions," I advised.

"Already on it." Ahsoka said in agreement.

"So, this sounds bad and I wanted to go on some missions, but does this mean I can do more Jedi training now?" Mara asked eagerly.

"For sure sweetheart!" I said with a wide smile. "Don't expect it to be easy though," I warned her, and she pouted in response.

* * *

 _Ooohh man. Thrawn is one, intelligent, dangerous guy who you do NOT want to be facing against. And now he figured out Jarik's cover identity fairly quick! I hope I wrote him correctly for you guys to enjoy! I've always wanted to write an encounter between him and Jarik before Thrawn's appearance in Rebels._


	28. Ch 27 - Changes & Uncovered History

**7 BBY - Ahch-To, Temple Island**

 **Jarik POV...**

Since moving here, the Temple Island on Ahch-To has revealed plenty of things that I didn't know about during my first visit. For starters, there is an ancient, hollowed out tree covered by mist and tall rocky cliffs on almost all sides. The tree has a powerful presence in the light side of the Force, and inside is a small collection of ancient, Jedi texts. The first text of the Jedi Order. For being thousands of years old, I'm surprised that they aren't simply dust at this point. Sure, the books were worn and dirty, with everything faded, but despite the yellowed pages and brittle cover, the words inside were still visible enough to read. I'm going to say the only reason the books haven't decomposed into nothing at this point is because of the Force keeping them intact in some way.

Another thing that surprised us was a small village on the far side of the island, with a small species actually living there! On our first meeting, they confronted us, demanding to know who we were. I didn't understand their dialect, but Ahsoka fortunately did, and explained who we were, as well as why we were living here. Once we proved to them who we were, they greeted us happily with open arms and a celebration that night in their village. They called themselves the 'caretakers' of the Temple, and now I started to understand why everything still seemed in fairly okay conditions despite being thousands of years old. They stayed behind after Ahch-To was abandoned by the Jedi to take care of the Temple, and had a huge respect of the Jedi, to the point where some even tried to worship us, which we immediately refused, uncomfortable with that kind of treatment.

However not everything on the island was happy and full of the light side of the Force. Further than the caretaker village and near one of the cliffs was a part of the island strong with the dark side. It didn't feel like a Sith Lord's presence in the Force, terrifying and unnatural, however. The place was more rocky and less green, with a large hole leading into a deep cavern where the dark side felt most strong. The darkness wasn't dangerous compared to how the Sith felt, rather it was more of a natural darkness, countering the natural beauty of the light side that the island glowed with.

Ever since arriving at the Temple, I've taken the opportunity to compare the aspects of the Force with what I've felt in the past. Beings like Dooku, Maul and Vader have felt cold and full of fury in the dark side, twisted and unnatural. The Jedi Temple on Coruscant was full of the light side for sure, but comparing it to Ahch-To, that light now seems unnatural in comparison as well. Both aspects of the Force on Ahch-To are just... pure. Natural. As if this is how the Force should always feel, and it feels right.

Yet another testament to how both the Sith and Jedi have strayed from their original ideals over time without noticing.

This doesn't mean that the dark cave isn't dangerous though, it still is. Seeking to tempt us with its claims of power and knowledge, although subtlety. So until Mara is prepared, Ahsoka and I have agreed to make that area of the island is strictly off limits to her, no exceptions.

Along with the things that were already here on the island, we made some small additions as well for more comfortable living conditions. The Knight Hawk's landing pad was essentially the flat expanse of rock that stuck out from the island, where I first originally landed my speeder earlier, next to the staircase that leads up to the Jedi Village, as the caretakers have called it. On top of the ship was the sensor array dish they managed to snag over a year ago, pointed up towards the sky as it constantly connected with the galaxy's holonet and communications.

Within the Jedi village, we decided to move our rooms there instead of the ship, as well as our most important things. Mostly as a precaution to not lose our things incase our ship blows up, or someone boards it and takes stuff. Ahsoka and I chose one of the larger huts, which was set near the higher levels with a wonderful view of the island and the ocean. Mara eagerly chose her own place a bit lower, excited at the prospect of doing her own room 'makeover.'

Because the huts were ancient, with nothing special about them except for the stone blocks itself, we had to add a few things to them for better comfort during the night and harsh weather, because Ahch-To's climate was damp and cool, but had harsh storms and a colder temperature to the point that large areas of ocean would freeze during the winter's. This place may look like a tropical island paradise, but it gets to low temperatures for most of the year.

To adapt to it, we added doors made from spare pieces of metal, and sealed in the windows with glass that we picked up from Bail. He obviously didn't know where we lived, we just explained the climate our place was in, and he happily lent us the needed materials, with it being such a simple request. Inside me and Ahsoka's hut was a simple bed large enough for the two of us, and a table with chairs near storage cabinets for any important items we have. That was usually where we did most of our Fulcrum work, a small portable terminal wirelessly connected to the ship.

Mara's hut had her bed too, along with a small shelf of Jedi training materials, from lessons on datapads to our training remote, and the practice sabers, which were essentially just lightweight sticks capable of absorbing a remotes laser blast. She also had some of her own personal entertainment items, consisting of some epic, action novels and a datapad she would play games on if she was bored.

R5 stayed on the ship, preferring the structural surroundings compared to rocks and greenery, which didn't surprise any of us at all.

Then there was to unexpected and sometimes annoying problem, despite their cuteness.

Porgs.

They were a small bird species that was native to this island, and were named by the caretakers a while ago. They were most definitely not afraid of people, and were so curious that they would constantly poke into our stuff whenever they thought we weren't looking, alongside the tiny dragon species that the Vikings called Terrible Terrors.

They certainly lived up to the name of terrible.

Between those two flying animals, life was certainly difficult, and even the caretakers would express their annoyance every once in a while. Yet despite that, none of us saw the devilish, bloodthirsty monster in them that the Vikings claimed them to be. Maybe that's just the larger dragon species, we aren't sure yet. And while we may not fully agree with their views on the dragons, it isn't our call to judge them or try to change their way of life.

Once every month we'd visit Berk for usually a week at a time, getting to know the people better. The one's that we like the most are Gobber, Gothi, Hiccup, Chief Stoick, well... when he's in a good mood, and a few others. Mara enjoys Hiccup the most out of the rest of the kids their age for several reasons, which I agree with as well. His devotion, determination to never quit, his sarcastic and funny personality, and his smart and creative personality. She also likes how Fishlegs is intelligent, although in my opinion Mara likes to make fun of the kid in her 'own way.'

For example, scaring the kriff outta him as much as possible.

She may be polite to him, Mara isn't disrespectful unless she or someone else is being disrespected. But Ahsoka and I know she isn't a fan of how easily Fishlegs gets scared despite being the strongest of the group. With the twins she things the same thing that everybody else things about them, which is that they're annoying. She may be raised to have the Jedi temperament, but there have been numerous instances where she's made it plainly obvious that they absolutely infuriate her from time to time. There have been a couple of times when the twins even tried to pickpocket us of our lightsabers, which obviously failed. Snotlout is still the usual egotistic guy of the group, they don't get along to well at all.

As for Astrid, I'm not entirely sure. They both respect each other as warriors and can be friendly, but Astrid's colder demeanor and focus on being the best shield-maiden of Berk's history has Mara uncomfortable and irritated with her at all times. Mara would rather put her devotion and loyalty to those she cares about over being the best of the group, so there's going to be tension between the two, at least until they can get over their differences or Astrid gets a change of heart.

Speaking of Mara, she's going to be very excited soon. She's now ten years old, which is the age Jedi younglings get to attend the Gathering, in order to find their own kyber crystal and construct their very own lightsaber. Me and Ahsoka both attended the gathering at age ten, and to this day the green and blue tinged crystals still glow warmly in each other's presence. Ahsoka's white crystals are always glowing two when in the vicinity of her old one and mine, which has always been something we've loved. I had to wonder how her yellow shoto blade would have acted but sadly, that weapon is truly lost.

Since our only experience as mentors in the Gathering was our chaperoning with Katooni's clan, Force be with her as the only survivor, we didn't have the best idea to proceed, especially without Ilum at our disposal or the vast Jedi Archives, or better yet an actual Jedi Master like Yoda or Obi-Wan. So we decided to do some research in the old Jedi texts within the uneti tree, as well as anything Gothi has related on the subject of the Jedi. During our visits we would spend some time to copy down her books about Jedi into our database with her permission so that we could read them from our island without having to be on Berk.

"Hey, look at this." Ahsoka says, looking through one of the older books. I looked up from my datapad questioningly in our hut.

"What is it?" I ask her.

"There's a page in here about kyber crystals and where they came from, it's pretty fascinating," she tells me.

Curious, I get up and move to her side of the table to look over her shoulder, where she points out a paragraph to me. To my surprise, this writing is actual a personal note from the Prime Jedi himself, explaining how kyber crystals were first brought into use for the Jedi. Ahsoka reads it out load.

 _"My followers and I were searching the galaxy for a suitable place to call home, which would eventually lead us to Ahch-To. During our travels, we discovered a planet by the name of Ilum, far into the Unknown Regions. The Force flowed very strongly there, unlike most places we had encountered. Our search of the planet showed promising, as a large deposit of Force-filled crystals covered the surface, going deep into the planet's crust. We gave these Force-filled crystals the name of 'Kyber.'_

 _Our search of the planet also revealed lifeforms of a strange design. Beings that were not even from our own galaxy, who were massive compared to us, and were made of living metal. They communicated with us, and we learned from them that the kyber crystals were actually a source of energy from their home planet, which they called 'energon.' Hundreds of thousands of years ago, a massive comet completely composed of this 'energon,' smashed into Ilum, where the Force increased their energy levels over the years, allowing it to spread across the entire planet, forming the Kyber we have today."_

I raised an eyebrow in surprise at the Prime Jedi's notes, not expecting something like that. "Kyber crystals came from another galaxy?" I asked with wide eyes.

"Apparently so," Ahsoka said, nodding with an obvious sense of awe. "Who knew there was life outside of our own galaxy?"

"As well as the fact these beings from another galaxy are massive, and made of living metal," I remarked. "Does it say anything else about them?"

Ahsoka scans the page, shaking her head. "Not much after that, besides the fact that the beings they encountered died on Ilum pretty quickly. It doesn't explain why though," she says.

"That's too bad," I remarked.

"Yeah. I'd like to know more about this, 'energon' stuff though, sounds interesting." Ahsoka admits.

I nod my head in agreement. "True."

I then pull out my lightsaber and sit back down, eyeing it in both hands for a moment before setting it down on the table. I closed my eyes and then focus on the Force, quickly using it to disassemble the lightsaber carefully, revealing the blue kyber crystal inside which floats up. I reopen my eyes and pick the crystal up out of the air, holding it between my fingers. The crystal pulses gently in the Force.

"Another galaxy huh," I recall, looking at my crystal curiously.

"What, you think you're suddenly gonna go on an 'epic journey' to find the source or something?" Ahsoka jokes with a snarky grin.

"No, not really," I tell her. "For two reasons: I don't know where I'd look, and I don't really care about looking right now."

"Don't even act like you don't want to try this," Ahsoka says in amusement, calling me out.

I stay silent for a moment before shrugging in agreement. "Ok I'll admit it does sound tempting."

"There you go," she says, snickering and I sigh in exasperation, placing the crystal back into it's slot and using the Force to snap the pieces back together.

"So real talk... how will we go about the Gathering for Mara?" I ask.

"I suppose we could try a similar ceremony like when we chaperoned Katooni's clan," she suggested. "The problem is trying to figure out a place to find kyber crystals, since Ilum is obviously off limits now."

I nod my head at the obvious problem before recalling something I read in one of the Jedi texts. "Well if I recall correctly, there was some sort of Gathering that the first Jedi would've had to have done, since they introduced the lightsaber, and since they were stationed here they obviously had to do something."

"Like what?" Ahsoka questions curiously.

"In another book, it didn't say anything about another galaxy or those mechanical beings, but it did describe how the brought some of the kyber back to Ahch-To and stashed it in tunnels underneath the island for their ceremonies." I informed her.

"Really? That's great news! If it works the same way as Ilum does then that's just what we need," she replies with a smile. "Did the book say where the cave entrance is?"

I nodded grimly. "Yeah, and that's the only problem. The only entrance to those tunnels is the dark side cave."

The smile immediately fell from her face. "Oh. That is an issue."

"Uh huh..." I replied sadly.

We were silent for several moments before Ahsoka sighed, speaking up again. "You know, back when we were younglings, the Order taught us to never give into the dark side."

I nodded along, listening to where she was going with this. "You know better than anyone else the faults that the Jedi had with their code, and their arrogance. It eventually led to their downfall. And part of that was because they continued to tell us that once we were on the dark side path we couldn't leave it, yet we never knew how to recognize that dark path."

"So you're saying that maybe Mara should go through the cave?" I ask for confirmation.

She considers for a moment. "I'm not entirely sure yet, this is merely a suggestion. But if we don't show her what the dark side is like, then she won't have a defense against its temptation. That's part of why the old Order fell, because no one could recognize the dark side for what it was." Ahsoka reasons.

I thought about it and nodded my head in agreement. "That's a good point, and you're definitely right about that."

"So should we go through with this?" she asks me.

A moment later I reply. "I guess we should. We just have to make sure Mara is prepared to face whatever may be down there, and trust in the Force."

Ahsoka smiled, reaching over and grabbing my hand, squeezing in reassurance. "And I have no doubt that Mara will succeed."

I smiled back in return.


	29. Ch 28 - The Path of Mara Jade

**7 BBY - Ahch-To, Temple Island**

 **Mara POV...**

Just a few minutes ago, Mom and Dad called me over, saying that they had to discuss something important with me for whatever reason. So right now we were gathered near the small courtyard by their hut, seated on some rocks.

"What's up? More training? Or we can finally go on another mission?" I asked hopefully.

"Well, kind of the first one," Dad replied.

I looked at him oddly. "What do you mean 'kinda?'" I ask in confusion.

"What he means is," Mom spoke up with a roll of her eyes. "Today you are going to take the next step in your Jedi training."

My eyes lit up curiously. "The next step?"

"Yup!" Dad said with a smile. "Today you are going to be-"

Whatever he was about to say was interrupted as one of the little Terrible Terror dragons appeared out of nowhere and landed on top of his head! He stopped talking and looked up with an irritated expression while Mom put a hand over her mouth to stifle her giggling. I outright laughed joyously at how funny it looked, especially considering how the Terror looked down at him with a few loud chirps.

"Why is it always me?" he muttered irritably, reaching up and plucking the dragon from his hand, quickly setting it on the rock next to him. The Terror squawked defiantly at him in response before quickly fluttering its wings and leaping over to me, curling up in my lap.

So much for the devilish beast Berk thinks them to be. I stroked the dragons scales fondly, and it looked so adorable.

"Maybe the dragons here can sense your, 'wonderfully dashing' personality little Jari!" Mom teased him.

"Little? Come on, I'm the biggest person here right now!" he protested.

"With a big childish mind," she retorted, and he flung his hands into the air with an exasperated scoff, crossing his arms in a pout and shaking his head.

"I think it's funny!" I said cheekily.

"Yeah you think everything I do is funny," he shot back before sighing. "Ok we're getting off track here. What I was going to say before I was rudely interrupted," he says, giving the dragon an accusing stare. The Terror chirps back defiantly.

"What I was going to say is that today, you are going to take one of your biggest tests today: the Gathering." Dad told me.

I furrowed my brow. "What's the Gathering?"

"Mara, today you are going to connect with your own kyber crystal. The time has come for you to build your own lightsaber." Mom says.

I widen my eyes in shock and happiness, gasping. Then a huge and wide smile spreads across my face and I get up, the Terror fluttering to the ground in surprise, and start cheering.

"YES! This is amazing! Yes!" I cheered, throwing my fist into the air and jumping around a little bit in excitement.

"Just so you know, it won't be easy, and you'll have to deal with some challenging situations to receive your crystal," Mom told me.

"I'm ready for it! And once I get passed whatever this test is, you'll give me my kyber crystal?" I ask eagerly.

"Oh we don't have your kyber crystal." Dad says bluntly.

I stopped celebrating and looked at him in confusion. "But, I thought you said I would be getting it today."

"You are, but we don't give it too you. You have to find it, and connect to it yourself," he told me.

"The Gathering was an event taken by Jedi younglings to travel to the Crystal Cave, and trust in the Force to guide them to their crystal." Mom explained. "Your kyber crystal isn't just a simple piece of rock. It connects to you on a spiritual level, and becomes an ally, and a vessel of the Force only for you."

"So... I have to find my own crystal? How will I do that?" I asked glumly.

"Only you can know which one is yours. No one, not even the wisest of Jedi can help you with this." Mom told me.

I nod my head, let down a little but understanding what they mean. "Ok, I have to find my own. Where in the universe am I gonna find my own crystal?"

This time, Dad answered. "Below the island are a series of tunnels and caves, with kyber scattered throughout. You'll face several challenges, and if you overcome them, the Force will present you your crystal."

"We had tunnels underneath the island the whole time?" I exclaimed in surprise. "Where's the entrance? I haven't seen anywhere to do that."

Mom and Dad both glanced at each other, and I had a feeling they were both talking with their 'Force bond' stuff. I wish I could do that, it made me jealous. Then I realized that there was one place of the island where I haven't been, that they wouldn't let me go near.

"Wait... it's in that one area of won't let me go to isn't it?" I ask.

Mom nods her head and they both stand up. "Follow us Mara, but be careful. This area of the island is dangerous."

"How?"

Dad looks at me seriously. "It's an area of the dark side."

* * *

Several minutes later after crossing the island, we were standing before a small cliff, and below us was a dark hole covered in black seaweed vines. I shivered slightly, already feeling the chill of the dark side surrounding me. In fact the whole environment of this area seemed different compared to he rest of the island.

There was no green grass here, or lush, mossy plants. No Terrible Terror dragons or porgs were flying around, and the landscape was plain, wet rock. Even the ocean seemed slightly more violent, waves crashing against the rocks harshly compared to the usual, smooth grace everywhere else. I could see why Mom and Dad didn't want me over here.

"I have to go... in there?" I asked nervously.

Mom and Dad gave me a sympathetic look before replying. "You do, if you wish to retrieve your crystal. The dark side will tempt you and try to sway you away from the light, but as long as you stay true to the kind of person you are, you'll be fine," Dad says.

"Just remember to always trust in the Force Mara. Trust that you'll be able to find your crystal, and that you can resist the influence of the dark." Mom tells me reassuringly with a smile.

"I'm sure you can do this." Dad adds in agreement. "You know what, here's your cowl too. I know how much you like it," he says, tossing me my furry, tan colored cloak.

He's right with how much I like it. My usual get up consists of a black long sleeve shirt and leggings, as well as a pair of black leather boots. Also with black fingerless gloves.

Yeah, I have an obsession with the color black for my clothing, but it looks so cool! I can imagine myself as a secret Jedi-spy or something.

Over my clothing whenever I'm not in need of quick movement or in a warm area I like to wear my tan colored, fur cape. It goes down to the middle of my upper legs and can be pulled around me. I got it from some guy name Johaan on Berk when his trading ship arrived while we were also there. That's why it's furry instead of the cloaks that Mom and Dad wear.

Overall my outfit also goes really well with my red hair, so there's that as well.

Anyways, clasping my cloak to my shoulders, I smile at them gratefully before looking down at the dark hole. They both send me feelings of calm and reassurance through the Force, and I accept it before leaping down the cliff. The fall is only a few feet, not that bad of a drop, so I easily land on my feet and walk up to the hole. The black vines of seaweed crunch underneath my boots as so approach the hole, and the presence of the dark side steadily gets stronger. Looking inside, it looks to be a cavern of water, although off to the side I see a small ledge of rock.

Looking back at my parents, I allow myself to remember that they are still there, and will be there for me. Behind them, perched on a rock is a bird that I mistake for a Porg. Quickly I realize it isn't a Porg, looking different with green and cream colored feathers. Then I look into the cave and jump.

Falling into a dive, I hit the water streamlined and quickly kick my legs, pulling arms to guide me back to the surface, where the rock ledge is. Surfacing above the water, I pull myself up the rock and gasp for air, sitting at the edge for a moment. Now that I'm in the cave that dark side is now actively trying to surround me, instead of the casual presence it was above ground.

Concentrating, I use what Mom and Dad taught me in the Force to push back the dark side, centering myself firmly in the light. It retreats with a cold and viscous hiss, settling for now.

Satisfied that the dark side won't bother me at the moment, I get to my feet and look around the cave. The sunlight from above the surface streams through the hole, providing enough light to see the details of the place, although it's still plenty dark in here. A slight pull in the Force brings my focus towards a large opening nearby, and I head in that direction. Walking through, I notice the area seems to be made of some sort of reflective rock, maybe a form of ice?

It looks like a dark, cold mirror room in here.

Small amounts of mist float around the sides of the large cave, and I approach the far wall, peering at the reflection. At first there's nothing discernible, the wall not clear enough for a proper reflection. Suddenly though, it clears up to show me very clearly. I look at myself in surprise, raising and arm and touching the hand of my mirror self lightly. The Force feels... accepting, and also challenging at the same time. What could that mean?

Then something weird and scary happens. The dark side spikes in energy, and a person garbed completely in black appears next to my reflection, staring at me. His face is pale and scarred, yellow eyes gleaming, and a wicked grin stretches across his face.

 ** _"Mara..."_ **he says, and I back up quickly in fear with a gasp, whipping around to where he was behind me.

Only there was never anybody behind me, and the dark side side recedes again. I turn my head to look back at my reflection, but the cloaked figure was gone... something about him seemed familiar, from a hologram Dad showed me a some point... I'm not sure.

Besides that, there was nothing else of interest to me in this cave, so I look around, spotting another entrance. I flicked of joy sparks inside me with a notice specks of flickering blue light from inside, reminding me of how Mom described the walls to flicker with different lights when lined with kyber.

Heading over to the cave happily, I'm about to enter the tunnels for my crystal when I gasp in sudden surprise and fear.

 ** _"Mara!"_**

The voice was sharp and demanding, full of anger. It didn't sound pleasant at all, more like a groveling, broken sound that just felt _evil._ I quickly look around the cave for anyone that might be in here with me. The idea is absolutely terrifying.

With a sigh, I try to calm my nerves, concluding that the dark side here must be messing with me like Mom and Dad said, trying to scare me. I turn back towards the entrance of the tunnel... and there stands the old man garbed in black robes.

I give a startled cry of terror and scramble back, falling on the ground. The figure begins to cackle in delight before eying me with a piercing glare, eyes glowing a chilling yellow.

 _ **"Oh Mara... you were meant to be mine..."** _he says coldly.

"W-what?!" I exclaim, getting back to my feet and backing away slowly. "No I'm not! Who... what are you?" I demand, attempting to be brave and strong in the face of this guy.

 _ **"The one who should have always been your master..."** _he growls out.

I warily examine his looks. The black robes, yellow eyes; a sign of the Sith, the pale and scarred face... this is the Emperor! The one who ordered my parents killed and me taken! I narrow my eyes angrily at him.

"You're Sidious!" I accuse furiously, pointing a finger at him.

He grins in delight, clasping his hands together in front of him. **_"Good.. good! I'm glad you recognize me young Mara."_**

"You killed my parents!"

 ** _"Oh your parents, you misjudge me little Jedi. It was the Inquisitor who killed your parents, not me,"_** he says.

"Yeah, because you ordered her too!" I say, fuming. "You wanted to kidnap me and turn me into your slave of an apprentice!"

Sidious shakes his head, making sound of disappointment. **_"Oh, what has Shan been teaching you? I never ordered the Sister to kill you parents, merely to bring you before me."_**

He strides forwards slowly, the dark side leaking off of him in waves. I back up in response, suddenly afraid again.

 ** _"You have great potential young one. You have the power to be a great ally, to fight for what is right in the galaxy!"_** he declares. _**"I wish to bring order to a galaxy full of chaos! The Jedi are corrupt animals, and Shan has turned you into something you were never meant to be!"**_

Now he's very close to me, and I trip on a small rock in my haste to back away, falling to the ground, where he now towers over me.

 _ **"But you can still reverse these wrongs Mara. You can still fulfill your destiny by my side. Join me..."** _he says, a hand raised in my direction, as if beckoning.

He's so full of himself, thinking I'd join him just like that? Never! He killed the Jedi Order, killed my parents! He's oppressing the galaxy without mercy! He's evil and he needs to die for killing my parents!

With an angry cry, I kick my feet out and hit him away. He stumbles back and I leap to my feet, swinging a fist. To my surprise however, he easily moves out of the way, quicker than I would have thought possible for an old man, and stretches an arm out. Blue lightning streams forth from his hands to hit me, and I scream in pain. It burns, hurting more than anything I had ever felt in my life. When he stops, it felt like hours of torture, when in reality it was only two seconds.

He shakes his head in disappointment. **_"Foolish child. Weak. Worthless."_**

I attempt to get to my feet, and thrust my arms out at him furiously. The need to kill him to avenge my parents and save the galaxy overtakes my rational thought. However my Force attack does nothing to him besides make his cloak flutter, and it felt like slamming into a metal wall when it stopped against him.

 _ **"You could do so much better,"** _he jeers. _**"Only your furious anger can destroy me girl!"**_

With a scowl, I stand on my feet and use the Force to raise a nearby boulder, and throw it at him. It lands directly on top of him, sliding back several feet before being thrown to the side, revealing Sidious brushing off his robes casually, and he cackles in amusement.

 ** _"Good. Use your aggressive feelings girl. Let the hate flow through you! Give in to the dark side, and fulfill your destiny to bring order to the galaxy!"_**

I pant heavily before scowling again, thrusting my arms out for another Force push, which does nothing once again. However this time he is pushed back several feet despite blocking it.

 _ **"Hmm,"** _he says casually with a thoughtful frown. **_"Your parents would be expecting more from their daughter."_**

"SHUT UP!" I scream, charging at him in the hopes of punching him, beating him down for everything he's done.

He quickly moves out of the side fast then I could react, and raises an arm. The Force swirls around me and blasts me harshly against the mirror wall, even having enough Force to crack it. I groan in pain from the hit, my back feeling like it's on fire.

 ** _"Potential. Perhaps I was wrong about you. You are weak, unworthy!"_ **Sidious snarls. **_"Just a broken girl foolishly trying to avenge her parents. All by herself."_**

Tears run down my face from the pain I'm in, and I struggle to push myself up, getting a glance of the mirror wall, where my reflection stares back. I notice my face in close detail, the emotions flickering across it, as well as the Emperor slowly walking forwards several feet away. Then I notice a smoky image of Ahsoka and Jarik, my new parents. I also see my old parents standing next to them, slightly smoky as well. They fade away peacefully, leaving Ahsoka and Jarik behind, who turn to look at me. That same green and cream white colored bird is perched on Ahsoka's shoulder.

I smile at the sight, glad I could have new parents so caring, so wonderful, and funny, and skilled. The anger flushes away slowly, replaced by happiness and love st the new life I have with them. Away from Sidious.

I look back at him, and he stops, frowning heavily. I think about what to say, and decide on something simple.

"I don't care about your stupid offer. And my new family is better than your kriffing Empire," I said with a grin.

He growls furiously, and rushes forwards, raising his hands. With an angry cry, lightning streams from his fingers, and a yell of rage echoes from him. I don't flinch.

oooOOooo

I gasp in surprise, blinking my eyes and pulling my hand away, backing up. Glancing around, I realize I was in the position from before Sidious ever showed up. My hand was on the mirror wall when I first touched it, and there was no evidence of any fight between me and the Emperor. I furrowed my brow in confusion. Was that some sort of... vision?

"What...?" I say quietly, looking at the wall again. It's just me there, staring back in confusion, although I think I see that same bird behind my reflection before it vanishes again.

The Force then sings lightly in my ears, drawing my attention over to that tunnel filled with kyber crystals. The usual flickering blue lights that signify the kyber continues to sparkle, but there's an extra light in here now. I walk towards it again confidently, and the singing in my ears gets louder. It isn't annoying loud though, more of a gentle lullaby.

One of the crystals is different, getting my attention immediately as I enter the tunnel. I head towards it, receiving a feeling of confirmation from the Force. The crystal is set on the wall, singing to me. Instead of the regular blue glow, this crystal is more violet colored, mixed in with the blue. I stare at it in wonder, raising a hand to touch it...

* * *

 **Five days later: 3rd person POV...**

"I'm sure this is gonna be interesting," Jarik said.

"What makes you say that?" Ahsoka asked.

"Why wouldn't I say that?" he said in return. "Our little Mara is getting her own lightsaber!"

"Ok, I'll give you that," she says in agreement. The door to Mara's hut then opens and she steps outside, hands clasped behind her back, hidden underneath the fur cape as she smiled eagerly. Obviously she was holding something behind her.

"So?" Jarik asks with a raised eyebrow.

In response, Mara pulls out her hands and holds up a lightsaber hilt in front of her. It's a straight, single bladed design, with a simple hand grip in the middle. The extra design resembled a mix between Jarik's main blade and Ahsoka's main blade. She presses the activation button, and the blade springs forth with a satisfying hiss.

The color of the lightsaber blade is a warm violet, humming gently in the air. Jarik and Ahsoka look at the blade in fascination and awe, having only ever seen a purple blade in the hands of Master Windu. Darth Revan being an exception for Jarik, but those were visions, and the purple was cold and harsh.

"Ok. Definitely interesting." Ahsoka said.


	30. Ch 29 - Rise of the Ghost Crew

**5 BBY -** **3rd person POV...**

 _ **Lothal - Lothal Sector**_

Near the small Lothal village in the dead of night, two people down the street watched on as a Stormtrooper captain kicked a man to the ground, pointing his blaster at him. The man looked up in fear as the trooper spoke.

"Move along. This is a restricted area!" the captain ordered.

The citizen looked up at him with wide eyes before scrambling to his feet, rushing off as fast as possible. The Stormtrooper Captain watched him leave before continuing his patrol, however he wasn't the only person in the area. Watching from the rooftops was a girl clad in custom painted purple and orange armor. Once the captain was gone, she jumped down to the ground and quickly rushed to a nearby wall to take cover. Pressing herself against the wall, she activated her comlink.

"Spector 5 to Ghost," she said.

 _"This is Ghost. We are in position and awaiting your diversion,"_ a female voice replied.

"Copy that. This is gonna be fun," the Mandalorian said eagerly.

Closing off the transmission, she jumped up and climbed on top of the wall, revealing an Imperial Compound full of TIE Fighters. Several pairs of stormtroopers patrolled the area, and underneath her helmet she smiled.

"Very fun."

Jumping down, she raced across the open area towards a stack of crates to take cover. Peeking out, she waited for the two troopers to move on before racing over, stealthily making her way across the courtyard, eventually hiding behind the wing of a TIE Fighter. Peeking her head out, she observed three troopers and the Captain walking around the area. Grinning fiercely, she pulled out a spray paint gun and turned towards the TIE Fighter.

Two Stormtroopers continued on with their patrol before a noticeable spraying or hissing sound caught one's attention. He stopped and turned to his companion. "You hear that?"

The other turned to him in confusion. "I don't hear- wait yeah. What is that?" he demanded.

"This way," his companion whispered. They rushed over in the direction of the sound, gearing themselves for a possible firefight, and found the most bizarre scene.

"What the..." one asked in bewilderment.

Behind the wing of a TIE Fighter, the Mandalorian was spray painting a symbol of the Rebel Ghost crew in purple, not giving any indication that she noticed their arrival.

"W-What do you think your doing?" one demanded, regaining his senses.

"What does it look like? Art!" she replied sarcastically, continuing to spray paint the wing.

"Well, stand down!" he ordered, raising his blaster.

"Or we shoot!" the other added.

She finally turned to them and shrugged her shoulders uncaringly. "Ok, shoot!"

Both troopers glanced at each other with a quick nod and raised their blasters, ready to pull the trigger... only to find the girl had disappeared. the two were stunned in silence before a loud knocking got their atention. Turning around, they saw the girl at another Tie Fighter, leaning against its wing and immediately opened fire. The Mandalorian quickly rushed to the side, dodging the hail of red laser fire before coming to a stop between a ladder and a wing.

"You call that shooting? I think you boys need a little more time on the practice range!" she taunted, giving them a salute before disappearing again.

One trooper raised a hand to his helmet and activated his comlink. "This is TK-626, there's an intruder on sight!" he called in.

 _"On our way,"_ the Captain's voice replied.

Both troopers rushed after the girl, but she was nowhere to be found. "Where did she-"

"OVer here bucketheads!" she called out behind them, running between the shadows. They quickly fired after her, but she disappeared, only to reappear behind them on top of one of the TIE Fighters. "You guys are too predictable!"

"There!" They fired again...

"Always by the book! I read your book!" she calls again, off to the side. "It's a short one!"

They fired after her, but the girl once again disappeared by the time the Captain showed up.

"What have we got?" he asked.

"An intruder in Mando gear. Still at large," the trooper reported.

Up above, the Mandalorian teenager watched the troopers split up in search of her on top of another TIE Fighter. Once they were all separated, she leapt back to the ground and quickly returned to the original ship that she painted her symbol on, frowning.

"There's something missing..." Placing something on the symbol, she added another quick splash of purple and smiled. "There! Perfect."

"Hands up!" a voice behind her ordered sternly, the trooper approaching with a blaster aimed at her head, ready for stun. "You rebel scum."

Before he could react however, she suddenly turned around with a sweep kicked and knocked him off of his feet. He cried out in surprise, shooting several stun blasts before landing on the ground, hitting his head.

"Too slow!" the girl laughed, running away. Having heard the commotion, the rest of the squad showed up as he got to his feet, and the Captain glared at him.

"Intruder was headed your way!"

"I had her!" the stormtrooper said defensively in irritation. His buddy looked back at the TIE Fighter, noticing the purple symbol on it. "Isn't this where we started?" he asked, approaching the painting.

A beeping noise started to go off and the rest looked over, noticing something stuck to the wing of the ship. The trooper looked closely at it before widening his eyes in terror, realizing what it was.

"Oh oh," he said glumly, slumping his shoulders at the realization that they couldn't get away in time. The rest of the squad shared his sentiment.

The girl jumped back over the courtyard wall as the thermal detonated exploded in a wide array of purple, blasting apart the TIE and sending the Sotrmtroopers flying. Nearby, a Corellian fighter took off into the sky.

 _"That was quite the diversion Sabine. You can see the explosion from here,"_ the pilot of the ship said into Sabine's comlink.

Sabine took off her helmet and brushed aside a loose strande of her hair, looking back at the explosion.

"Forget the explosion... Look at the color!" she said happily with a triumphant smile on her face.

In the compound, the squad of stormtroopers all lay on the ground, groaning as they attempted to get up. Their armor was covered in purple paint, with the TIE Fighter in pieces all around them.

* * *

 **Ahch-To Island; Jarik POV...**

The sound of clashing lightsabers was intense, as much as the duel going on. Mara slashed out her lightsaber, but it was quickly blocked. Seeing that, she pushed both blades to the side and went for a kick, but missed, and was shoved back, where she rolled along the ground. She moved to get up, but stopped upon seeing the lightsaber right next to her neck, letting out another disappointed sigh.

"Aww poodoo," she said, and Ahsoka grinned down at her.

"You're getting better at it sweetie," she complimented, deactivating her lightsabers and pulling Mara to her feet. "Jar'Kai is a touch form to fight against."

"Yeah I noticed," she said sarcastically, but smiled as well, deactivating her own lightsaber. "I like the reverse handgrip at times though, it's fun to use," she admitted.

"Shien," I called out from the side, where I was sitting on a rock, reading a book. "Reverse Shien handgrip, usually less preferred amongst most people."

"Doesn't make it any less cooler though," Ahsoka challenged, hands on her hips.

I shrugged. "Eh, just stating the facts."

"What about Makashi? You use that a lot right dad?" Mara asked me.

"Yeah, more so for dueling then blaster deflections, that's why it was developed," I told her, finally looking up from my book.

"So, if it's for dueling, then does having two lightsabers make it easier or harder? You also use two, but not Jar'Kai," she pointed out.

"Usually I use my regular blue blade. The other I use when it gets tougher. Also it, used to be Ahsoka's old lightsaber so I've kept it." I replied.

"Why'd you give him your lightsaber?" she asked Ahsoka.

"Well it was... complicated. I had to leave it behind during my escape from Mandalore if you remember," she recalls, and Mara nodded, having heard our war stoires from us years when we were putting her to bed. She'd always demand a story before sleeping. "And then Jarik picked it up during his search for me."

"Aw that's so romantic!" Mara awed, and the two of us glanced at each other with a blush on her face; well lekku in Ahsoka's case.

"Yeah I- *cough* yeah I guess it is?" I admitted, although more of as a question.

"Romantic couple! You two should kiss right now! I think you guys are great together! I love you! How can you be my parents if you aren't married yet?!" she quickly asked, although I could tell these weren't innocent questions. No she was deliberately asking all of this to make us uncomfortable. And she was succeeding.

My face was getting slightly redder as I looked away nervously, and Ahsoka's lekku were a very deep purple now, her gaze averted elsewhere as well.

"Ok ok ok, no more questions!" I exclaimed, and Mara shut up, although still haven't that wicked grin on her face. I sighed in relief at the silence before noticing a Terrible Terror on the rock beisde me, looking up with wide eyes. I could almost see the hint of mischeif in them, as if he understood what just happened.

"What are you looking at?" I demanded, and he flew away in response, squawking joyfully.

"You little rascal," Ahsoka muttered, rushing over to Mara and quickly grabbing her, hoisting her off the ground. She yelped in surprise at the sudden attack, and Ahsoka threw Mara over her shoulders with a smirk, marching over to the ledge. We were standing in the area which was dubbed 'the Saddle,' which made sense.

"You gonna stop now?" she said, dangling Mara over the ledge. She shrieked in protest before quickly nodding her head, grabbing onto Ahsoka's shirt. Satisfied, she put Mara back on the ground, and said twelve year old pouted at her.

"You're mean!" she accused.

"Yeah yeah, you still love me," she retorted, waving her hand.

"More then dad anyway," Mara replied with a shrug.

I looked up from the book and frowned. "Hey!"

Both of the snickered in amusement, and I rolled my eyes, returning back to the old book in my hands, which was apparently the Prime Jedi's personal journal. The caretakers gave us permission to read and study the old Jedi texts as long as we didn't abuse or damage them, which we readily agreed too. Despite having an actual journal written by him, there was no name yet, but tn this section the Prime Jedi had written down a few people he had come into contact with and considered an ally.

 _'A good friend of mine, more ally really, helped me on my crusade to create the Jedi Order from what was left of the Je'daii. The Sith have begun their advance across the galaxy since their birth two centuries ago, and he has been a wonderful advisor. Ruling a kingdom of nine worlds himself, he is one of the most powerful beings I have ever known. He is both noble enough to not abuse it, yet powerful enough to enforce order. And beyond that, he is an immortal being, several thousands of years old, even older then our own Je'daii Order in fact-'_

I would have read more, but Ahsoka had sat down beside me, getting my attention. Mara was gone, probably headed off to her hut. "So, how's it coming?" she asked.

"How's what?" I replied.

"Work," she said simply.

I nodded in understanding. "Oh. Well, recently a new rebel cell has popped up on the planet Lothal in the Outer Rim. I think they'd be good to remain in contact with," I told her. "They're kind, smart, and have an eagerness to fight against the Empire from what I've read."

"Anything else special about them?" she asked.

"Yup. The pilot of their ship is Hera Syndulla, daughter of Cham," I said.

Her eyes lit up in recognition. "Really? Wasn't expecting that. He usually keeps his fight stationed exclusively on Ryloth."

"Yeah well, the two had some sort of disagreement and Hera struck out. I don't more, since it's their own private life."

"Fair enough," she agreed.

"Also, there's another one on their team called Kanan Jarrus," I said. "I've looked a little bit into his past, and he was a smuggler for a few gangs for some time, although his records seemed off, so I did some prodding and uncovered his secret identity as Caleb Dume."

Ahsoka frowned. "Should I recognize that name?" she asked.

"Yeah, he was a Jedi," I stated bluntly.

Hey eyebrows raised up in surprise. "Seriously? That's incredible!" she breathed out. "Another survivor."

"I think I might've met him before," I admitted. "Like once or twice during the Clone Wars at the Temple."

"What a small galaxy," she commented."

"Yup," I replied. After a few moments I stood up, closing the book. "Well, I'm off to the hut for a nap, I'm exhausted."

I started to walked towards the stone pathway leading back to the Village before Ahsoka launched herself at me. She jumped onto my back, wrapping her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist, putting her head on my shoulder with a mischievous grin on her face. I stumbled in surprise from the sudden addition of a person attached to my back before eyeing her in exasperation. "Really?"

"Yes really, I'm tired to. So carry me," she demanded.

"You know we're gonna hear it forever if Mara sees this," I pointed out.

"Then you better be stealthy about it. Now start walking or else I'll bite your ear off!" she demanded sternly, smirking deviously and showing her fangs intimidatingly.

"You wouldn't dare," I said with narrowed eyes.

"I'm a carnivore silly! I very well can, so start walking!" she says, hugging herself around me tighter and I sighed, lifting her up with my arms holding her legs. I started trudging down the hill with a beautiful Togrutan lady holding on to me like a backpack while smiling happily. Sometimes I had to wonder if she ever truly lost her streak of snippiness that Anakin loved to call her out on so many times.

Judging by how she had a firm grasp on me I'd say not.

* * *

 **Lothal - Ezra's Tower**

 _ **3rd person** **POV...**_

Ezra looked at the lightsaber in his hands in interest, entering his home again. Those guys definitely offered a fun adventure, and that girl Sabine was definitely beautiful...

He glanced around at all the stuff lying around in his room, from Stormtroopers helmets to dusty crates and sighed sadly. Guess he's back to living the life of a street-rat, stealing and selling on the black market to survive... but then he sensed something behind him. Somehow, he just knew that Kanan was standing there, but he wasn't doing anything. Ezra decided to stop running and finally confront Kanan for real. "What's the force?"

"The force is everywhere. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together. And it's strong with you, Ezra. Otherwise, you'd never been able top open the Holocron." Kanan answered immediately, and Ezra frowned, not yet turning around.

"So, what do you want?" he asked.

"To offer you a choice. You can keep the lightsaber you stole, let it become just another dusty souvenir." Kanan said, and Ezra grimaced nervously. Apparently he wasn't as good of a pickpocket as he thought, or maybe the fact that Kanan was a Jedi had something to do with it.

Still, Kanan continued. "Or you can give it back and come with us, come with me and be trained in the ways of the Force. You can learn what it truly means to be a Jedi."

Ezra turned to look at Kanan inquisitively. "I thought the Empire wiped out all the Jedi."

"Not all of us," he replied with a small smile.

* * *

 **Imperial Star Destroyer - Classified location**

 _ **3rd person POV...**_

On board an Imperial Star Destroyer, a private meeting was taking place between two powerful individuals. Within a dark room, a figure kneeled before the hologram of their superior: a person of remarkable strength and power. He stayed in a kneeling position as his Master spoke, his mechanical voice echoing around him. Any normal man would flinch in the presence of such power, but not him.

 _"The Jedi Knights are all but destroyed, and yet your task is not complete Inquisitor. The Emperor has foreseen a new threat rising against him, the Children of the Force. They must not become Jedi,"_ the voice of Darth Vader said firmly. The hologram showed a massive image of his mask, further displaying his dominance and position.

"Yes, Lord Vader," the kneeled figure said respectfully.

 _"Hunt down this new enemy and if they will not serve the Empire, eliminate them along with any surviving Jedi who will train them. This is my Master's command,"_ Vader ordered.

"And so it will be done," the kneeled figure said again.

 _"And if the Jedi Knight Jarik Shan reveals himself, you will send the message to me. Failure to apprehend Shan will result in worse punishment then your previous attempt, which I will deal out. Personally,"_ Vader promised coldly, the threat all too clear.

The kneeled figure scowled at the reminder of his humiliation from the hands of Shan years ago. This time it would be different.

"I will gladly make sure Shan pays dearly for his actions Lord Vader," he promised, and the transmission ended.

Grand Inquisitor frowned heavily before opening his eyes, which glowed an evil and angry yellow. He would not fail again, and if he encounters another Jedi, or Shan, then he would make them suffer. He would not fail Lord Vader and the Emperor a second time.

The holotable started to beep again from another incoming transmission, and Grand Inquisitor stood up, accepting the call. Appearing in the hologram was the ISB Agent Kallus in the Lothal sector.

 _"Excuse the intrusion, Inquisitor. But in the course of my duties, I have encountered a rebel cell. The leader of that cell made good use… of a lightsaber."_ Agent Kallus reported.

Grand Inquisitor smiled. "Ah, Agent Kallus. You did well to call."

* * *

 _Well the Ghost Crew has finally arrived in the story, and now they're ready for some action! Also get some more fun family time from the three hooligans on Ahch-To. Oh Mara you teasing little rascal, she knows exactly how to embarrass her parents._ _And then there's Ahsoka getting more affectionate with Jarik, going as far as to leap onto his back for fun. Wonder when they'll finally get married... :)_

 _More and more easter eggs constantly appearing throughout the duration of "Jedi in Exile" which are fun to add in for future events. With there being so little known about the Prime Jedi, Ahch-To, and Snoke I can expand upon it however I want, which is fun to do! :D_


	31. Ch 30 - Dragon Raid

**_Several Months Later (4 BBY)_**

 **Ahch-To Island - Unknown Regions; Jarik POV...**

"Alright, this looks like a good catch," I said, reading the information I managed to dig up.

"What is it?" Ahsoka asks curiously.

"An Imperial convoy is scheduled to be transporting a look of supplies on Lothal. Ranging from tools, weapons, medical supplies, etc. Probably just to restock another outpost," I theorized. She looks over my shoulder at the report and nods in agreement.

"Yeah that does look good. The defensive measures put in place seem manageable enough. I'll give the Spectres a call about it," she says, walking to the other side of the hut and opening a small cabinet, pulling out our Fulcrum comlink. She presses a button on the side that will conceal her identity with a hooded figure and scrambled voice, then sends out the call. She lays the communicator back down on the table and plops into her seat, now waiting for them to pick up.

"The waiting game," I remarked.

Just then the door burst open, startling us greatly and almost making me leap out of my seat. We both calmed down upon seeing the reason and eyed the culprit with an exasperated look.

"Mara, may we ask why you are slamming the door open?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

"I've been checking the calendar, and we're scheduled to have another trip on Berk today!" she said eagerly, not at all sorry for scaring the kriff out of us.

"We are?" I asked in surprise, checking the date. "Oh yeah, we are."

"Did you really forget?" Mara deadpanned in disapproval.

"I didn't, but we've been busy with Fulcrum work lately." Ahsoka told her. The comlink started to beep, signaling that Hera had gotten our message and was ready to talk to us... well 'Fulcrum' really.

"After we take this call, we'll get ready for our trip Mara. That sound good?" she said.

"Alright!" she quickly agreed, rushing out the door, slamming it again. I rolled my eyes.

Ahsoka then reached over and accepted the transmission. A hologram of Hera Syndulla, who was a green colored Twi'lek female showed up, and she looked in Ahsoka's direction. Of course, all she'd be seeing is a cloaked hologram with a hidden face.

 _"This is Spectre-2 to Fulcrum. Receiving your transmission,"_ she says.

"Acknowledged Spectre-2. New information on the Imperials has just popped up..." Ahsoka began, outlining the details of the Imperial convoy, from the timing, to the route, and gave our advice on the Empire's defenses...

 ** _(Fun fact: this leads to the start of the 'Out of Darkness' episode.)_**

* * *

 **Isle of Berk, Ahch-To; Hiccup POV...**

You know, a good friend of mine likes to call me out for my love or narrating. And she's right, so I'll happily start this off.

 _'This, is Berk. It's twelve days North of hopeless, and a few degrees South of freezing to death. It's located solidly on the meridian of misery.'_

The whole village I live in is on a cliff ledge, held up. Right now it's the middle of the night, where things are very peaceful at the moment, and I'm happily sound asleep. So I'll continue narrating in my head.

 _'My village. In a word, sturdy. And it's been here for seven generations, but every single building is new. We have fishing, and hunting and a charming view of the sunsets. The only problems are the pests. You see most places have mice or mosquitos. We have...'_

I'm jolted awake by the sound of a commotion outside, and the house shakes slightly from the force of a nearby explosion of some sort. Knowing the drill, I immediately scramble out of bed and pull on my fur vest and boots, rushing down the stairs. Dad is already gone of course, so it's up to me to get my fishbone body over to the forge. I yank the door open to see Vikings running across the grass, and then a Monstrous Nightmare flies up. It whips its head to glare at me, and unleashes a massive stream of fire. I quickly slam the door shut, eyes shut tight as the fire flows through the cracks in the door before settling back down. I open my eyes in shock at how close I was to being burned.

"...dragons," I breathe out, finishing my in-head narration.

Peeking out the door and noticing the coast is clear, I quickly rush out and down the field of chaos. A quick glance behind me shows the door smoldering and about to fall off its hinges, which means a new one! Yay! All around me, everyone is yelling and shouting, rushing around and waving their weapons at the attacking dragons. Several houses were already lit aflame, and I could see some of our animals being carried off as well. What a place we live in.

 _'Most people, would leave. Not us. We're Vikings. We have... stubbornness issues.'_

That's the understatement of history no doubt, but hey. I'm a sarcastic kind of guy. I quickly rush through the streets with prqacticed ease on my way to the forge, ducking and weaving through several Vikings and blasts of fire.

 _'My name's Hiccup. Great name I know, but it's not the worst! Parents believe a hideous name will frighten off gnomes and trolls. Like our charming Viking demeanor wouldn't do that.'_

I glance behind me to watch a Gronckle fly by, one of my neighbor's in its mouth. He slams on the Gronckle's head repeatedly with a mace, and the dragon eventually tosses him aside, not finding him worth the effort. An explosion behind me sends me flying to the ground, where a burly Vikings lands on top of me, waving his axe in my face.

"ARGGGGHHHH!" he yelled, before his face instantly brightened up, almost insane-like. "Mornin'!"

He said it like it was any casual day, completely disregarding the fact that we're under attack from giant, firebreathing reptiles. Yeah, that's how used to this kind of stuff we are. Getting to my feet, I continued on my way, running down a wooden bridge as burly Vikings passed by me.

 _'Meet the neighbors. Hoark the Haggard...'_

"What are you doing out!?"

 _'...Burnthair the Broad...'_

"Get inside!"

 _'...Phlegma the Fierce...'_

"Get back inside!"

 _'...Ack...'_

I pass by Ack, who is leaning against his axe propped up by an arm, nonchalantly picking at his ear while everything around him continues to explode into chaos.

 _'Yup, just Ack.'_

As you can see, I'm a very well received guy in this village, everybody knows me quite well. And in case you were gullible, I was being sarcastic. I continue on my way, glancing to the side and completely ignoring what was in front of me. Because of this I didn't see that stream of fire that would have torched me had someone's hand not shot out and yanked me from the ground. I caught a glimpse of my rescuer and grimaced uncomfortably, noting that the chief certainly wasn't in a gaming mood. Even less then usual, which is very impressive.

"Hiccup?! What is he doing out-" he starts to say, rambling accusingly to the crowd before deciding to focus his attention on me instead. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT?! Get inside!" he exclaims, tossing me back to the ground not to gently, and I stumble away, continuing my run for the forge.

 _'That's Stoick the Vast. Chief of the tribe. They say that when he was a baby he popped a dragon's head clean off of its shoulders. Do I believe it?'_

Stoick grabs a large wooden cart and hurls it without any effort whatsoever, knocking the strafing dragon out of the sky.

 _'Yes I do.'_

Massive flaming braziers are raised on poles, lighting up the night sky... and revealing swirling dragons of all types as I pass by. Finally, I cross an open plaza and duck into an open building with a tall chimney, which is the forge. I cross behind a counter, where a peg-legged, one-armed hulk of a Blacksmith reshapes blades with a hammer and tongs appendage.

"Ah! Nice of you to join the party. I thought you'd been carried off!"

I don a leather apron and start to put away his scattered appendages. He really can't clean up after himself at all.

"Who me? Nah, come on! I'm way too muscular for their taste!" I comment sarcastically, grimacing as I lifted up his mace hand before managing to set it on the shelf, brushing myself off.

"They wouldn't know what to do with all this!" I strike a bodybuilder pose.

"They need toothpicks, don't they?" he easily retorts.

I immediately get to work, knowing the drill, and start transferring bent and chipped weapons to the forge as Vikings crowd the counter for replacements.

 _'The meathead with attitude and interchangeable hands is Gobber. I've been his apprentice ever since I was little. Well...littler.'_

A quick glance outside has me noticing the chief running down a walkway with several Vikings, and a dragon strafes the rooftops of nearby houses, setting them all aflame in an instant. The fire spreads like a plague.

 _'See? Old village, lots and lots of new houses.'_

"FIRE!" a viking yells out. That's the cue for the fire brigade to begin their job, and charge through the plaza. Four teenagers, tugging a large wooden cask on wheels. From it, they fill buckets of water to douse the flames. One among them is a cute, energetic Viking girl, who I've had a crush on for a long time. I lean out of the stall to watch her, a dreamy smile on my face.

 _'Oh and that's Fishlegs, Snotlout. The twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut.'_

Fishlegs and Snotlout grab their own buckets and rush for a rather large fire, while the twins continue to fighter over one bucket, tugging on it angrily. The fact that they can still fight each other when everyone's lives are in danger is absolutely ridiculous. Then my crush moves forwards, and my eyes are only on her again.

 _'And...Astrid.'_

Astrid tosses a bucket of water on a large burst of flames to put it out, and then turns around. Another explosion immediately erupts behind her, framing her in a epic ball of fire. The others join her, looking awesome and heroic, adding another pang of longing streaming through my mind.

 _'Oh their job is so much cooler.'_

I try to stealthily join them as they pass, thinking this could be my moment for recognition, but Gobber grabs my shirt with his hook and hoists me back inside before I could sneak away.

"Ah, come on. Let me out, please. I need to make my mark!" I plead desperately as he sets me down.

"Oh, you've made plenty of marks!" he quickly agrees, although for a different reason. "All in the wrong places!" he says, poking me in the chest accusingly with each pronunciation.

"Please, two minutes. I'll kill a dragon! My life will get infinitely better. I might even get a date," I tell him, arguing my case.

He starts counting out numerous issues on his hand in response. "You can't lift a hammer. You can't swing an axe..."

Gobber grabs a bola as an example.

"...you can't even throw one of these!"

A Viking runs by and nabs it out of Gobber's hand, hurling it at a dive-bombing Gronkle. The bola binds its legs, sending it into a heavy crash.

I admittedly concede without hesitation. "Okay fine, but..."

I rush to the back corner of the stall and present a bizarre, wheel barrow-like contraption. It was a newer invention I had been working on for some time, that could shoot a bola without ever needing to throw it. I had actually gotten the idea from some of the things my friend and her family have on their strange flying ship, which I will explain later.

"...this will throw it for me!"

I pat my hand on the top of the hinged lid of the device, which I had proudly called the Mangler. Unfortunately, I accidentally set it off, and an arm springs up, equipped with twin bows. They prematurely launch a bola, narrowly missing Gobber who ducks at the last moment, dodging only through years of experience with my inventions. Unfortunately the people behind him aren't as lucky, and the bola sails by, taking out a Viking at the counter.

"Arggh!" he cries out, and I flinch in embarrassment as Gobber whirls around and advances on me.

"See, now this right here is what I'm talking about!" he exclaims, pointing at me accusingly as his point gets proven right.

Mild calibration issue..." I mumble as an excuse.

"Hiccup," he says sternly, cutting me off. "If you ever want to get out there to fight dragons, you need to stop all..."

Gobber gestures in my general direction, a rather pathetic look on his face.

"...this."

"But... you just pointed to all of me," I say irritably in admonishment and protest.

"Yes! That's it! Stop being all of you!" he says happily in confirmation.

"Ohhhh..." I start threateningly with narrowed eyes.

"Ohhhhh, yes!" he replies, mimicking me.

"You, sir, are playing a dangerous game. Keeping this much, raw... Vikingness contained. There will be consequences!" I exclaim threatening, waving my hand around to get my point across.

Unfortunately the look he gives me shows that he is not impressed. Gobber picks a sword up off of the rack and tosses it to me. It takes everything I have not to fall or drop the massive sword, holding it just barely with both arms.

"I'll take my chances. Sword. Sharpen. Now," he orders.

I take it begrudgingly and stumble over towards the grinding wheel, heaving it up and slamming it down on the wheel, holding it in place. Sparks fly as it starts to sharpen, and I start to longingly fantasize possible ways of recognition and respect from the village.

 _'One day I'll get out there. Because killing a dragon is everything around here. A Nadder head is sure to get me at least noticed. Gronckles are tough. Taking down one of those would definitely get me a girlfriend. A Zippelback? Exotic, exciting. Two heads, twice the status. And then there's the Monstrous Nightmare. Only the best Vikings go after those. They have this nasty habit of setting themselves on fire.'_

A sudden moaning sound starts to sound in the air, turning into a high-pitched shrieking sound that everyone has come to know and fear. I look up from the grinding wheel, reacting to the sound as everyone else has, looking out the stall window.

 _'But the ultimate prize is the dragon no one has ever seen. We call it the...'_

"NIGHT FURY!" someone screams.

"GET DOWN!" another yells, and everyone ducks behind their shields no matter where they were, and the shriek reaches its climax. The large watchtower that holds our catapult is suddenly hit by a powerful plasma blast of purple energy, completely obliterating it in one strike. The large pieces all tumble down the side in flames, and I can hear the chief scream for those on it to jump.

 _'This thing never steals food, never shows itself and... never misses.'_

The Night Fury fires another plasma blast at what remained of the watchtower, erasing it completely from existence. I look outside at all the carnage before gaining a look of determination on my face. This is my big moment.

 _'No one has ever killed a Night Fury. That's why I'm gonna be the first.'_

Looking back inside, I see Gobber trading his hammer for an axe, and he looks up at me.

Man the fort, Hiccup, they need me out there!" he exclaims.

He starts to head outside before suddenly pausing. He turns back toward me with a threatening glare.

"Stay. Put. There," he says sternly, as if I were a dog and I eye him incredulously. He simply shrugs in response. "You know what I mean.

Gobber charges into the fray, hollering. Once he's gone, a smirk comes on my face as I realize I have an opportunity to take down a dragon. I know exactly what Gobber means, but it doesn't mean I have to listen to him. Moments later my apron is thrown to the side to be replaced with my vest, and I'm slamming the Mangler out of the forge, pushing my wheeled contraption through a wall of clustered Vikings. I weave through the ongoing mayhem, as fast as my legs can go.

"Hiccup, where are you going!?"

"Come back here!

"I know. Be right back!" I yell in response, rushing for the top of the village as fast as I could. Only a couple of minutes later I'm standing on a high cliff near the outskirts of the village, overlooking the smoking catapult, droping the handles to the ground. I crank several levers, unfolding and then cocking the bowed arms of the Mangler with practiced ease. I drop a bola onto a chamber and then pivot the weapon on a gimbal head toward the dark sky. I listen intently, narrowing my gaze through the scope with a hand just above the trigger.

"Come on, gimme something to shoot at, gimme something to shoot at," I whisper to myself.

I then hear the sound of wing beats approaching... and turn my aim to the defense tower. Whatever it is closes in for the final strike, completely camouflaged in the night. I grin eagerly, not recognizing the figure. I couldn't see it, but several starts were being blocked out at random places, a black shape the cause. It had to be the Night Fury!

Then the sound of the dragon's signature screech sounds once again, and I take aim at it is best as possible. Then out of nowhere, a purple plasma blast slams into the catapult tower, and the tower topples. The blast of fire illuminates the dragon for a split second. Acting instinctively in response, I pull the trigger. The flexed arms snap forward, springing the weapon off the ground, and the recoil sends me falling on my back. The bola disappears into the sky, followed by a whack and a shrill screech. I look up, a stunned look of shock and disbelief on my face as I see it fall through the sky, landing just by Raven Point. Huh, that's a popular place for crash landings huh? Then the realization sinks in.

"Oh I hit it! Yes, I hit it!" I cheered happily, throwing my arms into the air happily. "Did anybody see that?!"

Behind me, the loud sound of wood and mechanical parts being smashed suddenly gets my attention, and I turn around with dread to see a Monstrous Nightmare climb the side of the cliff, glaring down at me with a snarl. Typical.

"Except for you," I muttered.

The Nightmare roared and snapped it's jaws at me, and I wasted no time in running away as fast as possible, screaming in terror. I rushed back down to the village, the dragon hot on my tail and snapping its mouth inches away from me. Then it begins to shoot fire as I enter a street in the village. Vikings scatter as I wildly dodge a near fatal blast. The Nightmare's sticky, Napalm-like fire splashes up onto buildings, setting them alight. I quickly duck behind the last standing brazier, the only shelter available, and shut my eyes tightly as the Nightmare blasts it, spraying fire all around me. Once it stops, I peer around the smoldering post warily, finding no sign of it. Then a snarl right next to my back has me frozen in terror as I realize that I'm about to die.

Suddenly, Stoick leaps between us, tackling the Nightmare to the ground. He gets back up and straightens out his helmet, facing the dragon without any sign of fear. The Nightmare tries to shoot a stream of fire, but the only thing that comes out is a small amount of liquid fire and smoke, barely a danger. It's pupils go wide in nervousness as it realizes the same thing the chief does.

"You're all out," he states calmly. With a war cry, he rushes forwards and smashes the Nightmare repeatedly in the face, driving it away. It takes to the air and disappears. Winded, Stoick turns to look down at me, and I know I'm in trouble.

 _'Oh, and there's one more thing you need to know...'_

The burnt brazier pole collapses, sending the massive iron basket crashing. It bounces down the hill, destroying everything as it goes and scattering the Vikings who were holding down netted Nadders. I wince every time someone yelps in pain, or another structure is destroyed by the pole. The freed dragons escape... with several of our sheep in tow.

"Sorry, dad," I manage to say nervously, feeling the piercing glare of his eyes on my back. Yeah, the biggest, most powerful Viking in this village is father to the smallest, and weakest Viking in the village. Oh the irony.

The escaped Nadders fly past with sheep in their clutches. The raid is over, and the dragons have clearly won. Everyone gathers around us, murmuring to each other and eyeing me with scathing glares as I let out a sigh. Here we go again...

"Okay, but I hit a Night Fury," I quickly add in, hoping that he'll hear that. He doesn't.

My dad immediately grabs me by the back scruff of his collar and hauls me away roughly, fuming with embarrassment. What's even worse is that he's silent, which is more terrifying than him screaming. I desperately try to explain and get him to see sense.

"It's not like the last few times, Dad. I mean I really actually hit it! You guys were busy and I had a very clear shot. It went down, just off Raven Point. Let's get a search party out there, before it-"

"STOP!" he yells, cutting me off, and I wince harshly in response. Seeing this he calmls down slightly but still glares angrily at me. "Just...stop. Every time you step outside, disaster follows. Can you not see that I have bigger problems? Winter's almost here and I have an entire village to feed!"

I look around to see all eyes are on me as usual.

"Between you and me, the village could do with a little less feeding, don't ya think?" I ask sarcastically, and a few of the... wider Vikings mutter self-consciously.

"This isn't a joke, Hiccup!" Dad exclaims in exasperation and annoyance."Why can't you follow the simplest orders?

"I can't stop myself! I see a dragon and I have to just... kill it, you know? It's who I am, Dad!" I protest.

He sighs, holding his head before looking back down at me. "You are many things, Hiccup. But a dragon killer is not one of them."

I look down dejectedly, a little hurt by that comment more than any insult that anyone in the village could call me. All I want is to impress him, but it never happens.

"Get back to the house. Make sure he gets there. I have his mess to clean up." Dad lumbers off in the opposite direction, and Gobber leads me through the all too familiar walk of shame. They pass the teen fire brigade as they snicker.

"Quite the performance." Tuffnut says with a grin.

"I've never seen anyone mess up that badly. That helped!" Snotlout says sarcastically in a mocking manner, jeering at me.

"Even Mara and her family's weird magic stuffisn't as impressive as that!" Ruffnut adds, giving her brother a high five.

"Thank you, thank you. I was trying, so..." I reply half-heartedly, brushing off their comments with practice, although I avoid Astrid's glare. They even had the guts to badmouth Mara with me as an example, although if she would here they wouldn't dare. Sighing, I walk away from the village with Gobber following and head up toward my house, standing prominently on the hill above all the others.

Oh yeah, Mara is that friend of mine I mentioned earlier.

"I really did hit one."

"Sure, Hiccup." Gobber replies, only half into the conversation.

"He never listens." I add to the list of complaints.

"Well, it runs in the family," he says nonchalantly once again. Thank you Gobber.

"And when he does, it's always with this... disappointed scowl. Like someone skimped on the meat in his sandwich," I add, turning around at the door and developing a fierce scowl, mimicking my Dad. "Excuse me, barmaid! I'm afraid you brought me the wrong offspring! I ordered an extra large boy with beefy arms. Extra guts and glory on the side. This here. This is a talking fish bone!" I say, trailing off dejectedly at the end.

Gobber shakes his head. "Look, you're thinking about this all wrong. It's not so much what you look like. It's what's inside that he can't stand!"

I take a few moments to stare at him incredulously, with a 'what-the-heck-is-wrong-with-you-face' on.

"Thank you, for summing that up," I replied sarcastically. Putting my hand on the door.

Look, the point is, stop trying so hard to be something you're not. At least you've got a good friend in Mara. Her parents seem to like you as well," he adds in.

I pause, considering his words, feeling a little better at the reminder of the Jedi family. Ever since day one, none of them have ever treated me different just for being different than the rest of the tribe, which has been so wonderful. even still, that doesn't get rid of the fact that I'm an outcast in my own village, being the chief's son no less.

"I really love the three of them a lot but... I just want to be one of you guys," I finally say sadly, pushing the door open and slumping inside. Gobber eyes me sympathetically as I enter the door, closing it quietly behind me. Once that's done though, I consider what to do before remembering the Night Fury. I know I hit it, and I'm going to find it and make everyone proud! Mara, Ahsoka and Jarik might not like the idea of killing dragons, but they'll support and stick by my side to help me like true friends! They've never turned me away for any reason.

With my mind made up, I rush out the back door after getting my journal and knife, headed for the woods.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

A noisy din of loud, protesting voices leads to Stoick, glowering in the firelight as he stares down at the large map on the table surrounded by his men. He looks up, ready to propose another raid again.

"Either we finish them or they'll finish us! It's the only way we'll be rid of them! If we find the nest and destroy it, the dragons will leave. They'll find another home!" he says, slamming his blade into the map spread out on the table. The knife pierces the middle of an uncharted corner which is swirling with painted sea monsters and dragons. Those are unexplored waters, which is where the nest has remained hidden all these years.

"One more search. Before the ice sets in," he proposes determinedly.

"Those ships never come back," someone points out.

"Couldn't we uh... get some help from the Jedi with their magic sensing powers?" one asks meekly.

Stoick sighs. "We can't expect to rely on them, and they're too busy with their own fight against their enemies! We have to handle this ourselves, and we have to succeed!" he says, standing up straight. "We're Vikings. It's an occupational hazard. Now who's with me?"

Stoick throws up his fist, but no one follows. The crowds shifts in restless silence with head scratches, and averted eyes as Stoick sweeps his gaze around the room.

"Today's not good for me," someone mutters.

"I've gotta do my axe returns," another says as an excuse.

Exasperated, Stoick pulls his last card out. He doesn't take any aort of joy or pleasure out of it, but it has to be done. "Alright. Those who stay will look after Hiccup."

Hands immediately shoot into the air, volunteers from every single Viking in the room. There were even enthusiastic murmurs of prepping and packing filling the chatter within the room.

"To the ships!" some cried out.

"I'm with you Stoick!" another exclaims eagerly.

Stoick nods in satisfaction. "That's more like it."

The Vikings rush for the door, leaving Gobber and Stoick alone. Gobber gulps back the contents of his tankard attachment and scrapes back the bench, while Stoick paces around the hall. He's never enjoyed having to use Hiccup as a threat to get people to go on dragon raids, and finds it even a little dishonorable. They're Vikings, and things like that should not be proper for motivation! However it's necessary in order to finally put an end to their dragon problem.

"I'll pack my undies." Gobber says.

"No, I need you to stay and train some new recruits," he immediately replies.

Gobber sighs in response. "Oh, perfect. And while I'm busy, Hiccup can cover the stall. Molten steel, razor sharp blades, lots of time to himself...what could possibly go wrong?" he says sarcastically.

Stoick sinks onto the bench beside Gobber, his brow burdened and lets out an exhausted sigh.

"What am I going to do with him Gobber?" he asks, showing a vulnerability that few rarely see.

"Put him in training with the others," his friend suggests.

Stoick shakes his head, not thinking he actually meant it. "No, I'm serious."

"So am I." Gobber retorts sternly, and Stoick turns to him with a glare on his face.

"He'd be killed before you let the first dragon out of its cage!" he exclaims.

"Oh, you don't know that."

"I do know that, actually."

"No, you don't."

"No, actually I do."

"No you don't!" Gobber stresses. "Take Mara for example! She's two years younger than Hiccup yet can still kick even Astrid's butt!"

"They don't count, they're Jedi! With their insane Force powers, so just listen! You know what Hiccup's like. From the time he could crawl he's been...different. He doesn't listen. Has the attention span of a sparrow. I take him fishing and he goes hunting for... for trolls!" Stoick exclaims in bewilderment.

Gobber whips around to face him. "Trolls exist! They steal your socks. But only the left ones. What's with that?"

"When I was a boy..." Stoick starts to say, and Gobber rolls his eyes.

"Oh here we go," he says in exasperation, having heard this story dozens of times.

"My father told me to bang my head against a rock and I did it. I thought it was crazy, but I didn't question him. And you know what happened?" Stoick asked rhetorically.

"You got a headache," Gobber replies dryly.

"That rock split in two," Stoick replies, ignoring Gobber's answer."It taught me what a Viking could do, Gobber. He could crush mountains, level forests, tame seas! Even as a boy, I knew what I was, what I had to become."

He sits back down on the bench beside Gobber with a troubled expression. "Hiccup is not that boy."

"You can't stop him, Stoick. You can only prepare him." At Stoick's disbelieving look, Gobber continues. "Look, I know it seems hopeless. But the truth is you won't always be around to protect him. He's going to get out there again. He's probably out there now!"

Stoick looks thoughtful, hearing Gobber's words and taking them into account as he makes a decision. The door suddenly burst open as a Viking rushes inside.

"Chief!" he calls out.

"What is it?" Stoick asks, settling into the role of a leader as the Viking stops before him.

"The Jedi-Shan family is back," he reports.

Stoick nods in understanding. "Alright. Thank you for informing me. I'll meet them at the docks."


	32. Ch 31 - The Face of Fury

**Jarik POV...**

We parked our speedboat by the side of the docks, in an area that is more secluded from the rest, both to not interrupt anything in their schedule and to keep our stuff separate from theirs. As usual, any Viking that was nearby would stop to stare at us, still not fully used to us even after five years, but there was no hostility anymore. At least besides the more radical villagers that even the rest deemed insane. Take Mildew for example.

Anyways, our relationship with Berk is more as an acquaintance type friendship, where we both respect each other and would offer help to the other if require, but we aren't best pals or 'buddy buddies.' That's really only between Hiccup, Gobber and Gothi, Stoick when he's in a good mood, and sometimes the teens. I climbed onto the dock and attached the small rope to the pier, offering a courteous hand to Ahsoka with a charming smile.

"My lady Tano," I said, causing her to look up at me with a raised eyebrow and Mara to snicker.

"Am I supposed to accept your hand?" she asks sarcastically.

"Yes, that's how it goes," I replied.

She considers before declining. "I'll think I'll pass thank you," she says with a smirk, pulling her small travel bag on and climbing onto the docks easily and I rolled my eyes.

"I'll accept the offer!" Mara exclaims, already wearing her bag and I let out a sigh before pulling her up. "Thanks daddy!" she says, grinning innocently and I shooed her on.

"Yeah yeah," I muttered without an real bite.

"You're so easy to tease Jarik." Ahsoka says while I grab my own bag.

"Is that right?" I ask.

"Yup! And you already know how mischievous I can be!" Mara says proudly.

"Speaking of mischief..." I start to say, slinging my bag over my shoulder and walking over to the nearby post, slamming my left elbow into it. The post wobbles considerably, and two forms perched on top fall to the ground in the middle of our circle with startled cries. The three of us let out sighs of exasperation as Tuffnut and Ruffnut get to their feet, straightening their helmets with scowls on their faces.

"Dude, what was that for!?" Tuffnut demands.

"Dare we ask Tuff?" Mara questions sarcastically.

"Dare you ask? HAH! As if you could understand the adventures of a dare!" Tuffnut says in reply.

"Yeah, one time I dared him to put yak dung down his-" Ruffnut started to say before I slammed a hand over her mouth.

"Don't even go there," I warned her, and she pushed my hand away, shoving Tuffnut in the process. Just then I notice Stoick and Gobber approaching us, both with looks of annoyance on their faces.

"RUFFNUT! TUFFNUT!" Stoick bellowed. "What are you two doing?" he demands.

"Oh hey chief! We were just uh, inviting our prestigious Jedi visitors back to our wonderful Isle of Berk!" Tuffnut announces, waving his arms dramatically at us.

"No greeting, no beating!" Ruffnut added in with an attempt of 'welcoming' rhyme, before frowning in confusion. The rest of us, even Tuffnut all stared at her with varying looks of exasperation and calm disbelief at her ridiculous statement.

"You're such a moron." Tuffnut deadpanned.

Gobber sighs. "I'd be surprised if they make it through the first day of training," Gobber says to Stoick, who nods in agreement. "Alright you numbskulls, scram!" Gobber exclaims, and the twins immediately rush out of sight, bickering with each other.

"Is it weird to say I've gotten used to that?" Mara asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Unfortunately," I said in agreement.

"Ahh, they're always like that." Gobber says. "Nice to see you lot back here eh?"

"Anytime Gobber," Ahsoka said with a small smile.

"Let me guess, you guys got raided again?" Mara asks, gesturing to the village as we head up the docks. I notice the recent signs of destruction as well. Vikings rebuilding houses, some wood still smoldering and smoking, numerous scorch marks on the dirt and feels.

"Yup. The devils were more vicious this time around," Stoick said, and the three of us frowned at the choice of words but otherwise didn't comment. "We're actually heading out on another search tomorrow."

"Right now?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "Isn't winter almost here?"

"Aye, but these attacks are getting more difficult. We need to find and finish the nest before they do us. This is our last shot before winter to make that happen," he says determinedly.

Ahsoka and I glance at each other in concern, but this isn't the first time Stoick has shown his determination and what lengths he will go to in order to defeat the dragon nest. "If you say so," I replied.

"By the way, where's Hiccup at today?" Mara asks Gobber curiously.

"Hiccup?" Stoick says with a raises eyebrow, letting off an almost unnoticeable sigh of aggravation. "He should be at the house," he grumbles. I get the feeling the raid had another, 'accident.'

Mara frowned in annoyance but Gobber leaned forwards. "Ah, don't mind him. He's just upset that part of the village was destroyed by one of our flaming braziers," he said.

"Let me guess, Hiccup?" Ahsoka asked sarcastically, a hand on her hip.

"Eh, a Nightmare may have... chased him across town and burned down the post he was hiding behind." Gobber admitted sheepishly.

"He shouldn't have been ever there in the first place." Stoick said in irritation, his displeasure about the matter obvious, and Mara scowled, holding herself back from the need to defend Hiccup from Stoick. At this point we had arrived at the house that we occupied when visiting Berk. The villagers all helped to build it during our first visit, despite our attempts to politely decline the offer. They wouldn't be denied however, stating that they owed us a debt for using the Force to calm down the dragons and get them to leave the island that first time, and also feeling that we deserved better due to our status as Jedi. Anything more than the simple house we finally had built we absolutely refused, since we didn't want to impede on their lives and takes something from them when it wasn't necessary.

Before anything more could be said, Ahsoka's communicator started beeping, causing Stoick and Gobber to jump in surprise, whilst she merely pulled it out of her pocket.

"What is-" Stoick started defensively.

"Relax, it's just a communicator," she quickly shot him down. Most people couldn't do that to him, but even Stoick had come to realize the danger of getting on the bad side of the shorter 5' 7" Togruta lady.

"One of your... magic speech things?" Gobber questioned.

Mara rolled her eyes. "It's not magic you doofus, just technology. Over a thousand years ahead of your stuff," she said proudly.

Gobber and Stoick widened their eyes before nodding, staring in wonder at the communicator as Ahsoka checked it. I crossed my arms and looked down at Mara with a raised eyebrow. "Need I remind you that a Jedi is humble, my young Padawan?"

She shrugged in response. "What? It's true."

"Did you just quote Anakin?" Ahsoka asked, looking up at me from the communicator. I shrugged in response and she rolled her eyes, looking back down at the communicator.

"Who?" Gobber asked.

"Her old master, not important," I said, waving it off.

"Alright well come on then Gobber! We have our duties to take care of." Stoick said sternly, marching away with purpose. Gobber followed after him, leaving us to ourselves. Ahsoka checked the caller ID and looked up at us.

"Hera's calling," she said.

"Really? Right now?" Mara asked in annoyance.

"Well it's not like the Empire ever takes a break huh?" she asked sarcastically.

"Ok, good point." Mara said in agreement as we headed inside the house. It was simple on the inside, made in the traditional Viking style, although modified how we saw fit. The house was relatively small, about the size of 2-3 huts on Ahch-To, but that wasn't too much of a problem for us. Mara slept upstairs in a small loft which she can reach by climbing a ladder on the side, and on the main floor was me and Ahsoka's bed, as well as a table and small storage cabinet, along with a storage crate we brought from the Knight Hawk to hold food. There was never any worries about the twins taking it because it was bolted to the floor, and locked magnetically so that only one of us three could open it. Besides, even the twins wouldn't dare steal from us. Pranks and trying to make us miserable are one thing, but stealing is a line they won't cross.

Shutting the door, we set our bags on the wall hooks and sat down at the table, where Ahsoka placed the communicator in front of her.

"Looks like this is about the supplies we left for pickup the other day on Fort Anaxes," she said.

"Oh really? Didn't we drop those off like, three days ago?" I asked.

"Hmm hmm," she says in reply. "I'm sure you enjoyed touring your old battlegrounds."

"Hey, it's the large battle taking place after I realized Echo was still alive, of course I value it," I retorted.

"I like that story. You should tell it to me in full soon!" Mara said hopefully.

"In a little bit. Perhaps I'll write a chapter in my life story about it," I replied with a hint of sarcasm, and a smile on my face. She grinned eagerly in response before Ahsoka shushes us. Reminding Mara to be quiet with a gesture, we watched her accept the call. A hologram of Hera sitting in a pilot's seat came on. I love how we could see them, but they couldn't see us thanks to my programming. Kinda fun actually.

"Phantom, this is Fulcrum. Come in," Ahsoka said.

 _"This is Specter-2, Fulcrum."_ Hera replied. Then she turned to look at someone off of the screen, and I think I heard a girl's voice asking if she could talk to Fulcrum. Hah, if only they knew there was more than one person, and the speaker wasn't even a guy.

 _"Don't you dare."_ Hera said quietly as a warning, and Mara raised an eyebrow incredulously at me. I put a hand to my lips, making sure she knew to stay quiet. If she spoke then it would be confusing and suspicious, so thankfully she understood and kept quiet.

"It's already at the rendezvous, Specter-2. Supplies are unloaded and ready. Should I wait there for you?" Ahsoka questions, although we're hoping that we don't have to suddenly leave for an emergency. Then, out of nowhere, a teenage girl about sixteen years old or so pushed in against Hera, speaking into the com. Hera gaped at her in annoyance. I think this was Spectre-5, and she had some colorful armor... oh no.

 _"Yeah, stick around! Specter-2 and I would love to talk to you,"_ she said, although there was a hint of suspicion in her tone.

Mara rolls her eyes while Ahsoka raised an eyebrow. I eyed Spectre-5 warily, not sure what to think. "Specter-2, what's the problem?" Ahsoka asked.

Hera quickly pushes Spectre-5 back before speaking into the comlink again. _"No problem, Fulcrum. Specter-5 decided to help with the supply run,"_ she said nervously.

Ahsoka let off an unnoticeably sigh to them but nodded. "Understood. Fulcrum out."

She closed the transmission and Mara immediately spoke up. "Wow. Talk about suspicious am I right?"

"No kidding... you alright Jarik?" Ahsoka asked, noticed my conflicted expression.

"Yeah I'm fine it's just... you noticed what Spectre-5 was wearing?" I asked.

"What?" Mara questioned curiously.

"Mandalorian armor. And you know how complicated that'll make things," I said pointedly, and Ahsoka widened her eyes before nodding her head in realization.

"Yeah... I see the problem," she said in agreement.

Mara snorted in amusement. "HA! Guess it's a good thing you aren't the talker huh dad?" she teased.

"Oh how funny," I retorted.

"Well, this is only a simple supply pickup so it won't be necessary for me to be there," Ahsoka decided with a shrug. "You think I should've told them about the Fyrnock's now living there?"

Fyrnocks were carnivorous animals that had somehow managed to make a home in the remains of the base, scavenging and eating anything that came their way. Basically they looked like a mix between a large reptile and loth-cat. I thought about it for a moment before shrugging.

"Well it's just a supply run like you said. In and out. Besides we placed those crates in the sun anyways," I decided.

"Fair point." Ahsoka replied in agreement.

"Why do I get the feeling that this is gonna come back to haunt us?" Mara asked rhetorically.

"Usually does, but they'll be fine, especially if one of them is a Mandalorian," I said.

"She's a teenager," she replied with a frown.

Ahsoka raised an eyebrow at her. "And your thirteen, younger then her, yet you can fight well. Your point?"

Mara opened her mouth to reply before closing it, looking at us sheepishly. "Ok, that was dumb of me," she agreed.

* * *

 **Hiccup POV...**

I looked at my drawn map of the island, covered in X's. I had been searching the island for the better part of the day, yet had found nothing, not even a single sign of there ever being a crashed dragon. All these X's were spots that had nothing. But maybe this place might finally have the Night Fury. I take a deep breathe and peek over the gorge in front of me expectantly. As usual, I see nothing. Exasperated, I add another 'X' to the page. My exasperation quickly turns to frustration and anger as I then scratch my pencil over the whole map, snapping the book closed and pocketing it.

"Uggh, the gods hate me." I muttered hopelessly. "Some people lose their knife or their mug. No, not me. I manage to lose an entire dragon!"

I whack a low-hanging branch in my way, walking forwards. However it snaps back at me, hitting me in the face.

"OWW!" I exclaim painfully, holding a hand up to my face. That was surely going to leave a mark. I glare furiously up at the branch before noticing the tree it was on was broken.

My eyes follow the downed tree to a long trench of up-turned dirt. I widen my eyes in shock before a surge of excitement rushes through me. His must be the dragon's crash landing! I follow the deep trench and then walk up the mound of dirt, suddenly seeing the dragon right in front of me. I gasp in sudden fear and duck back down behind the mound of dirt, expecting it to attack. When nothing happens, I peek my head over the side again to see a downed, black dragon, its body and tail tangled in the bola. It appears dead. I smile widely, approaching the dragon with confidence.

"Oh wow. I did it. I did it. This fixes everything. Yes!" I said happily, striking a victory pose and planting my foot on the fallen Night Fury.

"I have brought down this mighty beast!" I declared.

To my surprise the dragon suddenly shifts, throwing my foot off of him with a growl. I yelp and stumbled backwards against the rock, eyeing the dragon fearfully again. However it doesn't move anymore, still tied up and gives no further reaction. Scrambling slightly, I pull my knife out and point it at the dragon.

Rattled, I creep forwards to stand in front of the weak, wounded dragon, dagger poised to strike. As I looked is body over, my gaze reaches the head, and my heart stops upon seeing the Night Fury staring coldly back at me with wide, green eyes, not blinking. I swallow nervously and try to look away, but am drawn back to its unnerving, unflinching stare. I shouldn't be afraid though with the dragon tangled in the ropes, unable to make a move to attack me. Taking a deep breathe and preparing myself, I raise my dagger puffing up with false bravado, trying to do what I have to.

"I'm going to kill you, Dragon. I'm gonna cut out your heart and take it to my father. I'm a Viking." I say determinedly, before glaring down at the dragon. "I am a VIKING!"

The dragon's labored breathing breaks my clenched concentration, and it growls in response. I lift my dagger above my head, eyes closed, but reopen an eye, uncertainty leaking through as I look down at it. The dragon holds the stare, and I was struck by its gaze... at the terror plainly visible to me through its eye. Nothing and no one has ever been terrified of me before...

Finally, the Night Fury closes its eye and lowers its head, resigned to its fate. Seeing this, I raise my dagger up higher, trying to go through with it, a fierce scowl on my face... fighting myself... until finally lowering it with a frustrated sigh. I look over the dragon's chaffed rope wounds guiltily, staring at my dagger.

"I did this," I said quietly, ashamed of myself. I could never be a Viking if this is what it would take. Giving the dragon one last look, I turn to leave. But a few steps away I pause, glancing back at the dragon, chest heaving. I consider what to do, hesitant, before I finally grumble in annoyance. Check in to make sure no one is nearby or watching, I scurry back towards the Night Fury and kneel be its side. I start cutting though the ropes, and they separate with loud snaps. I glance over my shoulder to check in case anyone is watching. The ropes begin to slacken as more are cut, and as soon as the last rope falls free, the Night Fury suddenly roars, pouncing on me before I could react. It's paw grabs me and then I get slammed harshly into the rock.

I let out a quick shout of fear as the dragon pins me against the rock, and start breathing heavily, looking up at its head in terror. It glares down at me with narrowed eyes, pupils into slits with a furious gaze, yet I can see some sort of intelligence in them. It looks absolutely furious, like it's about to kill me. I'm paralyzed from fear, able to see myself reflected in the dragon's eyes. The exchange is intense, terrifying, and I continuously scream in my mind that releasing the dragon was a huge mistake, one which I'm about to pay for. The dragon then raises its head in a snarl, teeth glinting, as though it's about to blast me. I shut my eyes tightly, wishing for it to be quick. Instead, an ear-piercing shriek comes from its mouth as it roars in my ear. As soon as it does so, it turns and takes flight, flapping violently through the canopy of trees. It bashes against a nearby mountain side, recovers, and drops out of view some distance away.

I reopen my eyes and watch it go, hyperventilating before exhaling in shock. I can't believe I'm still alive... and it left me alone as well. I slump against the rock before slowly trying to get up, dagger in hand. Staring in the direction it traveled, I can hear its roars off in the distance, which still shake me immensely. I turn around, deciding to finally head back to the village, but I still couldn't believe what had happened. Stunned and shocked, I stumble slightly, letting out a pitiful moan and dropping my dagger before falling to the ground, fainting.

* * *

I don't know how long I was out, but eventually I reawaken, slowly opening my eyes with a groan. I realize I'm still laying in the dirt and slowly push myself to my feet, rubbing my head. Was all of that just a dream... or did I actually just free a dragon, a Night Fury no less, and survived without a scratch?!

No, a quick glance at the pile of cut bolas showed that I wasn't dreaming, and that I actually did free a dragon, a Night Fury no less, and survived without a scratch. Oh... everyone's gonna kill me if they find out. With that happy though in mind, I put away my dagger and begin walking back to the village. I notice how low in the sky the sun seems and quicken my pace, also feeling the effects of practically no food in my stomach the whole day as well. I could eat something back at the house. At some point in the forest I hear Mara's voice calling my name.

"Hiccup? You out here somewhere?" she says.

"Hiccup?" she asks in bewilderment.

"Mara?" I reply dumbly, getting to my feet awkwardly and straightening my vest. "W-when did you get here?"

"Just this morning. What're you doing in the woods all day?" she asks in confusion, looking me over at all the dirt covering me from laying on the ground for hours.

"Oh uhh..." I say hesitantly, thinking of a reply. I don't think she'd hate me if I told her about the Night Fury, but I do not want to take any chances. "Just... exploring the woods. Raid happened last night, so I had nothing to do today..." I lied through my teeth, smiling with a nervous laugh.

By the look on her face she doesn't belief it one bit, but thankfully she doesn't press the issue, sighing in exasperation. "Whatever you say fishbone," she said, and we start walking back to the village.

I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. "Yeah... so what were you doing in the forest then?" I ask.

"When you weren't at the house, like I expected you to be, or even in the village I came looking for you after Mom and Dad said I could," she replied. "Quiet places in the forest are your usual preferences right?"

"Uh huh," I responded. "I even have a whole map of the island," I admitted proudly with a small smile, something I couldn't do much around other people.

"Cool. My dad already had a full scanned map of Berk for a while," she said bluntly, and my expression fell.

"Way to kill my self-esteem," I deadpanned.

She smirks at me in reply. "I do it to everyone, something I picked up from dad. But it is cool that you managed to draw the whole thing by hand, not many people can do that," she says, punching my arm lightly.

"Thanks," I said gratefully. At this point however it was getting really dark out, and we almost couldn't see in front of us. "Won't matter though if we can't see where we're going," I sighed.

"Not a problem," she said. Pulling her lightsaber off of her belt, she activated the purple blade, which hummed gently, bathing us and the surrounding area in a violet glow, enough to see a couple feet in front of us. Even though I've seen it before, I'm still in awe of the idea of such a weapon existing.

"Oh right, lightsaber. Of course," I said sarcastically.

"When you're a Jedi, you never need a flashlight- well torch I guess, to see in the dark. Our lightsabers already do that for us," she said with a grin, taking care to remember I'm not familiar with the terms she might use. Like what the heck is a flashlight?

"Well the name certainly fits," I agreed, referring to the fact that it is called a _'light,'_ saber. We chat with each other a little bit, and I almost forget about the Night Fury and what happened during this morning's dragon raid until we reach the village, and Mara turns off her lightsaber, the torch light from the village enabling us to see again.

"Well, see you tomorrow Hiccup," she says, heading over to her house. It was stationed on the hill above the others, closer to the forest and by itself, similar to mine, but obviously not as large as my house.

"See you," I call out, watching her head off to their house, her fur cloak ruffling lightly in the breeze.

Turning back towards my house, I let out a sigh, not anticipating the possibility of talking to my dad, especially after releasing the Night Fury. I'd much rather not be visible at all to him tonight. Entering the house, I notice him sitting at the fire, stoking the flames and close the door as quietly as I could. I scamper past him, rushing up the stairs as fast as possible. I almost make it, thinking I'm in the clear when...

"Hiccup," he says.

"Dad! Uh..." I stammer nervously.

He stands up, taking a deep breath as I slowly move back down the stairs to stand before him, shuffling nervously and awkwardly.

"I, uh... I have to talk to you, Dad," I admit.

"I need to speak with you too, son," he says, claspin his hands together.

I take a breathe and straighten up, about to just admit it from the get go that I won't be able to kill dragons at all, not after what happened today. I don't have to tell him about the Night Fury, just that I can't kill dragons.

"I've decided- I don't want to- I think it's time you learn fight dragons- to fight dragons," we both say at the same time before glancing at each other in surprise. "What? What?"

I shuffled, feeling very awkward and he clears his throat, feeling the same. "You go first," he says.

"No, you go first," I immediately reply. Better to let him get what he has to say off his chest so that my words won't affect what he has to say, if they do.

"Alright. You get your wish. Dragon training. You start in the morning," he declares.

I widen my eyes in surprise at what he said and internally screamed to myself. "Oh man, I should've gone first. Uh, 'cause I was thinking, you know we have a surplus of dragon-fighting Vikings, but do we have enough bread-making Vikings, or small home repair Vikings-" I stammer out, but he interrupts me.

"-You'll need this," he says, handing me a massive single-blades axe. I stumble under its weight and try to hold it up, groaning at the irony of this situation.

"I don't want to fight dragons," I tell him again.

"Come on. Yes, you do," he chuckles in amusement, not believing me. But seriously, who can blame him? For the longest time I've tried to go out a kill a dragon to impress him, only to fail of course, yet now that he's offering me the chance I'm turning it down. Of course he notices now.

"Rephrase. Dad I can't kill dragons," I tell him again, desperately.

He chuckles again. "But you will kill dragons!"

I shake my head again. "No, I'm really very extra sure that I won't."

"It's time, Hiccup," he says sternly, his amusement leaving him.

"Can you not hear me?" I exclaim pleadingly, irritated.

"This is serious, son!" he says, correcting the way I'm holding the axe. Its weight drags me down slightly before he straightens me up.

"When you carry this axe... you carry all of us with you. Which means you walk like us. You talk like us. You think like us. No more of... this," he says, gesturing with a hand in my direction. This time it hurts more than when Gobber said it, because that was still more of a tease. Dad actually meant what he said literally.

"You just gestured to all of me," I said glumly in response, hurt.

"Deal?" he says.

"This conversation is feeling very one-sided," I point out.

"DEAL?!" he exclaims, giving me a stern look.

I glance back down at the axe in my hands, wanting to scream or break something right now because of his stupid one-sided deals. Instead, all I do is slump forward, a resigned and glum look on my face. There's no getting out of this one.

"Deal," I say in resignation.

Satisfied, he grabs his helmet and a duffel bag heading for the door. "Good. Train hard. I'll be back. Probably," he says, and despite how empty our relationship is, I once again feel the same worry I get from every dragon search at the idea that he might not come back from this one.

"And I'll be here. Maybe," I said quietly, watching as he left the house. I let out a sad, and tired sigh, looking back down at the heavy axe in my hands.

* * *

 _Man, poor Hiccup having a tough time huh? Also did anyone notice the joke at made at my expense relating to the unfinished Clone Wars episodes? ;)_


	33. Ch 32 - Welcome to Dragon Training!

**Jarik POV...**

It was starting to get dark outside, and the rest of the villagers were heading off back to their houses. Mara still hadn't come back from finding Hiccup yet which, while unnerving, wasn't that big of a deal at all really. There wasn't anything particularly dangerous on Berk at all besides the occasional dragon or boar, but boars are just overgrown pigs that are no threat to us. Dragons may be more dangerous, but Mara knows not to agitate any she might come across, and we've taught her enough in the Force to be able to keep their attention away from her if necessary.

Most of the day me and Ahsoka were simply getting resettled into the house, checking the occasional Imperial report, while Mara spent some time looking around for Hiccup. She chatted with some of the other kids, well, really just Fishlegs or Astrid, but not for very long. And we also learned that Hiccup claimed to have shot down a Night Fury in the most recent raid. None of the villagers believed it of course, but Ahsoka and I weren't so doubtful, and I know for a fact Mara would believe wholeheartedly that he did. That boy has a clever mind constantly full of wit and creativity. It wasn't that much of a surprise to see that he based his bola launcher invention off of the Knight Hawk's laser cannons. I'm sure R5 would be boasting with pride if he learns that.

But with the day over, Ahsoka and I were about ready to head off and catch some Z's. We finished up a quick meal, in which she ate raw meat, as usual for her carnivorous diet, this time the chicken. Berk's chicken meat is actually really good compared to a lot of the crap I've eaten in my equally crappy life.

Not everything in my life has been crappy though!

I lay in the bed, all of my daily Jedi wear off and hanging from hook nearby, leaving me in just a simple t-shirt and pants for my nightware. The beds we used here weren't as nice as the ones back at the Jedi Temple, since here they only sleep on wood planks with a blanket. So we improvised, bringing our own inflatable mattresses to lay on the wooden cots, which can shrink to the size of a six inches square cube. I propped myself against the wall on the back of the bed, reading a couple of sentences from one of Gothi's books about the Jedi that she'd given me upon visiting us today, and Ahsoka appeared on the bed beside me, reading over my shoulder. All of her armor was now taken off as well, leaving her in just a gray tank top and burgundy colored leggings which were a snug fit.

"She's late again," I spoke up, referring to Mara.

"Oh you bet," she replied in agreement. "Does it make me a bad parent to say I'm not worried about her in the forest by herself?"

I shrugged, setting the book aside, and then gesturing with my arm, I used the Force to lower the brightness of the nearby lamp to a dull glow. "In most cases yes. For us? I'd say we have no excuse first of all, being commanders as fourteen year olds, and two, there is nothing that could hurt her here on Berk."

"So we're good parents?" Ahsoka asks with a small smile.

"I'd say so, yeah."

Frowning thoughtfully, although not really thinking in actuality, she tapped her chin. "Something's been bothering me lately. How can we be parents if we aren't married, not even officially?" she questions with a sly smirk.

I glance over at her with a raised eyebrow. "You offering?"

"No, it's supposed to be the man that proposes. Besides, you're the one who suggested it in the first place just before we got here," she recalled. I frowned for a moment before remembering that moment, just before our raid on Hypori.

"True. But I thought, we decided the war would make it too difficult to focus on," I pointed, remembering that detail.

She rolled her eyes, turning onto her side and propping her face up on her fist. "Oh I remember that. But considering our living circumstances we have right now, I'd say it's worth it. We're remote spies, living in exile on a backwater world, literally living with a Viking culture. Oh, and we have an adopted daughter."

"You do make good points," I agreed, a small smile forming on my face.

She grinned, scooting up closer to me and flipping onto her stomach, looking over at me. "So, you want to get married soon?"

"How about, I leave it as a surprise for you?" I suggest teasingly.

She grumbles in annoyance before hoisting herself up, suddenly moving to sit on top of me, legs straddling me as they pressed against both sides of my waist. She leaned forwards with a sly look on her face, propping her arms on either side of my head. "Surprises are fun, but I'd like a yes or no answer if you'd be so kind," she says.

"Why do you always instigate moments like this before we fall asleep?" I question in response. I know for a fact that she knows I'm just dodging the question, and I can tell it's annoying her. Raising a hand, I brush one of her lekku to the side out of my face.

"Oh, many reasons. I do it because I love you, you're cute, and you will always be my little Jari," she says fondly, stroking my hair tenderly with one of her hands.

"And you'll always be my Sweetie Horns," I retort with a smile.

She leans her head towards mine, and we almost connect our lips for a kiss before she brings her hand in front of my face. I stare up at her in annoyance while she shakes her head. "Nope! No kiss until you answer my question!"

"It doesn't work like that," I protest, and she rolls her eyes with a small frown, pressing me further into the simple mattress bed to express her disapproval of that answer. Her lekku sway in front of my face, as another way to irritate me in a non-hostile way. "If I say yes or no now it ruins the moment we otherwise would have, because you'd already know it's happening!"

She moves her mouth to answer, but stops with it halfway open, frowning. "I suppose you're right..." she decides with a disappointed sigh. "Alright fine, you win this time."

"Thank you m'lady," I replied with a relieved grin.

She slips off of me after that, but still keeps her legs and arms wrapped around me. I wrap my own arm around her to pull her closer, and she sighs happily, dozing off with a soft smile as she hugs me like a young kid would their stuffed animal in a bed. Ahsoka nuzzles her head against my neck, the tips of her montrals brushing through my long hair, and soon enough her breathing slows to a constant pace, signifying she's asleep. About to fall to sleep, I use the Force to turn the lamp off, pulling the blanket over us both, just as Mara walks in, a little too loud for my liking.

She stops in surprise, seeing us at the opposite end of the room, and I send a glare her way, gesturing to the sleeping Togruta holding on to me. Mouthing an apology, she carefully closes the door, then scampers up to her loft, her movements barely heard through her stealth skills. I swear she has an amused smirk on her face the entire time, no doubt directed towards us. I roll my eyes, and Ahsoka then mumbles some random things quietly in her sleep. Pulling her closer, I lay my head gently on top of hers, drifting off too sleep.

* * *

The next morning, the three of us were waiting near the large stone arena that Berk used for training and dragon fighting. The place was carved out of thick stone, with a large metal cage above to keep things inside during a battle. There were several cages lining the walls of the arena, which housed the most common dragons that they would train against. None of us agreed with their methods, but it wasn't our place to judge, and they had done this for hundreds of years. The only way they would change is if one of their own were to suggest an alternative method to the dragon problem. When nobody would be looking though, we would sneak some food to the dragons, and our nonhostile presence kept them calm, if still wary, proving that dragons aren't as bloodthirsty as they think.

Apparently the young teenagers were about to begin their own training to fight dragons today, and Hiccup was included. So with nothing else to do, we decided to observe them and see how they do things. Of course, we had our Fulcrum communicator in case just for emergencies, but coming to Berk was our version of vacation, so we didn't bother ourselves with work or worries whenever here.

Gobber soon approached with the teens behind him, sinc she was to be their mentor for this. Hiccup was lagging further behind them, and I could tell her was nervous. Gobber raises a massive iron gate at the entrance of a vast stone arena, and turns around, waving his hook inside with a grin.

"Welcome to dragon training!" he says enthusiastically.

The recruits file through the gate, and out onto the arena floor. They take it in like gladiators entering the colosseum, noticing how the walls are covered in scorched silhouettes of blasted Vikings from years past. Mara snorts in amusement.

"This'll be fun to watch," she says quietly.

Astrid of course takes the lead, striding in with determination. "No turning back."

"I hope I get some serious burns," Tuffnut says eagerly.

"I'm hoping for some mauling, like on my shoulder or lower back." Ruffnut adds in, excited at the prospect of such violence.

We all looked at each other incredulously, not believing what we were hearing. We're all Viking kids like this? Actually wanting injuries?

"Geez, that's insane," Ahsoka commented with a shake of her head.

"Eh, they're morons," Mara says with a shrug.

"Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it." Astrid adds into the conversation, not at all bothered by the idea. Mara stares down at her with a deadpan look.

"Ok, now she's also a moron," she decides.

"Yeah, no kidding, right? Pain. Love it!" Hiccup's voice drawls sarcastically as he enters the arena behind the rest. The rest of the group all turn to look at him, a few groans of annoyance coming forth. Mara snickers at Hiccup's attitude, while Ahsoka and I crack a smile.

"Oh great. Who let him in?" Tuffnut says angrily.

"Let's get started!" Gobber butts in, moving up beside the kids. "The recruit who does best will win the honor of killing his first dragon in front of the entire village!" he states, emphasizing the killing with his hook.

"Hiccup already killed a Night Fury, so does that disqualify him or...?" Snotlout questions mockingly, and the twins laugh while Hiccup sighs in exasperation. Astrid and Fishlegs stay quiet, but turn with the rest of them. Mara crosses her arms in annoyance.

"Can I transfer to the class with the cool Vikings?" Tuffnut asks.

"As if oh could kill a dragon," Mara calls down, leaning against the cage.

"Oh here we go," I say with a small smile on my face, and Ahsoka shakes her head with the same amused smile.

Snotlout yelps in surprise as they all look up at us, mixtures of confusion and wariness, while in Hiccup's case, he brightens up slightly.

"Ahh! What're they doing here?" Snotlout exclaims, pointing up at us.

"To observe you Snotlout, what's it look like? You lot better get used to scrutiny during your training!" Gobber tells him, walking closer to Hiccup.

"I'd advise not losing an arm," I add, showing my metal hand which glints down at them in the light. When the village learned my arm was a prosthetic, they were shocked and in disbelief, having never noticed it. Of course that wasn't too much of a surprise, seeing as how their most advanced prosthetics belonged to Gobber's arm.

Gobber nods in agreement. "Yes, I'd advise not doing that!"

"Can I get one of your arms if I lose mine?" Tuffnut asks hopefully.

I stare down at him for a moment. "No."

Tuffnut pours while his sister smacks him on the head. Gobber throws a supportive arm around Hiccup and ushers him along while the rest of the recruits all line up in front of the cages. By the look on his face, Gobber's pep talk didn't help him at all one bit. He then gets stuck in line with the others and Gobber continues on toward the five massive reinforced doors. Inside the dragons start to growl, smelling the approaching Vikings. The three of us look sadly at the cages.

"Behind these doors are just a few of the many species you will learn to fight!" Gobber announces.

Fishlegs bounces and giggles with excitement, barely able to contain himself.

"The Deadly Nadder," he begins, and Fishlegs mutters to himself.

Speed eight. Armor sixteen."

"The Hideous Zippleback."

"Plus eleven stealth. Times two."

We exchange glances with raised eyebrows at Fishlegs behavior, and Ahsoka lets out a quiet sigh.

"Rex would so end his life right now," she comments.

"No wonder I can beat these guys up," Mara adds in.

"Hmm hmm," I reply. "Speaking of Rex, how's he doing? I've tried sending a message to Boil but he's never seemed to answer."

Ahsoka nods her head. "Same here. Must be too hard for them to get a good signal with that kriffing AT-TE of theirs," she theorizes.

"Yeah probably," I agreed.

"CAN YOU STOP THAT?!" Gobber voice suddenly yelled, and we jolted slightly in surprise. Guess he got fed up with Fishlegs spewing out his statistics. Mara laughs slightly, enjoying the show.

"This is fun too watch," she says happily.

"And... the Gronckle." Gobber announces, resting his hand on the lever of the last cage. Fishlegs whispers something else to himself as Gobber pulls the lever, raising the cross beam on the door to release the dragon.

"Straight into the fray." Ahsoka comments calmly.

Snotlout however doesn't share the enthusiasm. "Whoa, wait! Aren't you gonna teach us first!?" he protests in alarm.

Gobber merely offers him a mischievous grin in response.I believe in learning on the job," he says simply.

As soon as he says that, the Gronckle slams into the doors and out of its cave, charging into the ring like an angry Reek. The recruits scramble in every direction, except for Ruffnut and Tuffnut who rush towards it like pumped-up rodeo clowns.

"Reminds you of someone else's type of training attitude huh?" I ask Ahsoka.

"Yup. Anakin certainly was a warrior," she agrees.

"Why do you two always have to speak about stuff in the past that I never know about?" Mara complains, looking at us.

"Sorry," we offer as an apology.

"Today is about survival. If you get blasted, you're dead!" Gobber yells, and the Gronckle slams into the far wall after being unable to turn in time. It opens its mouth and scoops up a few rocks, chewing them quickly before taking flight again.

I blink in surprise. "They can eat rocks?"

"Weirdest dragon ever," Mara decided.

"Quick, what's the first thing you're going to need?!" Gobber questions.

"A doctor?" Hiccup suggests.

"Plus five speed?" Fishlegs exclaims in a panic.

"Wow, very helpful." Mara says sarcastically.

"A shield." Astrid says confidently.

Gobber nods his head. "Shields. Go."

Everyone scrambles to pick up one of the shields that are scattered around the arena, staying out of the way of the dragon while Gobber continues to give out advice.

"Your most important piece of equipment is your shield. If you must make a choice between a sword or a shield, take the shield."

Hiccup has some trouble lifting his, trying to get a god grip on it, so Gobber helps him slip his arm through the straps, standing it up for him then shoving him into the fray. Ruff and Tuff both stand amidst a dozen shields, but of course they both grab the same shield, one that has a skull painted on it.

"They'll get killed doing that," Ahsoka says with a sigh.

"I'm surprised they haven't died years ago," Mara adds in.

Even from up here we can hear their argument. "Get your hands off my shield!" Tuffnut demands.

"There are like a million shields!" Ruffnut protests, yanking it her way.

He then gestures over to one nearby. "Take that one, it has a flower on it! Girls like flowers."

"Wrong," Ahsoka and Mara both say at the same time. I snort in amusement.

Scowling, Ruffnut then uses the shield to bash Tuffnut directly in the face with it. He cries out in surprise and pain, yet stubbornly doesn't let go.

"Ooops, now this one has blood on it," she jeers.

As the two continue their fight over the shield, the Gronckle notices and takes aim at the distracted twins. A blast of explosive lava streams forth from its mouth, destroying the shield. The force of the fireball rips it from their hands and sends them spinning, where they collapse on the ground in a daze.

"Tuffnut, Ruffnut, you're out!" Gobber announces.

"What?! What?!" they both shout at the same time in a daze.

"Called it," Ahsoka says.

"As if anyone of us is surprised," I retort.

"Very true," she replies in agreement, and Mara nods her head.

The dragon then buzzes around in the center of the ring, looking over at where the teens are gathered on the far side of the ring. Gobber adds in another bit of knowledge. "Those shields are good for another thing. Noise. Make lots of it to throw off a dragon's aim!"

Using the weapons they had with them, they start to bang them against the surface of the shield, even Hiccup managing to do so, although with some effort. Apparently that tactic works, as the Gronckle starts to become dazed and confused, shaking its head around with a growl.

"That's a useful tactic," I comment.

"All dragons have a limited number of shots. How many does a Gronckle have?"

"Five?" Snotlout immediately shouts, although it's plainly obvious that he doesn't know what he is talking about.

"No, six!" Fishlegs says eagerly, raising his arm high into the air with a smile on his face. This gets the Gronckle's attention as it begins to head over to him.

"Take notes Mara, this is why you don't get distracted in a battle," I advised.

"Correct, six. That's one for each of you!" Gobber exclaimed gleefully.

Fishlegs frowned. "I really don't think my parents WOULD-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the Gronckle shot a fireball at his shield, sending it blasting to bits against the wall. He yelped in surprise, quickly retracting his hand and looking at the Gronckle in terror. He throws his hands into the air and runs away as fast as possible, screaming in a high pitched voice.

"Fishlegs, out." Gobber says casually.

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind." Mara replies to me in agreement.

then they all realize that Hiccup is hiding behind the weapons rack, staying out of the dragon's sight. Gobber spots him and frowns. "Hiccup, get in there!" he calls out.

Hearing that, he moves cautiously outwards, peeking out from behind the rack. A fireball blasts next to his head and he yelps, scurrying back behind the weapon rack again. Nearby, Astrid is tense and bouncing on her heels, ready to dodge a blast. Seeing another opportunity to flirt, Snotlout appears, trying to hit on her.

"So anyway I'm moving into my parents' basement. You should come by sometime to work out. You look like you work out-" he says casually, eyeing her with awe.

However she simply cartwheels out of the way when the Gronckle rushes forwards, allowing a shot to shoot past her. Too caught up in trying to woo Astrid, Snotlout never notices the fireball until it slams directly into his shield, sending him flying onto his back.

"Moron," Mara mutters with a grin.

"Snotlout! You're done!" Gobber calls out.

Having finally reappeared from behind the weapons rack, Hiccup jolts in surprise when Astrid rolls up beside him, then quickly realizes that they're the only ones still left. He casually sidles up beside her, trying to look cool while she keeps her eyes on the dragon.

"So, I guess it's just you and me huh?" he says, trying to get on her good side.

Mara widens her eyes in worry, seeing the Gronckle charging for them. "Uh..."

Ahsoka and I also keep a close watch in case anything possibly bad happens.

"No. Just you!" Astrid says, rolling away. A split-second later, a lava slug bursts forth and knocks Hiccup's shield clear off of his arm. Mara winces, and he yelps in surprise, having not noticed the dragon approaching at all.

"One shot left!" Gobber announces.

Hiccup panics and chases after his shield as it rolls across the ring. The sudden movement gets the attention of the Gronckle, and sends it chasing after him, leaving Astrid in the clear. Mara widens her eyes in worry, and I can sense her need to jump down there and rescue him very prominent. Quite frankly I'm just as worried as she is, but I won't go down unless necessary.

"Hiccup!" Gobber yells, seeing the danger.

The scene happens on the opposite side of the arena from us, and Mara looks over at me and Ahsoka in a panic. "Can't I help him? He's about to get blasted!"

I nod my head. "Go," I say simply.

"Come on Mara," Ahsoka says, getting up and slipping through the cage, Mara immediately following after her without hesitation. they fall to the ground, landing on their feet and rushing over in the direction of the commotion. I would go after them, but honestly I'm not needed at all. Besides, I'm faster than most people with Force enhanced speed of course, but both of them still run faster than me anyways.

Seeing the Gronckle chasing him, Hiccup abandons the shield and tries running away, but the dragon catches up, pinning him against the wall. It opens its mouth and cocks its tail, ready to fire at point-blank. Hiccup leans back with a terrified look on his face, closing his eyes tightly and preparing for the worst. Thankfully, Gobber is right next to them, Ahsoka and Mara not far behind.

Gobber lunges in and hooks the Gronckle's mouth at the same time it fires, while Ahsoka also leaps forwards and slides across the ground beside them, thrusting a hand out with the Force and shoving the Gronckle off target. Their combined effort makes the shot miss Hiccup entirely, although still a very close call, and the dragon begins gnawing on Gobber's hook.

"And that's six!" Gobber exclaims, slightly rattled.

I slip through the cage and also jump into the arena, moving over in their direction while Gobber wrestles with the Gronckle.

Go back to bed, ya overgrown sausage!" he yells, swinging the dragon around, throwing it at the cage. He's strong enough to be able to throw the Gronckle into it's cell with the proper momentum, and I move up beside him, using the Force to keep it back while he pulls the lever, shutting the cage.

"You'll get another chance, don't you worry," he adds finally, turning around.

"Cutting it close, don't you think?" I comment.

"Too close," he mutters.

Ahsoka leans against the wall, brushing herself off while Mara helps Hiccup to his feet, concerned but looking relieved that he's alive and just fine. The rest of the teens are all spent, breathing heavily, although Astrid is handling it better than the others are, not as winded. Which is not surprising considering how much she values her training to be a warrior.

"Remember... a dragon will always, always go for the kill." Gobber says sternly, giving Hiccup a serious look. He hoists Hiccup to his feet and walks off, signifying the end of the lesson. Hiccup looks overhead to see a steaming pit in the solid stone wall, shaken.

"Hey, you ok?" Mara asks him in concern.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Yeah I'm alright, thanks for asking," he replies, slightly shaken.

"Quite the intense lesson," Ahsoka remarks.

"Certainly get's you understanding how dangerous it is very quickly," I add.

Hiccup nods. "Yeah well, that's Gobber for you. Always goes straight into the danger zone." He looks at the smoldering blast point on the wall for a moment, as if he was considering something before heading off. "Ok well I've got uh... some things to do."

"Like what?" Mara asks curiously. "Mind if I tag along?"

"No no, no it's fine. I just need to go work on something else, really important," he stresses, although he's definitely nervous about it. I raise a disbelieving eyebrow before shrugging in response. Mara looks very suspicious as well, but before she can say something else I interrupt.

"Alright well, take care Hiccup. We've got some more training to work on today anyways Mara," I remind her.

"Seriously?" she complains.

"Yup!" I say cheerfully, and she grumbles to herself.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

Back in the forest, Hiccup was at the spot where he released the Night Fury, studying the remnants of the discarded bola. He holds the metal balls curiously, bouncing it in his hand with a frown as he considered what Gobber had said about dragon's always going for the kill.

"So... why didn't you?" he mutters.

He drops the bola and looks around, pressing on in the direction it flew off. Following the general path, he drops into a rocky crevice and follows it to an isolated cove hidden within thick trees, several feet down into the ground with a pristine spring pool in the center. He scans the high stone walls with wonder, having not discovered this place before and marvels at the beauty of it. Then he notices a single black scale on the ground. He crouches down and picks it up, studying it, noticing several more also scattered around.

Hiccup eventually sighs irritably. "Well this was stupid," he muttered. Getting away from Mara and her parents was his biggest worry, since it was really hard to hide things from them. If it wasn't for Jarik interrupting he might have not been able to get away at all without revealing the truth, considering no one else would really care.

Out of nowhere, the Night Fury suddenly appears right next to him, scrambling at the rocks with a frustrated roar. Hiccup yelps in surprise, stumbling backwards and watches the dragon struggle to climb the walls. It flaps its wings violently, attempting t get leverage with its claws, before eventually letting go, gliding away to a rough landing. He realizes that the dragon is trapped there. With an eager grin, he moves closer curiously, excited at being able to see the dragon again. He watches as continues to escape the cove numerous times, flapping furiously and struggling to climb the walls, but no matter what, it is unable to get free.

When it lands on the ground before him, wings outstretched, he quickly pulls out his notebook and flips past previous drawings of weapons to a clear, blank page. Glancing between the book and the Night Fury, he quickly draws a rough sketch of the dragon to record its image before he loses this chance. The Night Fury continues to claw at the steep rock walls, trying climb out of the cove. After a few more failed attempts, it gives up and rolls back to its feet, slowly crawling to the water's edge. Peering into the clear water, he spots a small school of fish and leers closer, suddenly snapping his jaws out as fast as he can. Unfortunately for the dragon, the fish scurry away before he could get a grip, and he whines pitifully, feeling very hungry and desperate for food.

After completing his sketch, Hiccup frowns in confusion. "Why don't you just...fly away?" he mutters.

Get another look at the dragon, he notices something different and adjusts the drawing, carefully erasing one half of the dragon's tail. Looking up again, he scoots closer for a better look before accidentally dropping his charcoal pencil. He quickly scrambles to retrieve it, but it rolls off of the rock outcropping that hides him from view and bounces into the cove. As it travels down the cliff, he creates a few loud tinkering sounds, getting the Night Fury's attention. Hiccup freezes, worried that the dragon might attack him again.

However, instead of growing hostile, the Night Fury actually looks curious, gazing up at him with wide green eyes. The dragon could... sense something different about him compared to the rest of the humans living on Berk, and he wondered what it was. The two shared looks with each other, something profound being exchanged.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

My parents and I were having dinner in the Great Hall after another training session when the rest of the teens started to enter, chattering with each other about their training. Gobber follows in after them, and they all sit down two tables from us to begin eating their own dinner. I frown in confusion when I realize Hiccup isn't with them.

"You have any idea where Hiccup is?" I ask Mom and Dad.

"He's close by," Mom replies after a moment.

On cue, the door opens again to reveal Hiccup entering, soaking wet. It started to get stormy outside, and it was now pouring rain, as evident by him being soaked to the bone. Where could he have possibly gone? He grabs some food from a nearby table and saunters over, brightening up when I offer him a wave.

"Alright. Where did Astrid go wrong in the ring today?" Gobber questions.

"I mistimed my summersault dive. It was sloppy. It threw off my reverse tumble," said girl immediately replies. Most of the teens don't bother to hide their eye rolling. I raise an eyebrow and look at my parents, who shrug in response.

"Guess it could use some work," Dad admits while the teens dissolve into bickering.

"Although I think she should learn to value of teamwork," Mom adds in, and Dad nods in agreement.

"No, no, you were great. That was so 'Astrid'." Snotlout says charmingly, holding her hand with a lovestruck expression. Astrid groans in disgust, yanking her hand away from him.

"If you're trying to pick up girls that is one of the worst ways Snotlout," I called out with a grin. He glares over at me furiously while Astrid sends me a pleased and grateful smirk. Hiccup also grins in amusement, while the twins cackle at my comment.

Ignoring the banter, Gobber continues to talk. "She's right, you have to be tough on yourselves."

Everyone then notices Hiccup once he gets closer, his footsteps echoing. As he grabs a mug Snotlout and the twins scramble to block any chance of him sitting at their table. I shake my head in disgust at their tactics.

"Where did Hiccup go wrong?" Gobber says sternly.

"Oh here we go," Dad says quietly with a disappointed sigh.

"He showed up." Tuffnut says.

"He didn't get eaten." Ruffnut adds with a smirk.

As Hiccup walks by their table, Snotlout scoots over again to block any chance of him sitting down, a smug grin plastered all over his face. Rolling his eyes, Hiccup comes over to sit at our table, and I send him a small grin. He smiles back gratefully, although i can tell he's troubled by something, which has nothing to do with the teenagers.

"He's never where he should be." Astrid says coldly.

"Thank you, Astrid." Gobber says.

"If I may, I think something Hiccup needs in more confidence in his abilities, which no one seems to be willing to offer," Dad speaks up, with his subtle implication of how everyone keeps trying to push Hiccup down. His implication is only reinforced when he stares at the teens, who squirm uncomfortably. I smile, glad to have such an epic adopted father. Beside me, I can sense Hiccup's gratitude grow even more.

Gobber looks thoughtful before nodding in agreement, pointing at Dad for emphasis. "Also true! If a Viking has no confidence or encouragement, then they won't be good warriors." He then stands up, a book held in his hand. "Now, you need to live and breathe this stuff."

He drops a giant book in the center of the table with a loud thud. "The dragon manual. Everything we know about every dragon we know of," he emphasizes. I glance over at it curiously.

A rumble of thunder shakes the hall, and the rain starts pouring down outside even harder than before. Gobber glances up, assessing the weather before nodding to himself. "No attacks tonight. Study up!" he announces, turning away and leaving the Great Hall. Everyone then stares at the book, the punks of course with disbelieving and irritated expressions on their faces.

"Wait, you mean read?" Tuffnut asks in horror.

"While we're still alive?" Ruffnut exclaims in disgust.

"You can't read when you're dead," I point out with a roll of my eyes.

Snotlout slams a fist on the table in annoyance. "Why read words when you can just kill the stuff the words tell you stuff about?"

"Oh yeah?" I challenge, turning around in my seat to face him. "So then, tell me how one would kill a Changewing dragon?"

He glares at me. "By cutting its head off, what do you think?"

"How are you gonna do that if you can't see it?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Snotlout demands, looking at me as if I'm an idiot. Astrid shakes her head while I roll my eyes, turning around. He's so not worth my time.

"Wow. What an exceptional level of dumb." Dad says bluntly. Mom nudges him in the arm with a stern look. "Jarik, be nice," she scolds.

"What? You can't tell me you aren't thinking the same thing!" he protests. "Besides, when were you ever the one for politeness in a non formal setting?" he argues.

Mom opens her mouth before shrugging. "Ok, good point."

Hiccup snickers to himself while I smile in amusement. While they were bickering, the rest of the teens all except for Astrid had left, apparently trying to get away from Fishlegs who was sprouting off dragon facts. Seeing this, Hiccup looks over, considering before trying his chance at conversation, moving to where Astrid and the book lay. She actually looks like she's considering reading it.

"So I guess we'll share-" he starts to say.

Of course that idea is immediately gone as soon as she notices Hiccup approach. "Read it," she says coldly, pushing it in his direction and walking out the door.

"Oh, uh, all mine then!" he stammers. "Wow, so okay. I'll SEE YOU-" he calls out, but the door slams shut before he can finish the sentence.

"...tomorrow," he says sadly with a sigh. I get up and walk over, looking at the book cover curiously. "Hey, can I read it with him tonight?" I ask my parents.

"Sure," Dad says, and Mom nods, having no issue with that.

"I can share it with you," I tell Hiccup.

"But you're not in dragon training..." he replies.

"Doesn't mean I'm not curious to learn about it," I point out. He smiles gratefully in return.

* * *

 _More Jarisoka moments yay! they're both continuing to grow further in their love for each other, and I'm sure you all are just waiting for something epic to happen! :D_

 _Also dragon training is going on, which has everyone busy. And Hiccup starts to think differently about Toothless! He's not gonna be able to hide the secret from Mara, or Jarik and Ahsoka for very long though lol._


	34. Ch 33 - Dangerous Dragons

_Hey guys! Sorry for the late chapter, I've just been busy with several things. I wanted to take a slight break since summer vacation just started for me, and I was also thinking about different ways to meld together the different universes of the Shaniverse for different stories._

 _Btw have any of you seen the Bumblebee movie trailer? I think it looks cool! :D_

 _Anyways, I'm not giving up on this story and never will! However next week from Monday through Saturday I won't be able to post any chapters because I'll be off the grid on vacation. :(_

 _Anyways, on to the chapter!_

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

Later that night after everyone was gone, Hiccup and I sat down at one of the long tables, where he placed a candle for light. He opened the book to reveal a contents page, and started reading through it.

"Dragon classifications. Strike class. Fear class. Mystery class," he read.

"Oh good, fear class," I remarked with an eye roll.

"We excel at naming don't we?" he sarcastically replies. He turns the page to reveal a picture of a large dragon with a massive mouth filled with teeth, and a long whip-like tail. Several other images and sentences with text fill the page.

"Thunderdrum. This reclusive dragon inhabits sea caves and dark tide pools. When startled, the Thunderdrum produces a concussive sound that can kill a man at close range. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight," he reads.

"Kill on sight?" I repeat slowly. "Just that?"

He only shrugs in response, and our eyes drift to a lurid illustration of decapitated Vikings. I grimace and shudder slightly, not eager to see what that would look like in real life. By the look on Hiccup's face, he feels the same, so he flips the page to reveal another dragon, a lot larger than the Thunderdrum, the whole thing basically just being a set of massive wings. Next to it's main picture is another image showing it slicing completely through trees with its wings.

"Timberjack. This gigantic creature has razor sharp wings that can slice through full grown trees... extremely dangerous. Kill on sight." Hiccup reads again.

I let out an exasperated sigh and roll my eyes. "As fascinating as this is the only knowledge I'm hearing is that you should kill a dragon on sight."

"Well, it's not like we need to know anything else as a Viking," he replies. "Although it would be nice to have more," he admits, agreeing with my thought. He flips the page again to show another dragon, this one more aquatic looking, spraying water from its mouth.

"Scauldron. Sprays scalding water at its victim. Extremely dangerous," he says.

Suddenly, a massive burst of lightning and thunder crashes outside the Great Hall, and Hiccup yelps, turning around in surprise. I grin at him and once he gets over being startled, turns back around only to see me smirking at him.

"What?" he demands.

"Wimp," I reply.

He groans irritably while I giggle at his exasperation before we continue reading. The next page shows a another dragon in a slithering pose, with long leaflike spines on its tail, and wide, bulging eyes that are narrowed. Smoke drifts from its mouth.

"Changewing. Even newly hatched dragons can spray acid. Kill on sight," he continues to read. Not even the babies are safe from Vikings and their belief in killing dragons.

He begins flipping through the pages, merely glancing at the blur of dragons as he reads. "Gronckle. Zippleback. The Skrill. Bone Knapper. Whispering Death," he reads.

I study the image of the Whispering Death for a moment. "Well the name certainly fits." I comment with a nod. "That certainly has to be the weirdest creature I've seen."

"I-I'd rather not meet that one, personally," Hiccup stutters sheepishly.

"Burns its victims. Buries its victims. Chokes its victims. Turns its victims inside-out. Extremely dangerous. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight. Kill on sight. Kill on sight..." he continues to narrate, skipping through several pages. I roll my eyes at every description he reads, finding it absurd and stupidly repetitive at this point, until one dragon's page gets my attention.

"Hey wait, what's that one?" I ask, stopping him from flipping the page.

"This one?" he questions, narrowing his eyes at it. The image shows a hard-scaled dragon with no wings, and large, thick claws. It's head was large, with a small face and sharp, detailed crest. "Hssiss dragon. Part of the Mystery class," he reads.

I notice one line of text that seems intriguing. "This dragon is more of a myth, but many still believe it to be real. It carries a powerful venom that can be delivered from a simple scratch, and has no cure. Their black and crimson scales, along with glowing red eyes make them look like the devil itself, with their apparent ability to appear out of nowhere." I read aloud.

I consider it with interest, noting how it seemed familiar to a reference I saw in some things I've seen out in the galaxy on missions with Mom or Dad.

"Well that's neat," Hiccup remarks. "Oh hey, here's a different way to encounter it: if you spot this dragon, do not engage. Pray it does not catch you, and run as far away as possibly. Extremely dangerous."

He glances up at me and I give a shrug. "I feel like I might've seen that name before, but I'm not sure. Have to ask my Dad about that," I explain.

"Where in the world could you possibly find a dragon other than Ahch-To?" he asks incredulously.

"Meh. Galaxy's a big place," I reply.

"I can only imagine," he mutters, looking back at the book and flipping the paper again, stopping when he sees a page with no drawing whatsoever on it.

"Night Fury," he whispers. I get the feeling that he was looking for this page. What a let down to see it with only a few sparse details. "Speed unknown. Size unknown. The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. Never engage this dragon. Your only chance, hide and pray it does not find you."

I studied the page for a moment curiously, glancing over at Hiccup again. He looked fascinated at the Night Fury page, yet also uncomfortable, as if he wanted to look at something else but wouldn't do it while I was there. So I got an idea instead. Pulling out my chronometer, I pretend to check the time with practiced ease before getting up with a sigh.

"Well, I've got some things to do in a minute. See you tomorrow Hiccup!" I tell him with a smile, heading towards the door.

"Ok, I-I'll see you later then!" he replies, watching me go. As soon as I sense that his gaze is no longer on me, I dart off to the side behind one of the pillars, concealed by the lack of light, and use the Force to open and close the door to the Great Hall, giving the impression that I had left. Then, I sneaked back in his direction, using the darkness to my advantage, and then quietly leaped up to grab onto the pillar halfway up so that I was above him. Hanging from the pillar, I looked down and watched as he pulled out his notebook, flipping it to a page and then laying it on top of the Dragon Book.

I could see a sketch of a dragon that wasn't drawn in the book and narrowed my eyes as he considered it. That could only mean that he's seen a Night Fury before, even more so because he shot one down earlier from what the villagers were saying.

Oh Hiccup, what have you gotten yourself into this time?Something that I want to be a part of for sure!

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

Out in the ocean, three Viking warships were drifting alongside a massive fog bank in the middle of the day. Within the fog large rock formations were just visible. Stoick stood next to the chart, analyzing the map before pounding his fist into the table, looking up at the massive fog bang with narrowed eyes in determination.

"I can almost smell them. They're close. Steady," he says firmly.

The three ships drift alongside the massive fog bank, skirting its solid edge, looking for an opening. The crewmen all mill nervously on deck, all too aware of what Stoick is considering.

"Take us in." Stoick finally says.

The helmsman steers the ship into the fog, the other two beside it following suit. The men draw their weapons, prepping for the worst.

"Hard to port... for Helheim's gate," the helmsmen calls out.

The first ship disappears into the fog, followed by the other two. For the first few seconds, all is quiet, until a bright flash suddenly illuminates the shape of a Monstrous Nightmare above where the ships were positioned. Shrieks and roars could be heard, as well as the yells of Vikings, as well as splashes from some thrown overboard.

ooo00ooo

Back on Berk, Ahsoka opened her eyes, frowning in worry before shaking her head sadly, worried for the wellbeing of the Vikings caught at sea, and the dragons in this senseless war between them, both sides victim to the conflict.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

I walked with Hiccup in the group of the rest of the teens, chatting casually with him while the others stayed ahead, before bidding him good luck and heading towards the stands where I would be watching. Hiccup then stops me for a moment, confusion in his eyes.

"Hey, where are your parents? Didn't they plan to usually watch these?" he questions.

I let out a sad sigh. "They aren't coming this time, since today isn't really a good day for them."

"Why not?" he asks in confusion. "Are they sick or something?"

I shake my head. "No, no. Nothing like that," I replied. "Today is Empire Day, which is the day that the Jedi Order was destroyed, and most of their friends killed."

His face drops in realization. "Oh, sorry about that. I wasn't thinking," he apologized.

"It's alright, you didn't know. It happened two years before I was born, but you have nothing to apologize for anyways," I reassured him. After a moment I realized that today was also Hiccup's birthday, from what he's told me, so that must be something else weighing on his mind.

"You know what, how about later tonight we do something fun, how about that?" I suggest. He looks up at me, briefly surprised before shrugging. "Um, alright, sure," he replies.

"HICCUP!" Gobber calls out. He glances over in alarm before chuckling sheepishly.

"Um, I- uh, gotta go," he stammers. I grin at him.

"Go kick some butt Hiccup!" I call out after him as he hurries away into the arena, where a whole maze system is set up. After lining up with the rest of the teens before the maze, Gobber opens the gate, then rushes outside the arena to spectate from where he has a better view. Which is near my position. A blue and yellow Nadder bursts out of the cage with a roar, sending the teens scurrying around inside, and I can't help but be a little bit worried. This goes on for a few moments before Hiccup suddenly stops before us, and I raise an eyebrow at him as he begins to talk.

"Hey, you know, I just happened to notice the book had nothing on Night Furies. Is there another book? Or a sequel? Maybe a little Night Fury pamphlet?" he asks casually.

Less then a moment later, a blast from the Nadder takes the axe head off of Hiccup's hilt, leaving a smoking hole behind him. Hiccup yelps in surprise and runs. The scene is kind of humorous but at the same time I can't help but worry for him.

"Focus Hiccup! You're not even trying." Gobber says, annoyed.

The Nadder roars at Hiccup and chases him for a few turns before stopping, turning around to seek another target as it hopped along the walls. Out of all of the dragons I've seen, this one seems the most like a bird.

"Today... is all about attack!" Gobber calls out enthusiastically, and I roll my eyes. "Nadders are quick and light on their feet. Your job is to be quicker and lighter."

"You sound so excited you might as well go in the ring yourself," I comment sarcastically.

"Eh, how will they stay optimistic without some enthusiasm?" he shoots back with a smirk.

The teens move in, stumbling over Hiccup and his unwieldy shield. Leaping on top of another wall, the Nadder spots Fishlegs hiding behind a wall and roars. Fishlegs yelps in shock and the Nadder raises its tail. Spikes pop out of it, and it whips its tail, sending them flying. Fishlegs screams and raises his shield, jogging along as the spikes all hit it, stumbling off of the wall.

"I'm really beginning to question your teaching methods!" he screams.

"Oh now he questions it?" I mutter quietly to myself.

"Look for its blind spot. Every dragon has one. Find it, hide in it, and strike!" Gobber advises.

Hiccup runs past another corridor beside Ruff and Tuff, who then stop in surprise as the Nadder appears from the corner they turned into. They stop in surprise, panting heavily as they tried to stay in its blind spot. The Nadder sniffs the air in front of it, and moves its head from side to side in an attempt to spot them. Tuff and Ruff are smashed together, way too close for comfort.

"How long do you think it'll take before they start fighting?" I ask Gobber casually.

He thinks for a moment. "I'd give it maybe ten seconds," he decides.

As the twins lean back, Ruffnut catches a whiff of Tuffnut's hair and gives a sniff, groaning in disgust. "Do you ever bathe?" she asks, repulsed, trying to push him away from her.

"If you don't like it, then just get your own blind spot," he retorts ngrily, shoving her back.

Irritated, she shoves her brother to the side and butts her head into his face. "How about I give you one!?" she threatens.

"Morons," I scoff quietly.

Their shoving movements and lack of attention to the situation give the twins away. The Nadder sets its sights on them, squawking before unleashing a hot stream of fire at the both of them. The twins cry out in surprise and scramble away just in time.

"Blind spot? Yes. Deaf spot? Not so much." Gobber comments, chuckling to himself at his joke.

"No kidding," I say in agreement. Astrid and Snotlout then run by beneath us, followed by Hiccup who then stops as he obviously has more questions. Seriously? right now?

"Hey, so how would one sneak up on a Night Fury?" he asks, and I hold a hand to my head in exasperation. This is exactly why I keep trying to tell him how his antics will get himself killed one day, yet he still does crap like this anyways.

"None one's ever met one and lived to tell the tale. Now get in there!" Gobber replies quickly with a frustrated shout at the end.

"Focus now, ask later?" I suggest.

He backs up sheepishly. "I know, I know, but hypothetically..."

"Hiccup!" Astrid whispers harshly nearby, and he looks over to see her and Snotlout hiding behind a wall. She puts her finger to her lips and gestures for him to hide. A moment later, the Nadder stalks forwards from behind the corner, sniffing the air. She peeks her head out and readies herself determinedly before rolling across the gap. Snotlout follows after her, and then Hiccup goes next, however the weight of the shield drags him down mid-roll, catching the Nadders' attention. It snaps its jaws at him, and Hiccup manages to scramble away just in time. I was worried, and whenever he got into a tough situation like that my hands were lowered, ready to intervene and use the Force to save him if necessary.

The Nadder quickly jumps back on top of the walls with a quick wing flap, then lands in front of Astrid and Snotlout. Astrid is surprised, but readies herself, preparing to throw her axe when Snotlout suddenly sweeps her behind him, a confident look on his face. I shake my head in annoyance.

"Watch out babe. I'll take care of this," he says cockily.

"Hey!" Astrid exclaims angrily.

Snotlout throws his mace, laughably off target, hitting the wall a few feet away from the Nadder. I snicker in amusement, before bursting into laughter when even the Nadder laughs at his pitiful attempt.

"Eh, I'm not putting much hope on that one," Gobber says dryly.

"I'd put the twins before him," I add in with a grin, and Gobber chuckles in response.

Astrid glares furiously at Snotlout. Seeing the look on her face, he tries to repair his damaged ego. "The sun was in my eyes, Astrid!" he protests defensively. "What do you want me to do, block out the sun? I could do that, but I don't have time right now!"

Stupid.

The Nadder shoots a burst of flame at the two, forcing them to run away, and the the Nadder screeches, running after them. It singles out Astrid along the way, knocking down walls in pursuit. She shouts in alarm, sliding around a corner as the Nadder follows, smashing the entire wall down. It continues chasing after her now, on a path of devastation, knocking down the entire arena when Hiccup wanders up to us again! Does he not even notice?!

"They probably take the daytime off..." he continues to theorize.

Noticing Astrid and the Nadder heading his way, my eyes shoot up in alarm. "Uhh, Hiccup," I start to say warningly.

"You know, like a cat. Has anyone ever seen one napping?" he continues, completely oblivious.

"Hiccup!" Gobber exclaims.

"Hiccup watch out!" I yell, pointing behind him.

Finally he whirls around in surprise, noticing the walls falling all around him, as well as the teenage Viking girl flying through the air in his direction.

"Ahh! Hiccup!" she screams, and Hiccup cries out in surprise when she lands on him, the Nadder skidding past them and slamming into a few collapsed walls. I wince at the scene. The two lay in the middle of the carnage, tangled with Astrid on top, grunting angrily as she tried to separate themselves from the tangled mess.

"Oooh! Love on the battlefield!" Tuffnut jeers.

"She could do better," Ruffnut adds, and I groan in slight disgust. I so did not need to hear that.

The Nadder bursts out of the pile of wood, roaring at the pair, and I glance between it and them in alarm, worried about Hiccup's, and by extension, Astrid's safety.

"Just... let me... why don't you..." Hiccup struggles to say.

The Nadder spins around and races back toward them quickly. Astrid untangles herself, causing Hiccup to yelp painfully as she shoves his face down in the process, and tries to pull her axe from Hiccup's shield which is stuck attached to his arm. She plants her foot on his face and yanks the axe free, while he grunts in pain, the axe still burrowed into the shield.

At this point the Nadder was so close that I slid through the bars after sharing a worried look with Gobber, landing on my feet by the wall. Astrid then spins and swings the axe and shield, scoring a direct hit on the oncoming Nadder's nose. It yelps in pain, scurrying off.

 **"** Well done, Astrid." Gobber calls out in satisfaction.

The Nadder squawks again and glances back in the direction of Hiccup and Astrid, but at this point I had rushed forwards, leaping at it. The dragon glances at me in surprise and aggression, but before it can act I grab onto one of its crown spikes, forcing its head down slightly and press a hand to its head gently. I use the Force to calm it down, and the Nadder stops being aggressive, slumping away just as Gobber comes forth to lead the Nadder back into the cage.

"Is this some kind of a joke to you?" Astrid says angrily, and I turn around to see her glaring down at Hiccup, axe held threateningly. "Our parents' war is about to become ours! Figure out which side you're on."

"Astrid, lay off. It was a mistake," I say with a frown, marching forwards.

"Mistakes like that are going to cost someone their life! He needs to figure that out!" she retorts, glaring over at me before stomping off with the rest of the teens. I'm unfazed, but I can tell that got to Hiccup. Standing above him, I reach a hand out and help him to his feet with a concerned look on my face.

"You alright Hiccup?" I ask him.

"Yeah I'm fine," he replies, slightly glum though. "Guess I'll need a new axe though," he jokes.

I smile slightly at his sarcasm. "You don't have to take her words to heart you know. You're brilliant at other things," I remind him.

He sighs. "Yeah, but in a way she's right. I wasn't taking it too seriously today," he says glumly.

"Well, there is room for improvement," I admit with a smile.

* * *

About an hour later, I had noticed that Hiccup had slunk off into the woods with a shield and fish, so I made plans to follow him. Firstly though, Mom and Dad have something to tell me, so I'm going to stop by the house on the way.

"Hey Mom, Dad," I greeted, walking inside the house.

"Hey sweetheart," Mom replied.

"So what's up?" I asked.

"We just got a call from the Ghost Crew to help transport a Rodian named Tseebo away from the Empire, so we called R5 and told him to pick us up." Dad told me. "Would you like to come along?"

I blinked at them in surprise, before considering. "Well, I'd like to go on this mission... but at the same time I also want to follow Hiccup. I think he's hiding something," I admitted.

"Hiccup's hiding something?" Dad asked with a raised eyebrow. "Let me guess: it relates to dragons," he deadpans.

I nod my head with a smile. "Yup!"

"Alright, well good luck to you on that Mara. We'll be back in a day or two," Mom tells me, as I head out the door.

"See ya!" I say with a wave.

"Don't do anything stupid!" Dad calls out, and Mom smacks him on the shoulder while I giggle in amusement.

* * *

 _And right now in the timeline it is Empire Day during Star Wars Rebels, and dragon training is starting to get a little more intense. Also, Mara now suspects Hiccup in relation to the Night Fury! So of course she's going to investigate this... :)_

 _Also a strange and mysterious new dragon was read in the Book of Dragons. Wonder if they'll ever encounter that? Hmm..._


	35. Ch 34 - Forbidden Friendship

**3rd person POV...**

All is peaceful and quiet in the cove, birds chirping and the water still and clear. This silence is suddenly interrupted by a single fish being tossed out from between two rocks. It hits the ground and slides a little bit, coming to a stop. A moment later, Hiccup peeks his head through the gap, looking around cautiously. When nothing happens, he moves forwards between the gap with his shield, before jerking to a halt. Surprised, he realizes that the shield was stuck in between the rocks, and tries to push it through, to no avail. Slipping underneath it, he comes out on the other side and attempts to pull it, but nothing happens, the shield being stuck tight.

Sighing in resigned exasperation, he cautiously moves forwards, picking the fish up by its gills and stalking around carefully, looking for any sign of the dragon. Moving a few feet, he is unaware of the eyes narrowed at him from behind, until he hears a snort. Hiccup turns around slowly, then gasps fearfully to see the Night Fury, crouched on a rock like a stealthy panther. It descends, approaching him suspiciously and ready to pounce.

Hiccup swallows his fear and slowly offers the fish. Curious, the Night Fury moves forwards, opening his mouth before noticing the dagger on his waist. Seeing this, the Night Fury springs back with a snarl, teeth bared and ready to strike. Hiccup gasps again and backs up nervously, before noticing his dagger as well. He reaches for it, eliciting another growl. Pausing for a moment, he then carefully lifts it by the handle, and drops it on the ground. The dragon motions with its head towards the lake, and Hiccup manages to pick it up with his foot and toss it into the water. Seeing the threat gone, the Night Fury immediately calms down, sitting and looking at Hiccup with a curious look, like an overgrown puppy.

Seeing this, Hiccup is bewildered, but goes with it, holding out the fish. The Night Fury's eyes light up at the sight of the fish, and it stalks forwards, mouth open, which allows Hiccup to notice that it's missing teeth.

"Huh, toothless. I could've sworn you had..." he says slowly in confusion.

Within a heartbeat, a set of razor sharp teeth suddenly emerge from its gums, and the dragon snatches the fish from his hands. Hiccup yelps in surprise, pulling his hand back quickly as the Night Fury chomps down on the fish, swallowing and licking his mouth happily, looking back down at him.

Hiccup is frozen for a minute, staring at the dragon with wide eyes. "...teeth," he finishes in shock.

The Night Fury then narrows his eyes, stalking forward and sniffing at Hiccup, expecting more fish while warbling curiously. Wary, Hiccup backs up nervously as the dragon continues to approach.

"Uh, uh, no no. No." he stammers.

The Night Fury backs Hiccup against a rock, placing himself in the same position as before, during their first meeting. The dragon closes in over him, staring blankly.

"I don't have any more," he whispers, praying that the dragon understands.

A tense moment passes as the dragon considers him. Then the dragon takes a step back, a few sounds coming from its throat as it regurgitates a chunk of fish onto Hiccup's lap. Hiccup groans quietly in disgust, and the Fury leans back, sitting on its hind legs, copying Hiccup's position with wide eyes, full of curiosity and intelligence. The sight would actually be adorable if Hiccup wasn't so fearful.

The two exchange awkward, nervous stares, mostly in Hiccup's case while the Night Fury continues to stare at him with an expectant look. After a few long seconds pass, the dragon looks down at the fish tail before back up at Hiccup's face. Surprised, Hiccup follows the dragons line of sight before his eyes go wide in shock and disbelief as he realizes what the Night Fury wants him to do.

Sighing in resignation, he slowly and squeamishly picks up the fish tail, shivering at the slime covering it. The dragon waits expectantly. Seeing no other option, he hesitantly raises it to his mouth and gnaws off a bite of the slimy fish. The dragon's ear flaps perk up, and he forces a pleased look, holding the fish out towards him, hoping he would take it. However the Night Fury still notices the fish remaining in Hiccup's mouth and swallows.

Abashed, Hiccup drops his hands in disbelief with a groan. Hesitantly, he attempts to swallow but gags, holding a hand to his mouth to keep from spitting out the fish. Holding it in, he manages to swallow the slimy, scaly fish and shudders in disgust. The dragon eyes him with a pleased look, so he returns it with a crooked smile.

Seeing this, the dragon narrows its eyes at him, and to his amazement, begins to mimic his smiling face. Hiccup watches tranfixed as a toothless smile forms on the Night Furies face, unlike anything that he had ever heard of or seen. The thought runs through his head that maybe... just maybe, Mara's family was right about dragons, and they weren't as bloodthirsty as they believed! He sits up and stretches out his hand slowly to touch the Night Fury with a genuine grin of excitement on his face, a rare look for him, even around Mara. However the dragon snarls at him upon approach, and quickly flaps off towards the other side of the cove with a crash. He shakes his head and blasts the mossy ground around him to a red-hot temperature, and curls up on it like a giant dog.

Up above, a bird chirps from its nest before flying away while he watches with a look of sadness and envy. Hearing a shuffle behind him, he turns his head to find Hiccup seated beside him. Groaning with lidded eyes, the Night Fury lays his head on the ground with an irritated expression, and brings his tail to cover his face. Seeing an opportunity, Hiccup scoots closer to the dragon and reaches out to touch the tail. His hand is only a few inches away before the tail snaps away to reveal the dragon staring at him with wide eyes. Hiccup immediately stands up nervously, and awkwardly shuffles away from him. Annoyed, the dragon gets up from his position on the ground and slumps away.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

I had tracked Hiccup through the forest after leaving the house, using my senses in the Force and observation skills I picked up from Mom to follow his trail. I was about a half hour behind Hiccup, but his trail eventually led me to a secluded, but beautiful cove in the middle of the woods. That's when I found the most peculiar sight, but not to far from what I was expecting; the Night Fury. It was lying from a tree, using its tail to stay up and actually dozing off, completely ignoring Hiccup who was in the same cove, dragging a stick through the dirt. I smiled at the sight, keeping myself hidden in order to see what would happen next.

After about a minute, the dragon opens his eyes, spotting Hiccup sitting on the other side of the cove, sketching in the sand. Hiccup could draw very well, even in the dirt, and although they were a bit to far, I could make out the image of the Night Furies head being drawn in the dirt. I giggle quietly to myself when he stills as the dragon quietly shuffles behind him, watching carefully. Aware of his presence, Hiccup continues, trying not to scare him off. I can't help but awe at how the dragon follows the motions of Hiccup's drawing in the sand, warbling curiously. He then walks off, and Hiccup glances over in confusion to see what he's doing.

I hold a hand to my mouth to contain my laughter as the dragon grabs an entire sapling with his mouth, drawing lines in the sand. Hiccup watches in bewilderment, I in awe as he rushes here and there, making haphazard lines in every direction. He even manages to whack Hiccup on the head with the end of the sapling, much to my amusement, before finally dropping the tree and inspecting his work. He nods his head, obviously pleased with himself. Hiccup then stands up and takes in the sprawling scribble, amazed by it. I smile warmly at the look of genuine wonder and amazement on Hiccup's face, a very rare emotion for him to have.

I notice how the drawing seems to resemble Hiccup's face, the dragon mimicking Hiccup's drawing of himself! It's hard to see, but upon looking closely I can definitely make out a face, and stare in wonder, amazed by the dragon's intelligence and ability to learn. Hiccup then walks forwards, accidentally stepping onto one of the lines, eliciting an instant growl from the dragon. He flinches, before noticing what the dragon was uptight about and raises his foot. I giggle once he stops growling, and Hiccup puts his foot down again, testing. The dragon growls again, and this continues on for a couple more times. This Night Fury has got to be one of the most adorable things I have ever seen, which would definitely make R5 jealous if he knew I thought that. That droid always tries to put on the innocent act with me.

Realizing how sensitive he is, Hiccup steps carefully between each line, turning round and round like a dance, unknowingly drifting closer to the dragon. The entire time I have a soft smile on my face at Hiccup's genuine wonder, glad he finally has a place to express himself without being judged. His smile goes away to be replaced with a nervous look when he unwittingly bumps into the Night Fury. He snorts, ruffling Hiccup's hair. Turning around, Hiccup gazes up at him warily, while the dragon has a curious look, wondering what he'll do next. Hiccup then slowly extends his hand, trying to touch the dragon's face. The hesitant and warning growl has him pull it back. Finally, considering what to do next, Hiccup turns his head away and closes his eyes. From what I can sense, he is putting his full trust in the Night Fury to react in whatever it will to him, completely exposed and helpless.

This act alone proves to me that Hiccup has more in him than any other Viking on this island, maybe even all of Ahch-To.

The dragons eyes his hand, and I can also sense the amazement from him at what Hiccup is doing, and bridges the gap between them. He presses his muzzle against Hiccup's hand, and said boy flinches heavily, stunned by the action, slowly looking back up at the dragon. I watch the scene with transfixed eyes, sensing this to be a turning point in the relationship between humans and dragons. The Night Fury then opens its eyes, and upon noticing Hiccup was staring at him, snorts once, before swiftly moving away. Hiccup pulls his hand back slowly, amazed by what occurred, more so than I am for sure.

Getting up from my spot, I decide to head back, knowing Hiccup would be safe in the forest now. Besides, there is also a campfire with Gobber's class later tonight, so I know Hiccup will be leaving any minute now. I'll confront him about this later, when the moment has calmed and settled in.

However there was something befuddling to me, something I am amazed and confused at. When I sensed the Night Furies emotions, his amazement with Hiccup wasn't the only thing I sensed, and there was something else I have to tell my parents.

This dragon shares a deep connection to the Force.

* * *

 **Classified location - 3rd person POV...**

The Ghost drifts through space alongside another Corellian vessel, which the crew isn't able to fully identify. This ship is actually the Knight Hawk, but the true nature of it and its crew is unknown to them, designed to be untraceable. The only thing they know about it is that it's related to Fulcrum. Hera presses a few buttons on the terminal as their ships dock, and a transmission passes through the comlink.

 _"Fulcrum to Ghost. Docking complete. Heading to the airlock now,"_ the distorted voice of Fulcrum says.

"Acknowledged, Fulcrum. We're ready and waiting." Hera replies.

"I don't suppose Zeb and I could get to meet Fulcrum this time?" Sabine asks hopefully, in a persuading manner.

Hera does not hesitate in her reply. "Nope. This time you stay in the cockpit," she says, tapping her on the shoulder.

"That's what we did last time." Zeb complains with a frown.

Hera exits the cockpit to the common room, slightly surprised to see Tseebo standing up and about. "You seem better," she comments.

"Tseebo's mind is clearer now. But it is difficult," he admits, holding his head with a grimace. "There's so much information inside Tseebo."

Hera places a reassuring hand on his shoulder as she leads him towards the airlock. "Fulcrum's people will help you with that and keep you safe."

"But will Tseebo see Ezra Bridger again?" he asks hopefully.

"I hope so. Someday. Is there anything you'd like me to tell him?" she asks carefully.

Tseebo sighed shamefully. "Oh, Tseebo failed Bridgers. Did not watch over their son. But Tseebo tried to make it right by accessing imperial files," he replies sadly.

"And that intel will be invaluable." Hera tells him.

"Oh, intel unimportant, an accident!" Tseebo says, agitated. "Tseebo access file on Ezra Bridger's parents. Tseebo knows Bridgers' fate," he says quietly.

"Then tell me, Tseebo. Tell me, and I'll tell Ezra!" Hera stresses, listening carefully.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

While Ahsoka was handling the transition with Hera about Tseebo, I sat in the cockpit, deep in thought from these waves I was getting through the Force. Next to me, R5 was doing his own thing with the ship, which I paid no mind to. For some reason, despite my Force abilities never being as attuned as Ahsoka's were, I had an unnatural affinity for foresight, allowing me to see things through the Force at random times. Closing my eyes, I delved into the Force, sensing along these waves, being revealed a quick series of images:

 _A forest in the evening, where a deep cove in the ground lay. I watch Hiccup lay a careful hand on the snout of a black dragon, a deep connection being shared from this act, as well as something else._

 _Scene shifts._

 _I see another world, unfamiliar to me, where a young boy is sitting in some sort of meditation circle on an island, rocks floating nearby. I assume this to be a Force user in hiding, although something tells me I'll meet him in the future. What seems odd though is the man standing next to him, wearing orange and red robes, a blue arrow on his bald head. Some kind of monk? Maybe a Guardian of the Whills, or believer in the Force like Chirrut?_

 _Scene shifts._

 _This image is much darker, and an unnatural whitish green fog whips around me. Then in front of me, three pale lights in some sort of triangle shine forth, however the way they seem to pierce through my soul suggests these aren't normal lights. Then surrounding those lights is some sort of massive alien figure just visible through the fog, and a dark laugh echoes around me._

"Hello?" Ahsoka asks in my ear.

I open my eyes, blinking slightly in surprise before looking up at her. "Hmm?" I ask.

"This is Tseebo, the Rodian we were picking up," she says, gesturing to said person standing in the doorway of the cockpit, a hesitant look on his face as he hunches in on himself.

"Oh, hey there! How are you doing Tseebo?" I ask kindly.

"Tseebo will be alright," he replies. "Tseebo hopes to make it up to Ezra Bridger."

I share a glance with Ahsoka at the mention of ezra, the new kid the crew picked up a few months back before smiling back at Tseebo. "I'm sure you will Tseebo. But until then, I know just the place to stay safe from the Empire," I inform him, getting a grateful nod in response.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

Far after the sun ad set, I was sitting at the top of an abandoned catapult tower with Hiccup, Gobber and the rest of the recruits, toasting campfire food with a roaring bonfire. Gobber was droning on and on about another one of his war stories, and I was bored the same as Hiccup. We had heard these things so many times already even I could almost recite it word for word. Hiccup was roasting a measly little fish due to the rest of the sticks and chicken already being taken. I didn't have anything, having eaten earlier, but it was sad to see him in a glum mood so soon after his interaction with the Night Fury, who I am shocked to realize he's starting to think of as 'Toothless.'

"...and with one twist he took my hand and swallowed it whole. And I saw the look on his face. I was delicious. He must have passed the word, because it wasn't a month before another one of them took my leg!" Gobber proclaimed proudly, showing off his peg leg. Everyone who hadn't heard it yet listened in awe of the tale, although Astrid was more casual, no doubt thinking about how to improve in her training.

"Isn't it weird to think that your hand was inside a dragon, like if your mind was still in control of it? You could have killed the dragon from the inside by crushing his heart or something." Fishlegs says with a look of wonder on his face. he others give him various looks, weirded out by the statement. That doesn't even come close to what I've heard.

"Dude, what the heck?" Tuffnut says with a disgusted look on his face.

"You think that sounds weird? You'd be screaming from what my parents have actually encountered," I said offhandedly with a snort. Unfortunately I forgot that mentions of my family's past experiences would draw attention like wildfire.

"Wait, really?!" Tuffnut asks eagerly.

"WHat kind of weirdness?!" ruffnut asks with just as much enthusiasm. I notice that everyone, even hardcore Astrid and glum Hiccup were looking at me in interest.

"Oh why did I have to say anything," I muttered.

"Come on, tell us the weirdest thing you've heard of!" Snotlout demands.

Not seeing a way out of it, I let out a sigh before developing a smirk on my face, eager to see their reactions to this. "Well if you'd like to ask, sure. My parents have told me their own war stories about the Clone Wars; which by the way happened before you were born. You wanna know some of the people they fought?"

"Let me guess, no spoilers! Barbarians?" Tuffnut asks.

"Men driven to insanity!?" Ruffnut offers.

"Demons!" Tuffnut exclaims.

We stare blankly at him for a few seconds, and he shrugs in response. With a roll of my eyes I continue. "Anyways, you know because of my mom that there are numerous humanoid species in the universe correct?"

They nod their heads, and I continue with a smirk. "They've actually fought armies consisting of human-sized bugs with hands and feet."

It take s moment for it to register in their minds what I said before they all cringe in repulsiveness.

"EW!" Snotlout says in disgust, and Fishlegs shivers. even Astrid looks uncomfortable at the idea.

"Well that sounds... lovely?" Gobber says, unsure.

"More like disgusting," Hiccup mutters, and I nudge him playfully with small smile, which he returns.

"OH oh oh!" Ruffnut hollers. "How about when your dad lost his arm? What's with that?"

"Why do you wanna know that?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

"We were on the subject of Gobber's limbs," Fishlegs pointed out expectantly, and Gobber eyes me in interest.

"He lost it in an explosion," I state bluntly.

Tuffnut frowns. "What kind of explosion?" he asks.

Recalling what I've heard, I think about how to put it in comparison. "Think Night Fury blast, but ten times bigger," I tell them.

Everyone's jaw drops in shock and disbelief, stunned quietly for several seconds until Gobber breaks the silence. "Well... guess that's more impressive than my stories, hehe," he chuckles nervously.

Before the teens can ask anymore questions I immediately shut them down. "Alright, that's enough space story telling!"

There were a few groans all around before Snotlout jabs at his chicken, holding it up with an intense glare on his face. "I swear I'm so angry right now! I'll avenge your beautiful hand and your beautiful foot. I'll chop off the legs of every dragon I fight, with my face!"

He postures to Astrid, who rolls her eyes. I do the same at his boastful, but idiotic words. Gobber chews on his chicken, shaking his head. "Un-unh. It's the wings and the tails you really want! If it can't fly, it can't get away. A downed dragon is a dead dragon."

I sense a feeling of horror right next to me and glance over to see Hiccup staring at the ground, eyes wide. I get the feeling that he feels guilty for shooting down Toothless. I wonder what he plans to do about that... Obviously something judging by the ideas running through his head, which I could notice from his calculating gaze. He then realizes I'm watching him, and looks away at my raised eyebrow.

Gobber then stands up and stretches. "Alright. I'm off to bed. You should be too. Tomorrow we get into the big boys. Slowly but surely making our way up to the Monstrous Nightmare. But who'll win the honor of killing it?"

I sigh at his playful taunting, reminded once again of how Hiccup is the only Viking who realizes the true nature of dragons. During this distraction, I then realize that Hiccup had scampered off. Astrid does too, which is surprising.

"It's gonna be me. It's my destiny. See?" Tuffnut boasts, rolling up his sleeve to reveal a red dragon on his arm.

Fishlegs gasps in awe. "Your mom let you get a tattoo?"

"Well, see you all later!" I exclaim, back flipping off of the tower with a smirk, much to their bewilderment.

I land at the foot of the tower and lean against the side, listening as Hiccup's footsteps echo closer before turning around the pole. He glances up and yelps in surprise to see me standing there casually.

"Ah! Oh... what? Why would you do that Mara?" he complains.

"Because its fun," I retort with a grin. "So where you off to?" I ask casually.

"Oh, uh... I'm off to the... forge! I left some things there accidentally," he lies, not at all believable.

"Yeah I know," I reply with a knowing smile, pulling his notebook out of my pocket and holding it out to him. He widens his eyes in shock and fear, slowly taking it from my hands and looking at me.

"Well, see you tomorrow Hiccup. Good luck in the... dragon, training!" I say cheerfully, emphasizing the word "dragon" before sauntering off back to the house. I feel a little bit bad for terrifying him so much, but it is so worth it.


	36. Ch 35 - Testing & Mysteries

_So I just saw Solo: A Star Wars Story on Friday, and it was better than I was expecting, but some parts were just meh in my opinion. I'd put it in front of The Last Jedi, Attack of the Clones, and The Phantom Menace in terms of my enjoyment of it, although I still enjoy all Star Wars movies._

 _But for those of you who saw that ending... that changes things a WHOLE lot for me in the writing of my characters and future interactions. Geez, you know exactly what I am talking about if you saw it. Was not expecting that at ALL!_

 _Anyways, on to the chapter! :D_

* * *

 **Hiccup POV...**

As I shuffled through the forest towards the cove, hefting this terribly heavy basket of fish and the prosthetic fin I created for Toothless, my mind was still racing from last night.

Mara knows... she's seen my book. I could tell from the look in her eyes that she knew about Toothless. I don't know whether to be terrified or excited. I guess I should count myself lucky that she and her family don't think badly of dragons, which I'm now starting to see for myself. If she told anyone I would've known before I even got to my house that night. However I still couldn't shake the feeling of terror about someone else knowing my secret. If it was anyone else who knew about it besides those three... I would be immediately made an outcast, more so than I was already... or worse.

Thor help me if my dad finds out about this.

Climbing down the cove however, I swallowed my fear and set my mind off of that situation for now. I was here to feed Toothless, and see if this fin I made works effectively. I could worry about Mara later.

"Hey Toothless!" I called out, entering the cove. He immediately came stalking over, a curious look on his face. I smiled lightly, still not used to the fact that I could approach a dragon now without a fear of being burned or eaten, but hey, I rather like it!

"I brought breakfast. I hope- hope you're hungry!" I managed to say, dropping the basket off of my shoulders with a sigh of relief. I use my foot to kick it over, and fish spill out with a disgusting, slimy sound.

"Okay, that's disgusting," I say to myself, cringing.

Toothless approaches however, completed unbothered and settles in to devour this... lovely... feast.

"Uh..we've got some salmon..." I start to say.

Toothless swallows it.

"...some nice Icelandic cod..."

He swallows those too.

"...and a whole smoked eel," I finish.

The moment I say that, Toothless' eyes go wide before they narrow into slits, and he backs up with a low growl. Wary, I find the end of the eel and pick it up with two fingers, holding it out. He flares his wings and snarls with a wild look on his face as if he were about to attack, terrifying me.

"No, no, no!" I exclaim in a panic, tossing the eel to the side as far as I could throw it, holding a placating hand out to him. "It's okay!"

He immediately calms down and warily sniffs the pile for anymore eel before continuing on with his meal. "Yeah, I don't like eel much either," I add in nervously, wiping my hands off on my vest.

Toothless focuses on the remainder. With the dragon distracted, Hiccup unwraps his prosthetic fin and opens it like a fan.

"Okay. That's it. That's it, just stick with good stuff. And don't you mind me. I'll just be back...here. Minding my own business," I said quietly, cautiously approaching the injured tail as quietly as I can while Toothless continues to gobble up all of the fish. I kneeled down on the ground and carefully placed the fin by his tail. But every time I get near it, Toothless sweeps his tail away like a cat. Guess that answer my question from the Nadder training. His tail moves again and I jerk back nervously.

"It's okay." I say placatingly, internally cringing. As if he knows what I'm doing.

I edge the fin closer, but then his tail moves more sporadically. Fed up, I give up on subtlety and just grab the thing with both hands, however he pulls forward when sticking his head into the basket, causing me to lurch forwards with a yelp. Grumbling to myself, I climbed on top of the tail to keep it still and started strapping the fin in place. His real fin flaps for a moment before going completely still, but I don't notice, to invested in getting the prosthetic attached.

Finishing with the straps, I sit up and stare at the fin. "There. Not too bad. It works," I mutter analytically to myself.

As soon as I said that, Toothless suddenly bolted much to my shock, and I was feet off the ground before I could react. I cried out in surprised and fear, grasping onto the tail for dear life as the ground quickly got further and further away.

"Woah! No! No! No!" I exclaim in a panic.

We then start to drip downwards into an uncontrolled fall, and I scream in fright while Toothless roars in the same fear. Glancing behind me, I saw that we were falling straight towards a bunch of painful looking rocks, so in an act of desperation I yanked open the prosthetic fin, sending us straight back into the air, away from imminent death.

"Oh my- It's working!" I exclaimed in excited disbelief.

I turn the fin, and Toothless' whole body follows the direction I turned it in, sending us back in a soaring arc across the lake in the cove. I grin wildly in excitement, my whole body flooding with amazement at my invention really working, and for a dragon no less!

"Yes! Yes, I did it!" I exclaimed.

A few moments later my joy is short lived however, as Toothless suddenly jerks to the side violently, throwing me off of his tail. I scream in fear as I fall towards the lake, luckily not hurt too badly on impact with the water. Underneath the surface, I faintly hear the sound of another much more massive splash and burst my head up, taking a deep breath. Nearby, I notice Toothless also swimming in the water, nipping at the prosthetic, and my joy returns

"Yeah!" I yell out happily, throwing my arms into the air.

Toothless roars in what seems to be annoyance, but I'm too pumped up to care, swimming back to shore alongside the dragon, ideas running through my head about how to improve it. Obviously it didn't work automatically, which meant I had to manually change the tail positions. But there was no way I was going to be sitting from the back of a dragon's tail, not in long shot. I barely notice my surroundings as I drag myself out of the water, pacing around the beach of the cove while Toothless shakes the water off of himself nearby to get dry, swinging his tail around to examine it again.

He then looks up at me and nudges me with his snout, letting out a confused and slightly irritated sounding whine. "Hey, it actually worked though! That's something!" I protested. "Now I just gotta figure out how to work it without hanging from your tail," I said absentmindedly.

"I think it was brilliant!" a cheerful feminine voice sounded nearby.

I glanced up with a surprised yelp to see Mara standing on top of a nearby boulder, looking down at us with a grin on her face. Toothless turned to her and snarled, immediately getting defensive. Then to my horror he starts charging up a blast, aimed right at her!

"Wait Toothless, no!" I exclaimed, moving to stop Toothless from firing, but it was too late. I watched in horror as the purple plasma bolt sailed straight for Mara.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

I widened my eyes in surprise at the plasma bolt headed straight for me. Maybe I should've announced my arrival better...

Acting purely on instinct, with the Force screaming danger in my mind, I activated my lightsaber and swung it in front of me just before the violet blast of energy reached me. My purple blade managed to absorb the plasma bolt and redirect it away, where the majority of it crashed into the rock wall with an explosion. The force of the impact also sent my flying backwards, but I luckily managed to stabilize myself in the air with a flip and land on my feet, although stumbling slightly.

Toothless snarled again and I deactivated my lightsaber, tossing it to the side with my hands raised placatingly, letting my presence shine gently towards him through the Force.

Hiccup's eyes were wide in terror as he tried to pull Toothless back, but upon sensing my presence freely with his senses, he calmed down and tilted his head at me, his aggression going away before he warbled at me apologetically.

"There's a good boy," I said quietly with a relieved smile.

Hiccup gaped at me in a mixture of awe, disbelief, and nervousness. "What... how- I eh- what?!" he stammered in a panic.

"Hey, chill out fishbone, I'm fine," I retorted, calmly walking towards them, patting Toothless on the snout as he came over to sniff me curiously.

"Yeah- how are you fine?! You just blocked a Night Fury blast!" he exclaimed in disbelief.

I nodded my head nonchalantly. "Yup."

"How are you not dead?!" he demanded, although I could sense the relief clear in his voice.

I shrugged. "Plasma blast, really seems the same in principle as a blaster bolt, just at a much more damaging effect," I explained.

"What's a blaster?!" he yelled, and I flinched slightly before groaning. "Ugh, you know what, nevermind. Besides, I'm good now, so that's that," I told him.

He sighed, nervously running his hand through his hair. "Look, Mara... I'm really sorry about-"

"Ep, ep!" I say, holding hand up in his face to stop him before he goes on a guilt rant. "That wasn't your fault, or Toothless' fault. He was just reacting defensively-" Toothless warbled in agreement. "-and I probably could have announced myself better than that, but it happened, I'm fine. So no guilt tripping ok?"

He sighed, looking at me with a nervous and slightly fearful look. "Ok..." he said slowly, and we remain silent for a few mments before he speaks up. "So... you know?" he asks carefully, and I could see the fear in his eyes.

"If you're worried about me telling the village, then don't be. I'm not gonna do that," I reassure him.

He sighs in relief. "Thanks Mara."

I grin at him. "I thought you and Toothless shared a very cute moment last night."

He widened his eyes. "You were there last night?!" he exclaimed. "Wait, how'd you know his name is Toothless?"

"The Force. Duh," I replied snarkily, and he rolls his eyes.

"Right. What was I thinking," he deadpans, causing me to giggle. Toothless nudges me curiously, and I pet his head again, awing at the adorable look on his face with those wide puppy eyes.

"Oh my gosh, even the Terror's back at the Temple aren't nearly as cute as him!" I exclaim, getting all giggly and girly about it.

Hey, I'm a thirteen year old teenage girl. What'd you expect?

"H-hey, don't spoil him like that," he complains halfheartedly, while Toothless begs me for attention, throwing a gummy smile at me and rolling onto his back for me to scratch his belly.

"Come on Hiccup, don't tell me you don't find him adorable too," I retort with a raised eyebrow in his direction while I scratch Toothless.

He opens his mouth before closing it, glancing at me sheepishly. "Ok, maybe a little," he admits with a small smile.

I frown at him, noticing his attire. "And why are you still wet?" I demand.

"Oh... well I fell in the lake and... haven't bothered drying off..." he mumbles.

I roll my eyes before realizing why I came here in the first place. "Oh by the way your dragon training lesson starts soon."

He widens his eyes in realization and groans. "Oh Thor I'm gonna be late..."

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

After dropping off Tseebo in a place where the Empire wouldn't find him, we returned to our ship, ready to head back to Ahch-To. As Ahsoka was readying the ship for take off, I glanced at an update on my datapad and frowned.

"Huh, that's weird," I muttered quietly.

"What is?" Ahsoka asked.

"I just got a report about Imperial activity that honestly... I'm not sure what to make of it," I replied.

"What kind of activity?" she presses.

I tapped a few icons and took a closer look at the file. "The Emperor is sending ships into the Unknown Regions, although I don't know why."

Ahsoka widened her eyes in alarm. "Do you think he somehow figured us out?"

I immediately shake my head. "No, not from what I'm seeing. Besides, this is far away from Ahch-To's position, so he wouldn't find us regardless even if he was looking for us," I told her.

She leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms with a thoughtful frown on her face, although she was relieved about my answer. "Huh, that is odd," she says in agreement, before turning towards R5, who was standing nearby. "Hey buddy, do you think you could get any info about what those ships are for?"

He beeps reluctantly before doing his equivalent of an eye roll, which I'm surprised he managed to figure out, and plugged into the terminal. He searched for a few minutes, slicing through various firewalls thanks to my programming I added, and then turned his dome to us with a small hologram, beeping out what he was managing to uncover. The hologram showed plans for various supply cruisers with Star Destroyer escorts, along with a few lines of text.

"He's... searching for something? OUTSIDE the galaxy?!" I read with a raised eyebrow. "What in the universe is he expecting to find outside of our galaxy?"

"As far as I know there isn't even anything outside the galaxy, much less a way to traverse distances between them." Ahsoka added with a furrowed brow in confusion.

"Can you find anything else?" I asked R5, and he sent me a rather snarky beep with wonderfully nice vocabulary.

Basically he said no.

I rolled my eyes in exasperation. "Alright alright, no need to get your gears in a twist," I retorted, leaning back in my own chair.

"What are you up to Sidious..." I muttered.

"He obviously knows something that we don't..." Ahsoka trailed off, an idea popping into her mind. Recognizing the look on her face, I popped up with interest. "What are you thinking?"

"Did you ever learn where Snoke is?" she asks me, a look of concern on her face.

I widened my eyes at her implication. "You don't think he also knows about Snoke, much less looking for him!"

"Well he somehow figured out we had a Force bond back during the Clone Wars, due to the fact that he anonymously told the Jedi Council about it in the first place," she pointed out, and I frowned at the memory, remembering how confused and shocked I was at someone sending a message to the Council, revealing me and Ahsoka's Force bond. It was only years later that I dug up the message and learned it was sent from the Chancellor's Office. That was terrifying.

"So maybe he also knows about Snoke and is looking for him... or worse," she said gravely.

My mind immediately went to my vision of the dark, three eyed entity I saw through the Force. The feeling I got from that thing was... unnatural. Tainted.

"Let's hope they don't find anything," I said, worried about all these dangers of the galaxy. THe idea of there being a lot more darkness out there than we can comprehend is scary.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

"Today is about teamwork. Work together and you might survive." Gobber says, pulling the lever.

Gas seeps through the cracks of the door before it suddenly blasts open. A cloud of smoke engulfs the ring, swirling around the paired-up teens. Astrid was with Ruffnut, Snotlout with Tuffnut, and Fishlegs with Hiccup. All of them are carring buckets of water for this lesson, which Gobber was explaining right now. I could sense exactly where the dragon was, but of course the rest of them didn't have that ability, so they had no idea where the dragon was.

"Now, a wet dragon head can't light its fire. The Hideous Zippleback is extra tricky. One head breathes gas, the other head lights it. Your job is to know which is which," Gobber explains, stepping off to the side of the ring as the smoke engulfs everyone, seperating them into their partnered groups.

I can't really see them that well this time, which causes me to frown. So using the Force, I do my best to sense where they are, and maybe listen in on any quiet conversations going on. The listening part doesn't work very well, although I can hear Hiccup suddenly exclaim harshly in a hushed tone to Fishlegs. Dude probably went on his panicking dragon facts rant again.

This Zippleback though was certainly very quiet, and although I could sense it, I could barely hear it. Right now it was just circling around the teens, keeping a close watch on all of them with its sense of smell, waiting for a moment to strike.

Footsteps behind me suddenly get my attention, and to my surprise, Mom and Dad lean against the metal cage on either side of me.

"Hey," Dad says.

"Oh, hey!" I say quickly. "Didn't realize you were back already!"

"We just returned," Mom replied. "So their doing another lesson?"

I nod my head. "Yup. They have to figure out which head of the Zippleback head to splash with water."

They both nodded in approval. "This lesson is definitely more important than the first one with the Gronckle," Dad says.

"Teamwork building, knowledge skills, and patience, as well as the mastering of their senses," Ahsoka adds in. Now that I think about it, this lesson reminded me the most of my Jedi training compared to the other two.

"There!" Snotlout suddenly yells, and the splashes of water from buckets can be heard. Only it was the wrong target, which prompts the Zippleback to move in. Uh oh.

"This isn't good," Dad stated with a shake of his head.

"Hey!" Astrid says angrily.

 **"** It's us, idiots!" Ruffnut finishes. I can only imagine that both girls are soaked. "Your butts are getting bigger. We thought you were a dragon," tuffnut says, snickering at his joke. I don't even need the Force to hear that, he was so loud. No wonder the Zippleback was going for him. I would step in but... I got the feeling they would be okay, at least aren't in danger of dying.

"Not that there's anything wrong with a dragon-esque figure." Snotlout says, in an attempt to woo Astrid.

Mom sighed. "That's definitely not how to pick up a girl."

"I would know," Dad said with a small grin, causing Mom to roll her eyes.

The sound of a vicious punch lets me know without needing to that his flirting failed once more. I also sense Ruffnut throwing the bucket at Tuffnut, who collapses to the ground. That's when the Zippleback strikes, snatching him up, his startled cries heard from the fog. The sound of buckets spilling and the girls yelling lets me know the dragon swiped them off their feet with its tail.

Eventually the dragon lets Tuffnut go, and he stumbles away, moaning and groaning in pain. "Oh I'm hurt! I am very much hurt!"

The smoke finally starts to clear, and I see Fishlegs and Hiccup facing down a single head of the dragon popping out of the smoke, slithering its way towards them. Fishlegs backpedals in fright, throwing his water at the dragons head in a panic. It leers and opens its mouth, spewing gas into the area.

"Oh dear." Mom sighed.

"Oh. Wrong head." Fishlegs stated nervously.

The dragon sprays him with the green gas, completely covering him in it. He runs away with his hands in the air, screaming in terror.

"Fishlegs!" Gobber exclaims in genuine worry, although thankfully he managed to get away from the head.

A clicking sound then comes from behind them. Sparks flash in the smoke from the second head as it appears, sparking its teeth together, and Hiccup turns towards it nervously.

"Now, Hiccup!" Gobber urges.

Determined, Hiccup takes a few steps forward and hurls the water bucket with all his might. It arcs and drops short of the dragon's sparking mouth. The dragon leers at him, and I watch nervously.

"Oh, come on," he deadpans in exasperation.

The Zippleback then lunges forwards with a roar, knocking Hiccup to the ground and flaring its wings with a wild look. I widen my eyes and prepare to slip through the bars when Mom stops me. I look up at her in surprise and disbelief but she shakes her head.

"Just wait," she says, a confident smile on her face.

"Hiccup!"

I turn back to look at the arena in confusion, which only grows as the Zippleback hesitates. It sniffs, before retreating with a frightened expression.

What?

The teens get to their feet, watching transfixed. The Zippleback is backing away from Hiccup, who stands and holds his hands out, as if controlling it. He strides forwards, shoving his hands outwards, and the dragon backs up with frightened yelps.

"Back. Back! BACK! Now don't you make me tell you again!" he exclaims, starting off hesitantly before quickly gaining confidence. The Zippleback retreats through its door and into its cave, hissing violently.

"Yes, that's right. Back into your cage," he continues. "Now think about what you've done."

I then notice him throw something into the cage, and narrow my eyes curiously as I contemplate what it may have been, and glance back up at my parents. They both have interested smiles on their faces.

"Looks like Hiccup is more creative than we realized," Dad says.

"I can't believe dragons are afraid of eels." Mom says with a chuckle, shaking her head.

"Eels?" I asked.

She nods her head. "Yup. I could smell it."

"Okay! So are we done? Because I've got some things I need to..." Hiccup jogs out of the ring, past the speechless group, much to me and my parents amusement. "Yep...see you tomorrow!"

He glances over at us on the way, and I give him a thumbs up.

* * *

 _Fun chapter huh?_

 _For Mara using her lightsaber to block a Night Fury blast, it makes total sense in my head because plasma blasts are that... plasma. Similar in comparison to a blaster bolt, just on a larger and more dangerous scale, so it works just fine in my opinion._

 _Oh Palpy... what are you up too Sidious? :O_


	37. Ch 36 - Delving Deeper in Mystery

_Hello my wonderful readers! Before we start with this chapter I just want to let you guys know that I will be unable to write more chapters from Monday through Friday, because I'll be gone on a camping trip with some friends. We'll be kayaking on large rivers and camping in hammocks on an island! This means I won't be able to begin writing the next chapter until Saturday, which will then be posted Sunday, or late Saturday night if I have enough time._

 _Thank you all for your support of this series! I'm so glad you all have enjoyed this, and rest assured there is so much more to the Shaniverse than just the Legacy of Jarik Shan! :D_

 _Now on to the chapter!_

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

"So, you named him Toothless?" I asked curiously.

Hiccup nodded his head, brushing aside a tree branch as he lead us towards the cove. "Yeah, not the best name, I know," he admitted sheepishly.

"Why Toothless?" Ahsoka asked with an amused look on her face.

"First time I actually fed him fish, he had no teeth in his mouth, which confused me a lot," he explained. "Apparently he has retractable teeth."

"No wonder. That sounds just like something you'd name the most dangerous dragon on record," Mara said with a grin.

Hiccup eyed her in exasperation. "Am I really that predictable?" he demands.

"Yup," all three of us answer at once, and he grumbles to himself.

 _"A Night Fury named Toothless, with retractable teeth, and apparently has a connection to the Force, according to Mara."_ Ahsoka said over the bond, going over the basics of what we knew about him.

 _"That last bit is surprising, honestly,"_ I admitted. _"I wonder how he would interact with the Force, if he even realizes he has a connection?"_ I mused.

 _"Guess we'll just have to see,"_ she replied with a shrug. After Hiccup's clever little eel stunt back in the ring, Mara had us all catch up to him, since she wanted him to show me and Ahsoka Toothless. He was hesitant at first, but since Mara already knew, and we had promised not to tell anyone about him, he agreed, and was currently leading us to his hideout with the Night Fury. She hasn't told Hiccup about Toothless' connection to the Force yet, which was probably for the best. No need to reveal that until we know just how his connection works. I've heard rumors of Loth-wolves being connected to the Force, but nobody has seen those in ages, so we don't know for sure if it's true or not.

Eventually, we reached a clearing in the trees, revealing the large cove in the ground. A clear blue lake was stationed in the middle of it, with dirt and trees surrounding the insides, along with several boulders. Definitely a very beautiful place like Mara said for sure.

"Nice cove," Ahsoka said, looking around it with interest.

Hiccup nods in agreement. "Yeah, I like it too. I'll go down first and get Toothless ready to meet you. He's... wary of strangers," he warned.

I shrugged. "Eh. We've handled large creatures before. We'll be fine," I reassured him. Ahsoka rolls her eyes as Hiccup heads down the rocky pathway into the cove, Mara following after him. We waited for about half a minute before Hiccup's voice carried up to us.

"Okay, you can come down now!" he called out.

Ahsoka and I both glanced at each other, communicating silently with our looks before simply jumping down the cliff, easily landing on our feet. The action startled Hiccup and Toothless, although Mara was unfazed, having done the maneuver plenty of times herself. Toothless narrowed his eyes at us with a wary gaze, growling lowly in warning.

"Geez! Why do you guys do that all the time?" Hiccup demanded in exasperation.

"What? It's easier that way," I defended, and Ahsoka smiled at me in amusement with a shake of her head.

"Whatever," I heard him mumble before turning to Toothless. "It's ok bud, they're friends," he said slowly, petting and scratching his head to calm him down. Me and Ahsoka both stretched our presence towards him in the Force to see how he would react.

Hiccup's words helped calm Toothless down, as well as me and Ahsoka with our mental approach. Mara wasn't as experienced as us yet so she couldn't have felt this, but both of us could tell how Toothless subconsciously probed us through the Force as our minds stretched out to him, judging us before deeming the both of us to be trustworthy. Instantly he went from defensive to downright adorable, gazing at us happily with wide, curious eyes. Ahsoka smiled, no doubt awwing inwardly at the sight, although keeping herself composed. She was one of two adults here after all.

We both approached calmly, allowing toothless to sniff us. He spent an extra amount of time on Ahsoka, no doubt confused about what she was, obviously having never met a Togruta before.

"Dragons alway seem to immediately like you guys," Hiccup stated with a pout. "It took me hours to gain his trust."

"That's because we have the Force," Mara spoke up.

"If only I had that," he muttered in disappointment.

"Actually Hiccup, I find you gaining Toothless' trust more impressive then how quick we do it." Ahsoka said, stroking the dragon's head, who whined happily. "We already have an instant advantage, but without it I'm not sure we would be able to gain a dragon;s trust nearly as quick as you did, if at all. The fact that you never needed the Force to do so speaks a lot about you," she said with a smile.

Hiccup considered her words, his face turning slightly red from embarrassment and joy. "W-well, thanks," he stammered gratefully.

"My mom knows how to make everyone happy!" Mara said proudly.

I fake coughed into my hand, causing Ahsoka to glance at me with a raised and demanding eyebrow. "Something you have to say little Jari?" she asked sweetly.

"Hmm?" I asked innocently. "Oh yeah, sorry. I was just remembering all of the enemies you've gathered during your career," I deadpanned, causing Mara to roll her eyes and Hiccup to snicker.

"Well, you can't make everyone happy," she agreed with a sigh.

During our discussion, Ahsoka and I were using the Force to discretely focus our senses on Toothless, analyzing his connection to the Force, and how strong it may be. From what we were seeing he had a remarkably deep connection, which affected him in numerous ways. If we were normal people like Hiccup and the Vikings then we would never realize the affects the Force had on Toothless, passing them off as that species, but that was definitely not the case.

The Force affects Toothless both physically and mentally, but it seems a lot more naturally melded than it would be for a Jedi. It's hard to explain... but basically while beings like Jedi and Sith have a connection and ability to wield the Force, Toothless is more... in tune naturally with it. Like he is an animal of the Force, similar to Morai's convor form, although obviously not nearly on her level. His plasma fire, ability to resist mental attacks, from other Force users or dragons, and his perceptiveness all stem from the Force. All dragons have a connection, just like all living things in the universe, but not in the way Toothless does. Without another Night Fury to compare however I have no idea if it's for his species or just an individual case.

* * *

After our meeting with Toothless, we left him and Hiccup to his own devices, seeing as our week long vacation on Berk was up, and we had to return to the Temple to continue Jedi training and our work for the Fulcrum agency. Bidding Hiccup and Gobber goodbye, as well as Gothi, we traveled back to Temple Island on our speedboat, parking it beside the Knight Hawk in the late afternoon. Mara was hesitant to leave, and I could understand her hesitancy, due to her fear over what Hiccup would do if the village was discovered, since we wouldn't be there to help him. Ahsoka reassured her though that if he was in danger, our close relationship with him would allow us to sense that danger through the Force.

On our way up the steps, R5 beeped at us from the ship with his usual snarky jokes, to which Mara replied with a witty comeback, which had is all laughing, and left the droid grumbling to himself. We greeted the caretakers in the middle of their cleaning up of the village, to which they enthusiastically welcomed us back, and then had a simple dinner in the courtyard, watching the sun set. A small flock of Timberjacks flew by the island very high in the sky, and we watched them go, thinking about Toothless and how that would be. After dinner, we gave Mara a quick lesson on her Force senses before heading off to sleep for the night. Ahsoka decided to once again be more intimate in the bed, wrapping herself around me in a cuddle, resting her head on my shoulder, to which I rolled my eyes at with a small smile.

The next morning, I woke up earlier than normal, taking great care to not disturb Ahsoka in her slumber, and opened up my datapad, casually checking a few easy to crack encryptions. A curious detail about Senator Gal Trayvis got my attention, relating to his secret anti-Imperial messages. He's gone on a pattern over his career, where if he mentions a planet in one of his transmissions, it means he's going to be visiting said planet. Given the Ghost Crew's familiarity with taking up secret tasks hinted at by Trayvis, I decided to send Hera a brief encoded message explaining his strategy.

With that done, I closed the datapad and laid it on the table, leaning back in the chair with a sigh. I glanced over at Ahsoka, who mumbled something in the bed, shifting slightly, causing me to smile briefly at her. Force I was in love...

I blinked quickly at my thoughts before shrugging. It was pretty obvious for all of us at this point, so no real reason to deny it right?

Anyways, checking the time on my chronometer, I decided to go meditate at the Jedi Temple. getting up from my chair, I just put on my shoes, and then wrapped my Jedi cloak around my nightclothes, carefully opening the door and stepping out into the brisk, cold morning air. Dew clumped over the rocks and the ground, the twin suns a deep orange as they just began to break the horizon far off in the distance, casting a soft glow over the island. My cloak fluttered in the breeze as I started the walk over to the Temple. Passing the Library Tree on the way, it's presence whispering with light and constantly shrouded in mist, I eventually reached the Temple after a few minutes of walking, gazing around the inside.

The Temple was a bit dim, with not much sunlight seeping inside to light it up yet, but it was bright enough for me to see general details. Satele's lightsaber lay in its position untouched on the wall as usual, with the Prime Jedi's mural sat in the center. I walked over to the wall with Satele's lightsaber and then sat before it, closing my eyes and taking deep breathes, delving into the mysteries of the Force. It took several very long minutes, maybe even half an hour before I felt something on the edge of my mind. Honing in on it, I was pulled into another brief vision.

 _I caught a glimpse of the island though the Force's mist, which then transitioned to a view of Mustafar._

 _I cringed at the sight of the planet where Anakin fully embraced the dark side against us, and where Barris died, before noticing the three Star Destroyers hovering above it. I thought I could hear screams, maybe screams from torture before that image faded._

 _It was replaced with a dark cave of black stone, as dark as the void of space, with a large stone in the middle of the cave. Mechanical breathing filled the air as Vader approached the stone, raising a hand out to it, in which it faintly glowed purple in response, as if there was something within._

 _The next scene was of Satele in the forest with a partner I didn't recognize, standing before some weird metal egg structure. I widened my eyes when the structure began to transform into a large humanoid droid._

 _Finally I saw her at a much older age, sitting in the very same spot of the Jedi Temple I currently was sitting in, also meditating. Her lightsaber lay in the same position currently, and the m view zoomed in towards the rock which the lightsaber lay against, revealing something behind..._

I opened my eyes, blinking quickly at the brightness in my face. Squinting, I realized it was now very bright, the sun most like in mid-morning or so. Remembering my vision, I stood up and carefully moved the lightsaber to the side, placing my hands against the stone wall. Feeling alongside it for a minute brought nothing, so I tried a different tactic. Using the Force, I pressed my hand against the wall and felt for anything out of place, eventually finding it. Pulling my hand back as if grabbing something, a piece of the wall slowly slid out, revealing a small space holding a book inside, much to my surprise. Curious, I pulled it out and glanced at it, widening my eyes when I saw the name 'Satele Shan' inscribed in the bottom corner of the cover. Opening the first page, I realized this must've been a private journal. She probably directed me to it through me vision... that or I'm just a lucky guesser.

Placing the compartments hidden door back, I marveled at how seamlessly it slid back into the wall, as if it was never there in the first place before turning my attention back to the book, wondering what may be inside it. If Satele did direct me to it, then what is it that she wants me to learn?

* * *

 _Short chapter I know, but I was pressed for time when writing this. Thank you once again for continuing to read and follow my stories! :D_

 _What could be in this journal written by Satele Shan? With all those years of living on Ahch-To she was bound to write something important huh? ;)_

 _I'll see you guys with the next chapter either Saturday night or Sunday!_


	38. Ch 37 - Training Montage

_Yay I'm back suckas! Camping trip was fun, although a little rough at times._

 _Thank you to all of you who review and follow my stories! You guys are the best!_ _Now I'm ready to continue on with more of the Legacy of Jarik Shan! :D_

* * *

 **Ahch-To, Unknown Regions; 3rd person POV...**

A hammer and chisel held in Hiccup's hands banged on a piece of leather, creating small precise holes in the material. He had been working on his project all night after Mara's family had left, crafting and threading it all together. Laying it down on the floor, he kneeled down beside it with a smile on his face, brushing off some stray dirt that had gotten on it, then holding it off to get a good look at it. He had high hopes for this saddle to work for Toothless.

The next morning, he traveled down to the cove, holding the saddle up before Toothless with an eager smile on his face. Unfortunately for Hiccup, the Night Fury didn't share the same enthusiasm, and upon seeing the saddle he took off.

"Hey!" Hiccup cried out.

He chased Toothless around desperately, the saddle held high above his head, but no matter how fast he ran Toothless always seemed to stay just out of his reach. In fact, Toothless even had his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he ran, glancing back constantly, and Hiccup had the feeling that this was some sort of game to the Night Fury. Eventually, he managed to get the saddle on, and mounted Toothless, holding a long string of leather attached to the prosthetic fin to help him control it. The pair flew over the pond, and with a confident look on his face, Hiccup pulled the string in an attempt to shift the position of the tail.

This move resulted in Toothless being yanked to the side with a startled roar, and Hiccup was sent flying off of his back with a yelp into the water.

Later that night he did some tinkering in his workshop back in Gobber's forge, testing out a hook system he came up with. A string of leather attached to a leather belt he created would hook on to the saddle, keeping him mounted on Toothless as they flew. It kind of reminded him a little bit of Mara, Ahsoka and Jarik, how they constantly carried their lightsabers on their own belts.

He later tested this attachment with Toothless, the pair gliding around the cove once again, although this time the rope for the prosthetic fin was tied around Hiccup's foot. He attempted to shift the tail, grunting and making sounds of annoyance and frustration, the tail fin responding poorly. Without proper control over the fin, the two friends went tumbling to the ground, thankfully falling into a small field of rather soft grass, Hiccup stumbling through it after being dislodged from the saddle. Hearing Toothless make some strange purring sounds, he turned back around, only to gape in bewilderment at the sight of Toothless rolling around the grass in absolute bliss, his eyes closed as he continued to purr.

He held up a few strands of the strange grass in his hands, staring thoughtfully at it and wondering if it had the same effect on other dragons...

ooo00ooo

Back in Gobber's dragon training arena, the recruits were having trouble dealing with the enraged Gronckle. Hiccup had managed to smuggle in some of the grass, and was holding it in his hands. He lowered his hand as the Gronckle slammed into Tuffnut, knocking him away with a surprised and pained cry. Taking notice of him, the Gronckle growled and sped towards him with the intent of doing the same. Terrified, Hiccup gasped and closed his eyes, holding out the grass in front of him, prepared for the worst. Instead, when the Gronckle was about to ram Hiccup, it stopped, sniffing something delightful. It's pupils went wide in bliss s it continued to sniff the grass. Hiccup looked up, and upon seeing the dragon's reaction, rubbed its snout with the grass, causing it to roll onto its side in bliss.

Up in the stands, the spectators watched the scene in disbelief and awe, while Gothi frowned thoughtfully in confusion at the sight. From what she could see, Hiccup was controlling the Gronckle with only his hand, sending it near unconscious. The move was very similar to what Jarik or Ahsoka would do whenever they were sending dragons away. Could Hiccup have some power of the Force like them? Or is this something different...

After training the recruits were all walking across the bridge back to the village, and everyone except Astrid was bombarding him with questions. Astrid surprisingly, was actually in the back without attention on her for once. Hiccup was wide-eyed and nervous at all the attention, having never been in the spotlight before.

"Hey Hiccup, I've never seen a Gronckle do that before!" Fishlegs exclaims.

"How'd you do that?" Tuffnut asks, before being shoved by Ruffnut. "That was really cool," she says.

Hiccup fumbles for an excuse, backing away nervously. "I- I uh, left my axe, back in the ring. You go on ahead! I'll catch up with you!"

Along the way, he nearly bumps into Astrid, who yelps in surprise, quickly getting out of his way before he rushes off. As Hiccup leaves, Astrid watches him go with a scowl on her face, frustrated and annoyed, while Snotlout is more confused. The rest are all smiling in awe.

ooo00ooo

Mara ducks a swipe from Ahsoka's glowing white blade, before leaping to the side, stumbling across the dirt. She looks up as Ahsoka towers over her.

"Come on Mara, I know you've got more in you," she says, before stabbing downwards. Mara yelps, rolling out of the way and quickly getting to her feet, stretching out her senses with the Force. This was a surprise training session, and Ahsoka just happened to take Mara's crystal out of her lightsaber and then chuck it away before she could react, effectively making it disappear. So now she wanted Mara to find the crystal while at the same time combating against Ahsoka, which she found bewildering and slightly terrifying. Her adopted mother was a force to be reckoned with during a battle, and Mara doubted she was barely going full out right now.

She raised a hand, weaving around Ahsoka after another strike and shove her away with the Force. Ahsoka stumbled slightly, whipping back around in time to avoid a kick to the face from Mara, who went flying by. Mara used her momentum of the failed attack to run away as fast as possible, stretching out desperately through the Force for her crystal, Ahsoka giving chase. She came upon a short rock wall several feet high, jumping up towards it before kicking off the side of it with her feet, reaching another ledge. Mara then fell down behind Ahsoka, blasting her again with the Force before the Togruta could react, stunning her against the wall.

Ahsoka then retaliated faster than Mara could react, leaping forwards and using the Force to send Mara skidding across the dirt. A sudden spike in the Force got her attention, and Mara glanced over, seeing a small glitter of purple shining in the grass. Grinning to herself, she rolled out of the way of Ahsoka's lightsaber strike, using the Force to pull her crystal across the field towards her. Catching it, she quickly inserted it into her lightsaber hilt before whipping around, catching Ahsoka's white blade just in time.

Ahsoka grinned in approval. "Not bad Mara. You're improving," she complimented.

Elsewhere on the island, Jarik was walking through the kyber crystal caves, gazing at the different crystals that glowed dimly in the dark. As he passed by one section of the wall, he suddenly did a double take and moved back, staring intently at a small pure white colored crystal with a smile on his face.

"That's the one," he said eagerly to himself.

ooo00ooo

Back on Berk, Hiccup was in the cove with Toothless, scratching the dragon after an intense flight training session. Toothless was enjoying it heavily, shivering in delight and purring at the scratching Hiccup was giving to his neck. The dragon arched his back with lidded eyes, and as he continued on, Hiccup reached down underneath Toothless' chin, giving a quick scratch there. Without warning, Toothless suddenly yelped lightly and collapsed on the ground, falling asleep instantly with a bliss-filled smile on his face. Hiccup looked at his hands in surprise, a smile slowly stretching across his face as he considered this new discovery.

During the next training session, the recruits were having a tough time dealing with the enraged Deadly Nadder dragon while Viking spectators watched. Astrid threw her axe directly at the dragon with a fierce yell. However the Nadder simply used its thick front horn to knock the axe away, charging at Astrid unhindered. She yelped to the side in surprise, leaving the Nadder to charge directly at Hiccup instead. Startled, Hiccup dropped his mace in fright and left himself in a nervous but defenseless pose, confusing the dragon. The Nadder stopped inches away from him, sniffing and staring at Hiccup in confusion, wondering why this human was not running away or trying to attack and kill it.

Both Hiccup and the Nadder's attention was suddenly drawn elsewhere as Astrid came charging at the dragon, her axe raised as a war cry left her mouth. Thinking quickly, Hiccup reached up and began scratching the Nadder's neck, which caused it to squawk pleasurably, and then collapse in bliss as Hiccup scratched its chin. Astrid stopped a foot away from the two, bewildered and speechless at how the Nadder collapsed without any apparent reason.

Later that night, most of the village was in the Great Hall to eat dinner, the teens all sitting at one table. As soon as Hiccup walked over at sat down at an empty table to eat however, all of the recruits minus Astrid, and even a few adults quickly joined him, much to his surprise.

"Hey Hiccup!" Fishlegs exclaims happily.

"What was that? Some kind of trick? What'd you do?! Did Mara teach you something or what?!" Snotlout demands, causing Hiccup to squirm nervously, knowing that wasn't false, yet having no clue how to explain otherwise.

"Hiccup, you're totally going to come in first, there's no question." Tuffnut said.

Astrid watched from her table in bewilderment, all alone, then slammed her cup down on the table in frustration.

The next day, Hiccup had brought down his work tools in order to better make changes as soon as possible to the prosthetic fin and saddle. As he was fiddling with his hammer, he suddenly notices Toothless start to chase a small pointed light caused by the sun reflecting off of the hammer's metal surface. Grinning to himself, he stopped his work and started pointing the light around, watching as Toothless desperately tried to chase it like a cat, clawing and grabbing at it.

ooo00ooo

He decides to use this new trick during the next training session. Once they were all gathered in the ring, Gobber raises the large wooden lock of the gate, and the recruits prepare for the worst.

"Meet the Terrible Terror!" Gobber announces joyously.

Instead of a large and frightening dragon, a tiny winged reptile the size of a chicken crawls through a small door to its pen, staring up at the teens dumbly and licking its eye. Tuffnut scoffs at the sight, the rest of the teens except for Hiccup snickering. He'd heard from Mara how much of a menace the Terrible Terror actually was back on her island.

"Ha! It's like the size of my-"

Whatever Tuffnut was about to say was interrupted as the Terror suddenly leaped at his face, swiftly taking him down, causing the recruits to all scatter in shock. The adults cheer and laugh at the sight, while Tuffnut screams in surprise and pain.

"OHH! GET IT OFF!" he cries out, the Terror gnawing on his nose like a chew toy. When the Terror opens its eyes however, its spots something on the ground and forgets Tuffnut entirely. Said Viking rolls around on the ground, grabbing his nose. "OH I'm hurt! I am very much hurt!" he yells.

Instead of focusing on Tuffnut, the Terror was following a patch of light that Hiccup was creating using the centerpiece of his shield. He lead the Terror back to its pen while the recruits watched on. Tuffnut put his helmet back one, watching the scene while rubbing his nose.

"Wow. He's better than you ever were," he says, causing Astrid to glance angrily at him, the rest of the teens watching in awe. The Terror scrambles through the little door for the light, and Hiccup puts his foot on the door once it crawls through, looking back at everyone rather sheepishly.

Later in the afternoon, Astrid was furiously throwing her axe repeatedly at trees in the forest, venting out her frustrations through training. This whole situation with Hiccup baffled and absolutely infuriated her. Her whole life she had been training to be the best warrior of her age on Berk, in order to restore her family's honor after the death of her uncle 'Fearless' Finn Hofferson. Yet now when she has the chance to prove herself, the village runt and embarrassment Hiccup, suddenly begins to outclass her and make her skills look like nothing! She never cared to much about Hiccup, not bothering to waste her time bullying him like the others did, only knowing that he was close friends with Mara surprisingly, who she did respect as a warrior, enough to admit that the Jedi-in-training was a better fighter than she was.

During her training session, she yanked her axe of the tree and vaulted over a log quickly, raising her axe in preparation for another throw. To her complete surprise, she forces herself to stop just before throwing when realizing that Hiccup was standing in front of her, a bundle of something carried in his arms. The two stare in surprise, just as surprised to find the other there, before Hiccup quickly strides away into the forest. Suspicious, she follows him as quietly possible, watching him move behind a rock. She climbed on top of the rock and looked over it for any sign of him, but to her confusion, he wasn't anywhere to be found. Irritated, she hit the rock with her fist.

ooo00ooo

Back on Temple Island, Jarik was sitting inside one of the stone huts, seated at a table with various tools and pieces of small equipment. In his metal hand he was holding up some sort of small piece of circular metal, using a blow torch held in his right to melt and bend it into shape. Dipping it in water to cool off the metal and harden it, he then went to work with the next part. Using some small screws and a drop of sealing liquid, he picks up the small, completely spherical white kyber crystal and delicately places it into the a small engraving laid out for it. He then sets a small intricate frame around the crystal, sealing it down with some unnoticeable screws, the liquid in the engraved spot quickly hardening for the crystal, setting it forever in place.

Finished, he sets his project down on the table and wipes his brow, sighing in relief. Jarik takes a good look at the object he had created, smiling to himself before pulling out a small container, carefully placing the object inside of the box.

"Hope she likes this ring when I show it off," he mutters to himself.

He closes the box over the beautifully crafted ring with the kyber gem emplacement. It wasn't particularly fancy or anything, with a rather simple design since Jarik knew Ahsoka wouldn't like anything if she could rely on it to survive a battle. Yet it's simple and small design didn't make it any less beautiful, the white kyber crystal almost glowing dimly in the dark.

ooo00ooo

While Toothless continued to eat his meal of fish which Hiccup smuggled to him, Hiccup set to work, updating the harness and lining a thread along his tail and body towards a pedal that he had crafted for use. After Toothless finished with the fish, Hiccup lead him towards a tall cliff which had constant winds blowing against it. Using a shattered tree trunk there, he tied Toothless to the trunk with a rope to keep him in place, and then mounted the dragon. Toothless took flight, gliding as the wind kept him afloat in place while Hiccup familiarized himself with the tail fin. Changing the position of the pedal, the tail extended outwards against the wind, the the pair landed on the ground. Toothless looked up happily at Hiccup while he wrote down the positioning of fin on a cheat sheet clipped into the saddle.

After doing so, Toothless extended his wings and leaped into the air, gliding once more. However a sudden powerful surge of the wind whipped by, blowing against Toothless' wings and causing the rope to snap. Toothless and Hiccup flew back through the trees with startled cries of surprise, landed heavily on the ground. Toothless landed on his back, rolling over and sit on his front paws. However in doing so Hiccup suddenly yelped in surprise as he was dragged up by Toothless, and quickly checks the connection of his harness, his face falling. The metal was bent, making it impossible to remove from the saddle.

"Oh great," he groans.

ooo00ooo

Later that night, a Viking strides through the village with a torch in hand, doing a nightly check of the area for any dangers. he sees Hiccup leaning against one of the houses and nods to him.

"Hiccup," he greets.

Hiccup waves back with a nervous smile in an attempt to look casual, and then walks out with Toothless once the coast was clear. the Night Fury attempted to follow the Viking curiously, but Hiccup pulled on the harness, bringing him to Gobber's forge, which was closed down, as Gobber was already asleep back in his house. The pair cautiously enter the forge, well, Hiccup mostly. As soon as they were inside Toothless sticks his nose into a bucket, expecting fish. Upon finding none, he tosses the bucket away, which makes a clattering noise heard by Astrid, who quickly whirls around and makes a beeline for the forge

"Hiccup? Are you in there?" she calls out.

Toothless and Hiccup raise their heads in response, the latter with a look of alarm as he desperately tries to pry the ring off of the hook. When it doesn't budge, he quickly throws on an apron and jumps out of the window and closes the shutters behind him before Astrid could see inside.

"Astrid, hey!" he exclaims, stammering nervously. "Hi Astrid! Hi Astrid. Hi Astrid," he rambles.

"I normally don't care what people do, but you're acting weird." Astrid says with an accusatory finger.

While this was going on, Toothless peeked his head outside of the doorway, spotting a sheep which takes notice, stopping with a petrified look. toothless makes a move towards it curiously, causing Hiccup to stumble. He shakes it off with an uneasy laugh, and Astrid eyes him warily.

"Well, weirder," she corrects.

To her complete shock and disbelief, Hiccup suddenly rises off of the ground, pulled against the shutters. He glances at the shutters and back at Astrid in bewilderment, giving a nervous chuckle, before yelping as he was quickly pulled through. The moment he was inside, he quickly grabs some of his tools and leaps onto Toothless, who runs out as Astrid yanks the shutters open, only to find nothing. Across the street, Toothless runs and then takes flight, disappearing into the night as Hiccup breathes out a sigh of relief.

* * *

 _It's never really clarified how much time takes place during the montage scene, but the amount of time most people who watch HTTYD agree on is that it speeds through several weeks or a month, which is what I'm going with. It makes sense considering Hiccup has to go through a lot of trial and error with Toothless, and Stoick and the other Vikings take time on their boat voyage back from Dragon Island, especially in a damaged boat._

 _To those of you who are all about the Jarisoka romance, you must all be screaming inside at seeing Jarik create that Kyber Crystal ring haha. He won't propose immediately, he's gonna do it when it seems right. So you have to wait more! :)_


	39. Ch 38 - First big solo Mission!

**Jarik POV...**

 _"...my solitude on Ahch-To has been very enlightening for me, yet at the same time has raised so many questions that need answers. The Force is a lot more extensive than I, or any other Jedi or Sith could have ever imagined. The teachings and writings of the Prime Jedi are full of knowledge that I will not write in this journal, but I take fully to heart, and I encourage anyone else who finds this place to do the same. Too much Light or Dark can be the undoing of life as we know it._

 _The native species on this world are unlike any other I have encountered. The galaxy is full of many different species of dragons, both large and small, but the dragons of Ahch-To are unique and special. And there is not just one type of dragon, but dozens. Several of these species have been influenced one way or another through the Force, whether it be the Queens and Kings with their ability to connect to the minds of others, or through other means. Three species of dragons have caught my attention in particular, having an unusual affinity for their Force in their fire. Interestingly enough, these three species were granted their natural affinity by an ancient and power entity of the Force, which is unknown._

 _Firstly, is the 'Monstrous Nightmare' dragon, so named by the local people of this planet. They have a natural affinity to wield the power of fire like no other dragon, so much as being able to wreathe their bodies in flame. The texts of the Force Tree label this as the Power of Sol, granted to them several millennia ago by a powerful entity of the Force._

 _Next are the rare but powerful 'Skrill' dragons, as the people have named them. These dragons use the Force to unleash their fury not through fire, but with lightning. They can pull electricity from the sky and within them to wield powers of the Sky, similar to how a Force Wielder can unleash Force Lightning from their hands._

 _Finally, the dragon species that grab my attention the most are the 'Night Fury' dragons, one of the most elusive of all the dragons. I myself have only seen one Night Fury in all my years. The Nightmare wields fire like no other, and the Skrill can wield lightning, but the Night Fury may be the most Force sensitive dragon I know of. The caretakers of the Temple say that a Night Fury can draw their power from the Voids of the Force, wielding it through violet void energy. Beyond that, the Night fury also has a natural affinity to sense people's thoughts and emotions, which I was able to experience through my brief encounter with one. They-"_

"Jarik? You might want to see this," Ahsoka's voice called out, pulling me out of Satele's journal.

I blinked, slightly startled before sighing, closing her journal and setting it carefully on the desk beside me, getting up and walking towards the table that Ahsoka was seated at. She was looking at a datapad, glancing up at me with a raised eyebrow at my approach.

"Did I interrupt your history lesson?" she asks me in amusement.

"Yes, her journal is very fascinating," I grumbled. "Honestly, it feels like I'm reading an epic revelation every day in that book."

"Well, you can read it for later, because I just uncovered something you may want to see," she said, surprising me by how serious she sounded. She slid the datapad over to me, and I took it, reading over the report before widening my eyes slightly at what it said.

"This is real?" I asked, which she nodded in confirmation. "Oh man... then we have to figure out a way to get that."

"It is being held at Lothal at the current moment, they're just waiting to transport it," she says, hinting towards getting a message to the Ghost Crew.

I nod in understanding. "That's true... but they can't do this alone. They'd have two or three Inquisitors guarding it at the very least, something Kanan can't handle, much less Ezra."

"I know, but having us assist them would mean exposing us as Fulcrum, which we can't do just yet," she says wisely.

I frown thoughtfully. "Not exactly. The Empire still thinks you're dead, so you definitely shouldn't go yet, which leaves me as a choice, since I'm technically an unknown..."

"But if you were there, Vader would be on you in an instant," Ahsoka finishes with a sigh. It sucks to hear that, but it's true. Even if the Empire knew Ahsoka was still arrive, having her go would still be just as risky. Vader has it out for me, but he would probably be even more onto us if Ahsoka went in my stead. The Ghost Crew can't handle the likes of Vader yet, which leaves us out of the question.

"Unless..." Ahsoka says, giving me a knowing look.

I return the look with confusion before widening my eyes. "No!" I immediately protest.

"She's unknown, but not yet a target. Vader and the Inquisitors wouldn't think to target her. Ezra is in more danger than her," she replies with an eye roll.

"But she's still a thirteen year old girl! I don't want to send Mara into danger!" I exclaim in a panic.

"I've been training her very hard this past month, and with both of us teaching her over the years she's already become a capable warrior," she argues back sternly, although her look softens upon noticing my worried state. "Look, I'm just as worried about her as you Jarik, but she's going to face things like this sooner or later. The rebellion is still years away from being a credible threat to the Empire, and even then fighting back will be near impossible."

I look down sadly. "I get what you're saying, I really do Soka," I reply softly. "But that doesn't mean I don't worry for her. We've tried so hard to give her the life a young child should have, something we didn't get..."

She stands up with a sad look on her face, moving closer to me.

"I know..." she replies softly, giving me a reassuring hug, which I gratefully return.

* * *

"Wait, so I'm really, REALLY, going on a solo mission?!" Mara asks in excitement, practically bouncing on her feet in joy.

"Yes, you are Mara," Ahsoka replies.

"YES!" she shouts, pumping her fist into the air in joy. I cough into my fist to get her attention, and she stops cheering, looking at me sheepishly. "Sorry," she apologizes.

"Yeah yeah," I say with a roll of my eyes, feigning annoyance, although there is still a small smile on my face. "Mara, just remember that you have to take this seriously. The last few times you did something on your own, we were still nearby. This time we won't be there to help you."

"But you did say I will be working with the Ezra and the Ghost Crew correct?" she questions, and I recall her brief familiarity with Ezra. she met him on a simple hit and run mission a couple months ago. _(Forces of Destiny chapter coming...)_

"You will," Ahsoka confirms with a nod. "I've already informed them of this assignment, and you'll be meeting them in Old Jho's Pit Stop. And they'll know to look for a ally of 'Fulcrum,'" she explains.

"Right," she replies with a nod of understanding.

"Just remember to keep your identity as a Jedi a secret unless absolutely necessary Mara," I remind her. "That could lead to unnecessary complications that we don't want to happen. And also... they know where to meet up, but they won't know what you look like. So use the code phrase."

"'By the Light of Lothal's moons.' Yup I got it," she recites immediately, a small smirk on her face. "Doubt they'd be expecting a thirteen year old to be their contact huh?"

"That's why it's genius," I say with a grin.

"Ok. I'll get to the ship and fly to Lothal with R5 then!" she says, moving towards the door before turning back to us, quickly give us a hug. "Thank you! I won't let you down!" she promises with a wide smile, rushing out the door of the hut.

I watch her go with a sigh, and Ahsoka rests a comforting hand on my shoulder. Once again she shows that she's the wiser person out of the two of us, despite her still snippy attitude. "She'll do fine," she reassures me.

"I hope so. I guess I can be glad it's more of a raid, than a warzone," I admit, which was very true. While Mara's mission will definitely be very dangerous, there isn't too much risk of her being exposed to the horrors of all out war. There have been too many times where me and Ahsoka have witnessed gruesome injuries amongst the clones, from massive bloodied scars, broken bones, limbs cut off... victims of torture... things too gory to describe or think about... all when we were still less than 17 years old.

"Let's hope she never has to know of such things," she replies in agreement.

* * *

 _ **Old Jho's Pit Stop, Jhothal Outpost, Lothal**_

 **3rd person POV...**

"Tell me why we're coming to Old Jho's again?" Ezra asked. "Don't get me wrong, Old Jho is amazing, but I was kinda busy."

Zeb scoffed. "Heh. Busy messing with your blaster saber? That thing looks weird."

"hey, that thing took weeks to build! It's a lot better than your bow rifle!" he retorted angrily.

Zeb growled furiously at him, turning around. "Now listen here-"

"Zeb, Ezra, just stop it! I know we're still annoyed with the whole Lando situation, but nows not the time!" Hera scolds them. "Trust me, I know how you feel."

"So... why are we here anyways?" Sabine questions, the team walking down the stairs to enter Old Jho's shop.

"Fulcrum contacted us with a mission, and sent us some help for assist." Hera explained.

"Wait, Fulcrum?" Sabine exclaims in surprise.

"Shh, not so loud Sabine!" Kanan says with narrowed eyes, to which she apologizes.

"Sorry. But why would he send us help? We get along just fine," Sabine says with a frown, more quietly this time.

"Can't even come out himself," Zeb grumbles.

"Zeb you know very well that Fulcrum's job requires secrecy, otherwise our intel is not as good." Hera reminds him. They all sit down at a large round table, several other customers giving them a small smile or wave, recognizing the Ghost Crew. Everybody in Jhothal Outpost liked them for how much good they do to help them through tough times, like stealing food and supplies for them to use.

"Fair enough. So who are we looking for?" Zeb asks, looking around the bar for anybody that could be their agent.

"We don't know." Kanan answers, much to their bewilderment. "But our contact will get in touch with us through the code phrase, 'by the light of Lothal's moons," he says.

"Oh yeah, that's so helpful," Ezra says sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. "I might as well really be Jabba the Hutt then."

"Well like it or not, that's our only way of getting in touch," Kanan retorted. "So stay on the lookout."

With that settled, Ezra, Sabine, Zeb and Kanan got up to various places around the bar, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Hera stayed seated, a neutral but casual look on her face as she propped her head up on her hands. None of them were aware of the silvery gold colored astromech watching all of them from the corner of the bar, just out of sight. The droid quietly beeped across a comlink that was heard by Mara, who was also in the bar, watching the group, her presence in the Force cloaked.

Ezra walked around the room, glancing around carefully as he felt a strange tingle in the Force, something familiar that he couldn't make out. He leaned against the bar casually, and a drink was placed next to him, courtesy of old Jho, nonalcoholic of course. With a nod of thanks, Ezra took it, sipping from the cup.

Kanan walked slowly around the bar, eventually taking a seat in a chair against the wall, leaning against the backside of the seat. He glanced around, hoping to use the Force to make out who their contact could be, but aside from a strange tingle, he wasn't getting anything. Then someone tapped his shoulder, getting his attention. He glanced to the side to see a red haired girl, a couple years younger than Ezra, wearing black clothing with a strange cloak of fur smiling innocently at him.

"Sorry to bother you sir but... I want to give you this," she said nervously, a small red tint on her cheeks. He looked at what she was holding out, surprised to see a couple of credits in her hand.

He shook his head, pushing her hand away gently. "No thanks, I'm good kid. You should keep it," he replies with a gentle smile.

However the girl persisted. "No, I insist!" she said, dropping it in his hand a little forcefully. "It's the least I could do for all you've done against the Empire!"

Before he could respond to give the credits back, she skipped away quickly, rushing out the bar's side door. "Hey wait!" he calle dout, but she was gone.

He sighed, glancing back down at the credits in his hand before widening his eyes in shock. Along with the credits was a small slip of paper, with Fulcrum's code phrase written on it.

 _'By the light of Lothal's moons.'_

He quickly got up from his seat, looking across the room at Hera, who noticed his gaze. Tapping his hand against his thigh, Hera widened her eyes briefly before nodding, getting the message. She then began to gather the rest of the crew while Kanan headed out the door.

He exited the bar, looking around the street with a couple of people walking by. Behind him, the rest of the crew exited the bar, looking around urgently. "You met our guy?" Sabine asked quickly.

"It's a small red haired girl, she gave me a slip of paper with the code phrase," he responded, looking around the street.

"A girl? You must be joking," Zeb scoffed in disbelief.

"Wait, a red haired girl gave it to you?" Ezra questioned in surprise.

"I see her!" Sabine said, pointing to the end of the street, where that very girl was peeking around the corner, looking at them. A faint grin was on her face before she disappeared, the group giving chase. They ran around the corner, only to find a dead end, before a soft giggle above them got their attention. they all looked up to see the girl crouching on top of a tall pile of crates.

"Gotta be quicker!" she exclaimed cheerfully, leaping up and grabbing the roof of a nearby building, pulling herself up.

"How can she move that fast?!" Zeb exclaimed in bewilderment and annoyance. Ezra looked up wide-eyed.

"I don't know, just keep moving!" Kanan replied, climbing up the crates after the girl. Sabine and Ezra quickly followed, while Zeb and Hera went last, the latter two having slightly more trouble with climbing the crates. They jumped up and grabbed onto the roof ledge, pulling themselves up. Once they were all there, they looked around, seeing the door to a room on top of the building close shut. Sabine ran forwards, pulling open the door with the rest of them following, and they all entered the room. It was relatively simple inside, not to small but not big either, and there were no windows, ensuring a fair amount of privacy. Sitting in a chair at the far end of the room was the red haired girl, who beamed up at them.

"Hey, you made it!" she exclaimed.

"You're Fulcrum's agent?" Sabine asked incredulously, to which the girl nodded her head.

"Name's Mara," she replied.

"Wasn't expecting you to be the agent," Hera admitted with a frown.

Mara got up from her chair, walking towards a crate as the Ghost Crew spread out to get more comfortable, making sure there was no way for anyone to eavesdrop on them. "Well, that is the point. Who'd expect a thirteen year old girl to help a group of, 'insurgents?'" she says rhetorically, emphasizing with quotation marks.

Ezra frowned in confusion. "Er.. um, you look familiar. Have we met before?" he asks, causing the rest of the Ghost Crew to look at him oddly.

"What?" Kanan asked in confusion.

Mara looked over at him with a nod. "Yup. That stormtrooper patrol you ran into? I saved your butt," she said smugly, causing Ezra to widen his eyes in recognition at the memory.

"You almost got captured by a stormtrooper patrol?" Hera said with a raised eyebrow, and Ezra laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I got back just fine, right?" he said with a hopeful smile, which only made Hera narrow her eyes at him, and Kanan sighed.

"Key word; almost," Mara replied, biting into a piece of fruit she pulled out. "I beat up most of the patrol."

Zeb rolled his eyes, crossing his arms disbelievingly. "Yeah right," he muttered.

"So, you got the message from Fulcrum right?" Mara asked them.

"We did," Hera replied. "I understand how important it is to secure the cargo they're carrying."

"Speaking of which, who is Fulcrum? I'd like to know," Sabine asks hopefully.

"In your dreams," Mara giggled, causing Sabine to frown while Hera shook her head, looking at Mara again. "We're ready to carry out the raid whenever needed," she reassured her.

Mara smiles. "Good. So I'll be helping you with that."

Zeb scoffed disbelievingly. "How could a tiny girl like you help us raid an Imperial facility of that size?" he demands. Ezra widened his eyes nervously.

"Uhh, Zeb-" he starts to say in warning.

In a flash, Mara dropped the fruit and rushed up to Zeb before anyone could react, grabbing his arm and flipping him over to the ground, a small blaster pistol held in her hand, all the while that cheery smile on her face. Zeb yelled out in surprise, and the rest the crew jumped back in surprise as well, hands on their blasters, Sabine pointing hers at Mara.

"That's how I'm helping Zeb. I may be young, but I know how to fight. Plus, I'm really smart and quick thinking!" Mara says cheerily, although there is a hint of warning, which Zeb quickly picked up on.

"Ok ok, I get it!" he exclaimed with a quick nod of his head.

Satisfied, Mara let him go and put the blaster away under her cloak, prompting the rest to do the same. Sabine eyed Mara with suspicion, although a glitter in her eyes showed that she was impressed. Ezra started to snicker at Zeb while he got back up, causing the Lasat to growl threateningly at him.

"Not a word," he threatened, to which Ezra nodded quickly, although an amused smile still spread across his face.

"How'd you know his name?" Sabine asked with narrowed eyes.

"I work for Fulcrum. What'd you expect?" she retorted, to which Sabine frowned, but shrugged in agreement.

"So... when do we start?" Mara asked.

* * *

 _ **Imperial Complex, Captital City, Lothal**_

 **3rd person POV...**

Agent Kallus walked through the hanger of the Imperial Complex, stopping beside the Grand Inquisitor, who was waiting for their visitor to arrive. The cargo they had was extremely valuable, and as such, the Emperor sent extra security to ensure that it would not fall into rebel hands. Eventually, an Imperial shuttle began its approach to the Complex, carefully landing in the hanger before the two. Eight stormtroopers were lined up in order, four on each side of the pathway before the shuttle, and the ramp lowered to unveil its passenger.

The red light and steam from the hydraulics outlined the figure striding down the ramp, who was an obviously female. She was garbed in dark clothing and armor, which sported the Imperial symbol on full display on both shoulders. Covering her face was a mask, similar in design to the Grand Inquisitor's piloting helmet. She strode up to them and stopped, kneeling before the Grand Inquisitor, who looked down at her.

"Grand Inquisitor," she greeted respectfully in front of her superior, her voice slightly muffled by the mask. Agent Kallus watched the exchange warily, unsure of how to act in the presence of two Inquisitors. he at least was on respectable terms with Grand Inquisitor, but this woman was unknown to him.

"Second Sister," he replied, which prompted her to rise. "I take it you understand the importance of you being here?"

The Second Sister nodded her head in understanding. "Yes. I will not let down our Emperor on this assignment."

"I'm sure you remember the price, the last time you failed a mission," Grand Inquisitor said with a small smirk on his face.

Reminded of the memory, Second Sister shivered in rage, touching the side of her mask lightly, unable to feel the scars underneath on her face, courtesy of the Emperor. "I will never forget," she said darkly.

* * *

 _Mara Jade is on her first big solo mission woo hoo! And yes, she's met Ezra briefly before, which will be explained through a Forces of Destiny (side-story) chapter coming soon. Check it out if your interested._

 _However the Second Sister has made a return to the story, and she is not willing to fail the Emperor a second time, especially with who came to assist the rebels. Things are getting scary for the Ghost Crew on the upcoming mission. Wonder what the Empire is so desperate to protect...?_


	40. Ch 39 - Complications Arise

**Mara POV...**

"So what's our next move?" Zeb asks. The Spectres and I were all gathered around a holotable in the Ghost's main cabin, which is displaying a hologram of of Lothal's Imperial Complex in the Capitol City.

"Whatever the Empire's protecting is valuable, more than anything else we've stolen before," Kanan said. "And if Fulcrum's intel is correct, it's in the heart of the Complex. The Inquisitor will most likely be there."

"Haven't been wrong yet," I add in.

"The center of the Imperial Complex?!" Ezra asks incredulously. "How are we supposed to get into that?"

"We'd have to sneak past a lot of Stormtroopers to get to their storage vaults," Sabine says, eyeing the Complex with analytical eyes. "Which means dozens, probably hundreds of patrols, security cameras, doors, clearance codes. This is leagues above our usual stuff," she says in concern.

"I've got some codes to help get through several entry points. It won't work with the big stuff, but it'll be helpful," I inform them, holding up a key card. Sabine looks at me in surprise.

"How'd you manage to get that? It's almost impossible!" she says.

I smirk lightly to myself. "Fulcrum's good," is all I give as an answer.

"Well its a good thing we have those," Hera says in agreement.

"Just what exactly is it that's so important to keep out of the Empire's hands?" Ezra questions.

A worried look appears on my face, as well as an unsettled expression from Kanan and Hera. "When can't tell you just yet," Hera replies.

"Oh come on! Even the new kid knows!" Zeb complains, to which I raise an eyebrow at him. He coughs nervously. "No offense," he mumbles.

"The chance that someone could be captured during this mission is high, so the less you know the better. At least until we all get out of there," Hera explains, and while a bit reluctant, Sabine, Ezra and Zeb all give nods of understanding. The sound of metal suddenly banging from outside the room gets our attention, prompting Hera and I to both give out groans of annoyance. We rush out the door to find R5 and her droid Chopper smashing into each other, throwing out furious beeps and insults.

"Alright alright, knock it off you two!" Hera orders sternly.

"You better can it R5," I warn him with narrowed eyes.

They both separate, but Chopper points one of his arms accusingly at R5, complaining about something, which causes R5 to squeal back angrily, about to hit him again. I kick R5, causing him to stumble, off balance and he beeps irritatingly at me.

"I don't care what he said, it's not like you're any better!" I retort, hands on my hips.

"I can't believe we still have to put up with a garbage can. Now we have two," Zeb mutters in complaint. Ezra grins at him. "Well at least Chopper isn't mad at us," he reminds him. Zeb nods in agreement.

Unfortunately for them, Chopper and R5 both heard the two and rolled forwards, delivering an electric prod to both of them. They yelp in pain before Zeb growls, a fierce scowl on his and Ezra's faces.

"Why you little-!" he starts.

"Zeb!" Sabine exclaims.

"They zapped us!" Ezra complained.

"Be glad that's all he did," I muttered with a roll of my eyes. R5 turned to me, beeping threats. I returned the look with narrowed eyes. "Try it, I dare you," I warn him. R5 may be a punk, but he's learned not to mess with me.

"Now, if we can get a move on, we're a little busy Chopper-" Hera starts to say in annoyance, before Chopper beeps something to her, causing her to raise an eyebrow.

"You got a message from Fulcrum just now?" she asks.

R5 beeped, saying he was going to tell us, and I fathomed a guess that both were attempting to inform us, but fought each other over the right to do it. I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever. R5, display the message please," I said.

R5 beeped triumphantly while Chopper grumbled furiously. He then showed a hologram of a hooded figure, which is of course actually Mom, just with a voice scrambler and hidden visual.

 _"This is a message update from Fulcrum. Reports have come in stating that the cargo the Empire is holding on Lothal will be transported tomorrow at 0900 sharp,"_ she said, the message ending right after.

I blinked in surprise, turning to look at the rest of the crew.

"Well that's not good," Zeb stated grimly.

Sabine however, lit up in joy. "No no, this is great! If they're transporting whatever it is they've got, then it won't be in the Complex!" she exclaimed.

Kanan caught on quickly. "Which means the cargo will be vulnerable," he added with a smile.

"Where we can rush in and nab it before the Empire knows we're there," Ezra finished.

"Alright. Well we know what tomorrow's mission is." Hera stated, and we all nodded in agreement.

* * *

The next day, we prepared ourselves for the heist late in the morning, which would be for us to secure the cargo the Empire has a tight hold of. The plan was to survey the transport, which was traveling down a large street towards the airfield, where a large Imperial shuttle would be waiting for takeoff. The cargo itself was protected by several large patrols, as well as six scout walkers, alongside several Occupier class assault tanks surrounding the cargo transport. Essentially, it was protected by a massive force, which we would be unable to beat in a firefight, even if it would be much easier than taking if from the Complex.

So, instead of taking them all head on, we would use the street as an ambush. With such an important cargo, the Empire would force civilians off that street, so there was no danger for our plans there. Sabine was coming up with an EMP bomb to short out the tanks and walkers, as well as disrupt the Stormtrooper's helmets. The vehicles would be down for only a few minutes, leaving us with the Stormtroopers to deal with. So for that, we had several more thermal detonators, as well as Kanan and Ezra.

Since nobody knew I was a Jedi yet, I would travel with Sabine and Zeb using my blaster, while Ezra and Kanan did their own thing. Hera and the droids would then swoop in on the Ghost to pick us up. We'd use magnetic pads to bring the cargo up to the shift swiftly, and then we'd be flying out of there. Tough mission, but if everything goes to plan, it should be just fine.

With all the details laid out, it was now the waiting game. We had hidden the Ghost just beyond view of the Imperials in Capitol City, and snuck into the busy streets, getting into position on the roofs alongside the transporting zone.

 _"Everyone in position?"_ Kanan's voice asked.

 _"Spectre 5 ready and waiting,"_ Sabine said.

 _"Spectre 4 ready to kick some bucketheads,"_ Zeb answered.

 _"Spectre 6 is good to go!"_ Ezra exclaimed.

"Agent in position," I answered into my comlink.

 _"Confirm once you have a visual,"_ Kanan informed us.

We waited, scattered along the rooftops for the transports to arrive, and I could see the signs approaching of their arrival, with how the streets were quickly being cleared by Stormtroopers. Eventually, I could hear the stomping of the scout walkers, and looked over to see them approaching far down the street. I grinned eagerly to myself and slipped off my fur cloak, ready for some action.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

The transport carrying the cargo hovered along in the middle of the street as it moved to its destination. Whatever was being transported was large, sealed shut inside of a metal box. Surrounding it on all sides were four assault tanks, along with lines consisting of dozens of stormtroopers. In front of the convoy were three scout walkers, and bringing up the rear were the second set of three scout walkers.

"Target's approaching," Mara spoke into her comlink.

 _"I see them. Just a little closer..._ _"_ Sabine said, watching the convoy through the scope in her helmet, finger hovering over the detonator button. Once the convoy came forward and into position, the Mandalorian grinned. _"Gotcha."_

Sabine clicked the button, and a small grenade hidden in the middle of the exploded with a blue pulse of plasma energy, expanding across the entire convoy. The vehicles all stopped and sparked as the electrical systems shorted out, and the stormtroopers grabbed their helmets, groaning and crying out in pain.

 _"Everybody move in!"_ Kanan yelled over the comlink, and he jumped down from the roof in front of the convoy, pulling out his blaster. ezra followed behind him with his lightsaber blaster, Sabine and Zeb flanking both sides as they jumped down. Mara jumped down from behind, shooting her own blaster at the troopers, swiftly taking out several of them while they were still stunned by the EMP. She didn't hesitate to shoot the troopers, as Jarik and Ahsoka had both explained to her that while stormtroopers could be incapacitated by a blaster, it wouldn't kill them due to how the armor was designed. They would just be knocked unconscious and require medical treatment, so she didn't have to worry about killing anyone.

Once a quarter of the stormtroopers were taking down by the crew, the rest regained their senses, firing back at them. Zeb tossed a grenade, taking out a small group of troopers, and the rebels all took cover, firing at the Imperials. Mara leaped behind a few crates, peeking her head out and shooting down a couple of stormtroopers.

"There's still too many of these guys!" Ezra yelled, taking out a trooper with his blaster.

"On it!" Sabine shouted, rushing towards Zeb's spot and rolling across the ground, tossing another detonator. The group managed to take enough enough stormtroopers in order to push them back, giving them more access to the convoy.

"Sabine, you and Zeb get the magnets on that crate!" Kanan exclaims, ducking underneath a shot. He then put his blaster away and pulled out his lightsaber, deflecting the shots and drawing a lot of attention towards him, and he moved to the side. Sabine and Zeb took this opportunity to rush up to the crate, the former getting to work on cracking the lock. Ezra and Mara provided cover fire for them, taking out as many stormtroopers as possible. Kanan leaped behind a few crates, and then used the Force to send them flying, taking out four stormtroopers. He then continued his defensive, the rest picking off several troopers who were focused on him.

Mara took the opportunity to notice how Kanan fought, and from what Jarik taught her about lightsaber forms, she could easily see the Form III in his movements, and how much he favored it.

"This is going great!" Ezra exclaimed happily.

The moment he said that, the stormtroopers stopped attacking, keeping their weapons trained on them as an Imperial Dropship arrived. From there, a Pa'aun wearing black and gray armor leaped down from it, landing in front of the troopers with a smirk on his face, yellow eyes gleaming. Kanan readied himself for a fight while Zeb glared at Ezra.

"You just had to say it did you," he said furiously.

"Uhhh... ok," Ezra muttered nervously, but he moved forwards, standing to the side, slightly behind Kanan and switching his lightsaber on.

"This is certainly a familiar situation," Grand Inquisitor stated in amusement.

"Same situation, same ending. We've had this discussion before," Kanan warned him with a confident smirk.

Just then, Sabine managed to get the lock open on the crate, which opened with a satisfying beep. "Got it! Zeb, help me with this!" she said. The two worked together to push the heavy lid off of the crate, and when it clattered to the ground, they looked inside, only to widen their eyes in shock. Mara looked inside as well, stunned by how large it was.

"Oh Karabast..." Zeb muttered.

"What is it?" Ezra called back.

"It's a massive kyber crystal!" Sabine replied in disbelief.

"What?!" Kanan exclaimed with wide eyes, looking back. Sitting there in the crate was a massive crystal several feet long, tinted with a pulsing blue glow. Mara, Ezra and Kanan could all feel the Force streaming forth from it.

"Surrender now, and the Empire may be merciful. You won't be getting away with that crystal," Grand Inquisitor said firmly.

Kanan whirled around with wide eyes. "Where'd you get a crystal that big?!" he demanded.

"That is none of your concern Jedi," he replied with sinister chuckle, activating his saberstaff, the blade casting his face in a red glow. The stormtroopers behind him readied their blasters.

"Whatever. We are NOT letting you get away with it!" Kanan declared, pointing his lightsaber at the Inquisitor. "You can't get through all of us by yourself!"

To their surprise, the Grand Inquisitor laughed in amusement, a wide smirk covering his face. "Who said I was alone?"

The crew all looked at each other in confusion, before the sound of another lightsaber activating caused Sabine, Zeb and Mara to whirl around in surprise. A black, armor clad female came leaping out of the sky down at them with a fierce roar, a red lightsaber held in her hands. The three jumped away with startled yelps of fright just as she slammed her lightsaber into the ground, pulling it out and glaring at them behind her mask. Kanan and Ezra looked behind them in shock, which prompted the Grand Inquisitor to strike.

"Another one?!" Ezra yelled in shock and fear.

Kanan barely blocked the Grand Inquisitor's blade, getting pushed back slightly before countering. He slashed at him several times, with the Inquisitor easily blocked before retaliating with a jab. Kanan side stepped, but the Inquisitor kicked him in the stomach, then used the Force the throw Ezra against the crate. He hit the side with a pained cry, looking up to see the second Inquisitor's blade swiping straight at his face. He wouldn't be able to block in time.

"No!" Kanan cried out in horror.

Ezra closed his eyes, holding his arms up, but the atack never came. Instead, he heard the sound of a lightsaber blocking the Inquisitor, and opened his eyes. To his, and everyone else's shock, Mara had blocked the second Inquisitor with her own violet colored lightsaber, inches away from Ezra. He looked at Mara in disbelief, but the red haired girl paid no notice, shoving the Inquisitor back.

Grand Inquisitor narrowed his eyes furiously. "So, there is now a third Jedi..." he stated calmly, but with a hidden anger.

"Well aren't you smart!" Mara retorted sarcastically, and the Grand Inquisitor leaped forwards, only to be met with Kanan's blade, starting a lightsaber duel between the two rivals.

"Get that crystal out of here now!" he yelled to Sabine and Zeb, who jumped out of their shock, pulling out the magnets. This prompted the stormtroopers into action, who began firing at the two, so Zeb provided cover for Sabine, while she placed the magnets.

Mara helped Ezra to stand up, and he looked at her with wide eyes. "You're a Jedi...? How?" he asked.

"Talk later please?" she replied, shifting uncomfortably. The Second Sister then activated her second lightsaber blade, and stared down the two behind her mask, suddenly speaking with a quiet intensity.

"You... Mara Jade..." she seethed furiously.

Mara looked at her in surprise. "You know me?" she demanded.

"I should've just killed your worthless hide as a child!" Second Sister roared, activating the spinning feature on her lightsaber viciously. Mara widened her eyes in a panic, suddenly recognizing the figure from her nightmares, buried memories coming to her mind. She stared at the Second Sister, frozen in fear from the echoing screams of her parents resonating through her mind.

"Mara!" Ezra yelled.

She snapped out of her stupor, Ezra pulling her to the side as the Inquisitor leaped forwards, slashing the ground. He attacked her with a few quick strikes, but they were clumsy, since he had barely started his training. She easily kicked him away and went after Mara, who rolled to the side, deactivating and then reactivating her lightsaber. Mara swung her blade quickly, aiming for the Sister's head and legs consecutively, using the forms Jarik had taught her. Second sister weaved out of the way, blocking her attacks before slashing upwards with her saberstaff, a hidden foot coming along with it. Mara blocked the lightsaber, although stumbled slightly from it, allowing Sister's foot to catch her full in the face, sending her into the air, landing painfully on the ground.

Mara cried out in pain, and then the Second Sister stood above her, lightsaber poised to stab. "This time I won't take you, rather I will kill you!" she shrieked.

Luckily, Ezra had recovered and began shooting at the Second Sister with his blaster, forcing her away from Mara in order to deflect the shots, growling furiously. Mara laid on the ground, memories of that night and the sight of her father's headless and armless corpse lying on the ground, a smoking hole in her mother's stomach.

"Mara!" Ezra yelled.

She looked over to see the Second Sister, rushing for Ezra, and he just barely dodged, although she managed to backhand his face, sending him to the ground. Getting up quickly, Mara reactivated her lightsaber and leaped for the Inquisitor, who growled in annoyance after being prevented a kill once again. Mara shoved her away and quickly swung her lightsaber in a reverse handgrip, similar to how Ahsoka wields it, missing a few times, causing the Sister to laugh mockingly. The laugh was replaced with a cry of pain and rage as Mara managed to slash open her mask. she backed away, holding a hand to her face while Mara and Ezra stood in front of her, lightsabers held at the ready.

Second Sister pulled her hand away, slowly looking up at them. Underneath the broken mask was a gleaming yellow eye seething with fury, the skin around it apparently scarred with burns of some kind. With a shriek of fury, Sister lunged forwards with her spinning lightsaber, landing in between the two teenagers, who stepped out of the way. She spun around, catching both ends of her red blades on a blue and purple one, then shoved them back. She slashed her lightsaber at Ezra, who managed to block it and the next, then turned to Mara with a heavy downwards strike. Mara sidestepped the attack, twirling around and quickly slicing at Sister, who blocked the attack with ease. Ezra raised his lightsaber and swung at the Sister, but she weaved out of the way and brought the other end upwards, forcing Ezra to back up.

However Sister raised a hand and unleashed a heavy Force attack on Ezra, which sent him flying across the yard and slamming into Zeb, who fell over with a yell of surprise.

Across the street, Kanan battled the Grand Inquisitor, blocking his attacks and then leaping over one of his swings, landing with his lightsaber held in front of him. Grand Inquisitor turned to face him with his blade at the ready.

"So where did you pick up your new friend Jarrus? She's younger than even your apprentice," he remarked.

"What makes you think I'd care to answer that?" Kanan retorted fiercely.

"I didn't expect you to," he responded, stepping forwards intimidatingly. "Now... where, is the Jedi Jarik Shan?" he demanded.

Kanan eyed him in confusion. "What?! What are you talking about?"

"Your new friend Mara Jade was rescued by Jarik Shan ten years ago, and its obvious that he has trained her to become a Jedi." Inquisitor stated. "Now where is he?!"

Kanan glanced over to see Mara standing before the second Inquisitor with her purple lightsaber, bewildered and confused. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I've never known Jarik Shan," he replied.

Grand Inquisitor frowned. "We'll see about that. Because if she's here, then he definitely knows you," he said darkly. Kanan didn't have much time to process that, because Grand Inquisitor lunged forwards, entering another bout with Kanan again, the two blocking and slashing at each other.

With Ezra gone for the moment, Second Sister turned all of her focus over to Mara, who back up with fear in her eyes. She laughed mockingly. "Even with a lightsaber you're just that same pathetical rat who watched her mommy and daddy be slaughtered!"

"S-stop it!" Mara exclaimed, rushing forwards, however Second Sister sidestepped and slammed her lightsaber hilt into the back of Mara's head, sending her sprawling to the ground.

"I expected better," Sister sneered as Mara got up, looking furiously up at her. "After you're dead, I'll deliver your corpse to Shan and cut his head off like I did your father!"

Mara yelled in rage, jumping at Sister and slashing heavy strikes against her red blade, a vicious scowl on her face. Sister blocked her attacks easily, reaching out with her hand and grabbing Mara's wrist holding the lightsaber, throwing her to the ground. Mara leaped back up and attempted to kick Second Sister with her foot, but her attack was clumsy, and Sister used the Force to send her skidding across the ground.

"i'm going to enjoy this," she chuckled darkly, dragging her lightsaber along the street. Mara struggled to get up, and just then, the assault tanks and walkers started to come back to life. The rebels all glanced up at them in dread, not having any other defense against all of them. Just as the tanks took aim at them, and it seemed all hope was lost, a hail of laser fire came from the sky, impacting against several walkers, causing them to collapse onto a few assault tanks.

"Yeah!" Sabine cheered.

Approaching from the sky were the Ghost and the Knight Hawk, with both ships firing their laser cannons at the Imperials. Grinning to herself, Mara looked back up at Second Sister, who was growling fiercely, raising her saberstaff. Before she could attack, Mara acted first, flipping to her feat and swing her lightsaber to catch the Inquisitor by surprise. Second Sister blocked the attack, activating her lightsabers spinning mechanism and swinging at Mara. However she backpedaled, suddenly jumping over the Inquisitor with a flip, striking out with her lightsaber in the process, knocking the red lightsaber to the side. Upon landing, Mara also thrust out her hand, sending Second Sister flying back several feet from a blast of the Force.

Nearby, Kanan parried a few blows before kicking the Grand Inquisitor in the stomach, sending him skidding back a few feet. Before he could recover, Kanan added to his momentum with the Force, sending him crashing against the side of a destroyed walker with a pained grunt. Sabine had just finished putting the magnets in place, Zeb and Ezra taking out the last of the stormtroopers.

"We've got it Hera!" Sabine yelled into the comlink.

The Ghost then lowered closely to the ground, and Sabine activated the magnets, which brought the kyber crystal out of the crate and attached to the ships hull. The Ghost's ramp also opened, beckoning everyone inside.

"Everybody to the ship!" Kanan yelled. Sabine, Zeb and Ezra helped each other jump up to the ramp, Mara not far behind.

"NO!" Second Sister shrieked in fury, dashing forwards with her lightsaber raised. Kanan turned around and rolled to the side just as Sister made a slash, barely missing his face. He activated his lightsaber and attempted to defend himself, but Second Sister quickly overpowered him through her rage, batting his blade to the side. Before she could make a killing blow, Mara leaped in and slammed her purple blade into her red one, shoving Sister away. Grand Inquisitor was approaching as well, so Kanan and Mara both tag teamed the Second Sister, the former finishing their quick bout with a Force push.

"Come on guys! Get in!" Ezra yelled from the ramp, where everyone else was waiting.

Grand Inquisitor dashed for them, prompting the two Jedi to run as fast as they could for the Ghost. R5 was already having the Knight Hawk rising into the sky, so Mara made a leap for the ramp into the Ghost. The Grans Inquisitor threw his saberstaff at them as a final attempt to at least kill or injure them, which would have sliced through Kanan as he was mid jump. Luckily, Mara noticed and took out her own, slashing at his saber and batting it out of the sky just as Kanan landed on the ramp. With a wave and salute, the Ghost Crew left behind the furious Inquisitors, having made it off with the kyber crystal successfully.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

With the mission completed, we were heading back to the rendezvous point to transfer the crystal to the Knight Hawk, which I would then take to Mom and Dad, who'd do who know what with it. Right now I was sitting in one of the seats in the Ghost's common room, and all six of them were standing in the room, looking at me expectantly. Oh this was gonna be a hard one... how would Dad want me to explain this? Especially with Sabine being Mandalorian...

"So you're also a Jedi?" Ezra asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah... well more of a Jedi in training," I corrected.

"Why didn't you tell us that?" Zeb demanded with a frown.

"Because Fulcrum felt it would be better to keep that as secret as possible. Three Jedi being in one spot basically means you're screwed," I explained.

"Yeah we noticed. Since when did the Empire get another Inquisitor?" Hera asked, directing the question at Kanan.

He frowned thoughtfully, shaking his head. "I don't know where she came from."

"She seemed to know you though," Ezra pointed out, looking at me. I flinched, the painful memories coming back.

"Yeah... she did..." I muttered, crossing my arms and drawing myself inwards. going on my first solo mission wasn't nearly as fun as I thought it would be.

"How does she know you though? Clearly you two have fought before, as crazy as it seems." Sabine says questioningly.

"I don't want to talk about it." I replied stiffly, looking away.

Zeb frowned. "Come on kid, just tell us-"

"Drop it!" I snapped, glaring furiously at him. He promptly shut up, and Kanan gave me a look of sympathy, as well as a small amount of understanding from what I was sensing.

"I don't know what that second Inquisitor did, just a guess, but I'm sorry," he said sincerely, and I nodded my head in return. He then asked something else that made my blood freeze. "So, is it true that Jarik Shan saved you? Is he alive?" he asked hopefully.

I looked up at him in surprise, bewildered at where he learned that from. "Huh?!"

"Whose... Jarik Shan?" Ezra asked.

The sound of a helmet clattering against the floor got our attention, and we all looked over, surprised to see Sabine staring at me and Kanan with wide eyes, a hidden look of fury in her expression, and her hands curled into fists.

"WHAT?!" she demanded in outrage.

* * *

 _Ohhhhh man. Sabine Wren. the Mandalorian. Is. FURIOUS! Gosh darn you Kanan why would you say that? xD_

 _Yeah, so the Empire was transporting a large kyber crystal, which the rebels thankfully managed to steal. I'm sure we can all fathom a guess as to what such a crystal would really be for... Palpatine won't be too pleased when he hears this._

 _Mara Jade's first real battle and a showdow against someone who still gives her panic attacks for killing her parents... not pretty. I hope I handled this entire action sequence correctly! :D_


	41. Ch 40 - A Mandalorian's Rage

**Jarik POV...**

I frowned, pulling my attention from Satele's book and holding a hand to my head. I could sense something wrong with Mara, which terrified me. It didn't seem life-threatening... but she was in pain. The door to the hut opened and Ahsoka walked through, a grim expression on her face.

"You can feel it to?" I asked quietly.

She nodded her head. "Mara is in emotional pain right now," she answered.

I sighed helplessly. "We should've gone with her, at least on the ship."

"We could've, but it wouldn't change the fact that she has to start learning the reality of the universe. The viking's misguided views on dragons isn't enough," she replied. "When she gets back, and of that I have no doubt, we can help her."

I looked back at her, a little doubtful but nodded my head in resignation. It wasn't like we could do anything anyways, we had no ship. Now that I think of it, maybe we should get another for emergencies...

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

I stared wide eyed at the group, bewildered by how Kanan could have possibly known of my Dad rescuing me, and Sabine's extreme reaction. She was practically shaking with anger, and then I remembered Mom and Dad's warning about Mandalorians. For whatever reason, any Mandalorian from a warrior background despised him and his entire family line, basically anyone with the last name of 'Shan.' Why exactly, they haven't told me yet, but I was determined to learn why eventually.

Speaking of which...

"You're telling me that you were raised by Jarik Shan?!" Sabine exclaimed, glaring at me.

"What- Sabine! What is the issue?!" Kanan demanded incredulously.

"The issue, is that the Shan's are a bunch of _dinii's_! _Demagolka's_ against Mandalore!" she seethed. I flinched, before glaring back just as hard. I don't know what those words mean, but I doubt it was even close to a compliment.

"Wait wait wait, what's going on here?" Ezra asked in confusion and bewilderment. Zeb shrugged. "Beats me."

"Whatever you have against Jarik Shan, who by the way was a war hero in the Clone Wars isn't relevant right now Sabine." Hera retorted sternly. "Besides, we don't even know if she was trained by him."

She and Kanan then turned to me with a raised eyebrow, the latter with a slightly hopeful expression. "Were you, trained by him?" he asks hopefully.

I tore my furious staring contest away from Sabine to look at him, eyeing him warily as I considered. Eventually I gave in, sighing lightly. I guess telling them about my Dad would be fine, but according to him Ahsoka is considered dead, so I shouldn't say anything about her yet under any circumstance.

"I was saved by him when I was an infant," I admitted quietly.

Sabine growled dangerously, reaching for her pistol, but a warning look from Hera stopped her. Zeb stood beside the enraged Mandalorian, ready to stop her if things got rough.

Kanan smiled widely. "I can't believe it... he survived!" he said happily. Sabine scoffed, glaring down at the ground.

"Wait wait, hold up," Ezra pleaded. "Can someone tell me who exactly Jarik Shan is?"

"One of the greatest Jedi to ever fight in the Clone Wars. He was the Padawan of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, and a dueling prodigy even as a youngling." Kanan explained. "If he's still alive, then he could help bring some serious fight against the Empire."

Ezra widened his eyes in awe, looking back at me after I confirmed Kanan's words with a small nod. "Woah... so where is he now? If he's such a war hero then he's gotta be fighting against the Empire somewhere, right?"

"I, guess you could say that," I answered.

"How did you ever get to be trained by Jarik? Did he send you to help us?" Kanan asked curiously.

"Hold up Kanan, not so many questions at once," Hera reprimanded him, and a sheepish and apologetic look formed on his face. Sabine stayed silent, doing everything she could to look anywhere except me.

"Well... he saved me when an Inquisitor tried to..." I breathed slowly, forcing the memories back. "...tried to abduct me when I was three."

Everyone except Sabine widened their eyes in surprise, a look of sadness coming on their faces. Sabine's expression softened, although just slightly, and Ezra narrowed his eyes.

"The Inquisitor he saved you from... it was that second one right?" he deduces. I nodded my head in response.

"Since then he's kinda of... well he's become my adopted father." I admitted nervously.

"Oh that is it!" Sabine exclaimed. "I can't take this kriffing junk anymore! Shan is basically your father now as well?! I can't believe we've been doing missions for that _naast_!" she yelled furiously.

"Sabine!" Hera said in disbelief.

I leaped up from my seat, glaring daggers at her. "What's your problem with him?! He is one of the greatest people ever!"

"It's just my problem with him, it's Mandalore's! The Shan's have been a _haran_ against my people forever! They humiliated, scorned, and killed hundreds of us!" she shouted. Everyone's eyes were wide in shock at the confrontation. "And now I'm figuring out that Fulcrum is actually him?! I might as well be even less of a Mandalorian than I was already!"

"Who ever said anything about my Dad being Fulcrum?!" I demanded. His identity as Fulcrum was supposed to be a secret...

She scoffed. "Pretty easy to figure out. You're an agent of Fulcrum. Shan, a Jedi well known for his slicing abilities, is apparently your father! I just put the dots together!"

"Wait, srsly?" Ezra said quietly in surprise. I had to cover this up somehow, since I doubt Mom and Dad want anyone to know the identities of Fulcrum yet.

Hera shook her head. "Sabine, he's-"

"Well you're wrong! None of your messages have ever been of my Dad, you've been speaking with Fulcrum, a different person! Not him!" I shot back. technically, that is true since while Dad uncovers the intel, Mom is the one who reports it and informs different groups of their missions.

Sabine narrowed her eyes dangerously a me. "There's no way I'm trusting you _jehaatir_. I may not have anything against the Jedi, but as a Mandalorian I would rather fall in battle than to help a Shan!" she spat out.

Everyone widened their eyes. "Sabine!" Hera shouted in shock.

I glared back at her dangerously, getting in her face. "Fine. If you don't like me here then I'll leave! With, the crystal!"

"Don't even-" she started to retort.

I laughed mockingly. "What the kriff are you gonna do with a massive kyber crystal Sabine, sell it? I doubt even Vizago would buy something with such a high target, and there's no way my Dad, Fulcrum, or I am going to let it be taken by the Empire again just because Mandalorian's hate my the Dad for something I know he'd never do!" I exclaimed, daring her to refute my claim.

We stared each other down for a few moments before she growled angrily, shoving past me and leaving for her room, letting out a cry of rage and frustration. Her door slammed, and I collapsed back in my seat, slightly exhausted and feeling vulnerable now that my rage for her had dissipated.

"What... just happened?" Ezra asked, stunned.

"I've never seen her so upset before," Zeb replied, just as shocked.

Hera sighed, looking at Kanan, who had a look of shock and worry on his face. "I... I don't understand, what... what could Jarik have possibly done?" he whispers quietly.

"I'll talk to her later," Hera tells him, looking down at me. "I'm sorry for how she's been acting Mara, I don't know what's gotten into her," she apologized.

I shrugged, leaning against the wall casually in an attempt to hide my emotional state. "My Dad warned me about that..." I admitted, much to their surprise. "Every Mandalorian with a warrior background he's come in contact with absolutely despises him. He has yet to tell me why though..."

"I think 'despise' is quite the understatement," Ezra muttered.

"I'll prepare the Ghost for transporting the crystal," Hera told me, to which I nodded, and she left the room, Zeb following after her. I then noticed something shimmering on one of the shelves in the corner of the room next to Ezra.

"Is that a holocron?" I asked curiously, trying to draw my mind off of Sabine and the Inquisitors.

Kanan looked over in surprise before leveling an irritated look at his apprentice. "Care to explain why you left the holocron just sitting around in the open?" he asked.

"What? It wasn't my fault, we were busy!" Ezra said defensively. "Besides, Mara's a Jedi too!"

"But what if someone else saw it? We'd be exposed," he retorted. Ezra remained quiet, finding no argument against that. Kanan sighed before turning to look at me.

"To answer your question, yes, it is a holocron. Mine, to be precise," he answered.

I nodded my head. "My Dad has several of these. He uses them for teaching lessons often, or for storing messages and information."

"Really? Kanan does the same thing," Ezra said.

"That's what the holocron's are meant for. To help teach us, and speak the truth of what we need to know." Kanan said.

"Truth from a certain point of view," I muttered.

"Huh? What does that mean?" Ezra asked.

I smiled sheepishly. "Something my Dad likes to quote. My M- he says its a saying he picked up from Master Kenobi. I never met him though," I stammered, catching myself before I revealed that I also had a Mom. That would definitely raise some questions, since the Jedi Order never had attachments or relationships. Stupid in my opinion, and I'm glad they agree.

Kanan frowned thoughtfully before shrugging. "I suppose..."

Ezra casually picked up the holocron and fiddled with it absentmindedly, and accidentally caused an image to pop up. It showed a hologram of a teenager, obviously a Jedi from the look of it, and he seemed to be teaching a class or something. For some reason he seemed very familiar...

 _"Form III, also known as Soresu, or the Way of the Mynock, is one of the seven classic lightsaber forms, and is a development of Form I. It is mostly used for a strong defense in battle, being considered the ultimate expression of our non-aggressive philosophy,"_ he says, and I widen my eyes in wonder, recognizing who he is.

"Wait a minute, that's my Dad!" I say, rushing up to watch the hologram.

"Wait, what?" Ezra asks in confusion.

Kanan nods his head. "You're right, that is Jarik."

"Wait wait, this guy is Jarik Shan?!" Ezra asks in surprise, while I watch the hologram. He looks so much different, but at the same time I can definitely recognize his face. Seeing him with short hair, a braid, as well as Jedi robes looks so strange. Gotta say I prefer his roguish Jedi look with the cloak and long hair much more. I grin lightly at the idea that I now have something to make fun of him. The holocron's he's shown me never had a video file of him as a kid! I wonder why...

"Yup. This was only a few days before the... before the Empire took over," Kanan says sadly, and that drops the mood fairly quick. I glance back at Kanan and Ezra, recognizing the look on the former's face. It's a look that I've seen Mom and Dad share plenty of times during Empire Day, or a mention of what they lost. Jedi Master Plo Koon, the Jedi, Anakin Skywalker...

"I recognize that look," I told Kanan, and he looks over at me. "Dad has the same expression sometimes."

He nods slowly in understanding, and the holocron then switches to the next file; it's someone I've never seen in person, but recognize in an instant.

 _"This is Master Obi-Wan_ Kenobi." I've seen the message before on one of Dad's holocrons, but I still rewatch them from time to time, wondering what my life would be like if the Jedi never did fall... Would I have ever met my adoptive parents...? _"I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic, have fallen, with the dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place. This message is a warning to any surviving-"_

Ezra then carefully turns the holocron off, and gives it to Kanan, who pockets it away. Just then, Hera re-enters the main room.

"Crytsal is ready for transport," she tells me.

* * *

 _ **Temple Island, Ahch-To**_

 **J** **arik POV..**

Me and Ahsoka stood before the steps at the bottom of the island, watching as the Knight Hawk came in for a landing. Attached to the hull was the massive, glowing blue kyber crystal Ahsoka had uncovered in the report. It was almost as big as the one that Obi-Wan, Anakin and I had prevented Grievous from taking during the Clone Wars. So yes, very much dangerous for sure.

The landing gear extended, allowing the ship to land successfully, the crystal still locked onto the hull. The ramp lowered, revealing Mara and R5, the former walking down with a haunted expression, which we immediately took notice of.

"Good job on your first mission Mara," I praised, becoming concerned. "Are you alright? What happened?"

She stopped before us, R5 rolling by and beeping that he had to do something. I nodded to him lightly, and Ahsoka stepped forwards, putting her hands on Mara's shoulders.

"Mara, sweetie, what's wrong?" she asks worriedly.

She looks up at her, and then me. "...I fought that Inquisitor," she answered quietly.

I raised an eyebrow. "Which one?" I asked gently.

" _That_ , Inquisitor. From the..." she trailed off, and I widened my eyes, sharing a look with Ahsoka as we understood who she was talking about. The Second Sister.

"Oh sweetheart, I'm so sorry that happened," Ahsoka says, pulling her into a hug. I join in, wrapping an arm around them both. "If she messes with you again, I'll kick her kriffing _(beep)_ for you, alright?"

Ahsoka glared at me in exasperation for my language. "Jarik!"

Mara giggled however, which me and Ahsoka started to share, glad that she got a good laugh out of that. I was too, even though I said a bad word in front of Mara... it's not as if she didn't know them already. I know Mara's been secretly learning that language from somewhere. The nerve of that girl...

* * *

 _ **Imperial Palace, Coruscant**_

 **Darth Sidious POV...**

I sat on my throne, an irritated scowl etched on my face as I considered what I had just learned. The kyber crystal, a massive one almost as large as the one Grievous failed to secure during the Clone Wars, was once again lost me. It would have gone a long way in helping to power the Death Star, the ultimate weapon, yet the Inquisitor's failed to keep it safe, even with Second Sister sent as a reinforcement to security. I would deal with their failure later, but the reason for their failure... was an unexpected surprise.

Mara Jade, the youngling I sent Second Sister to capture, had made an appearance, turning the tides and helping the rebels escape with the crystal in tow. Which meant Jarik Shan was involved with this, just like he was with the last crystal.

I growled lowly. Shan, I would deal with later, and I would not be entrusting an Inquisitor to do so, he's without a doubt grown far to powerful for even the Grand Inquisitor to handle, so Lord Vader would deal with him. Right now, I was focused on Mara, who I had originally planned to have serve as my Hand. Obviously, that possibility is near non existent, seeing as how Shan has taught her in the ways of the Jedi. Absolutely despicable. However, Jade may already be a powerful warrior, but she is still but a child, suffering from the... 'tragic' deaths of her parents.

I will exploit her weaknesses, and get her to serve me as it always should have been. If not, then she will die alongside Shan. And I will not be merciful to them.

* * *

 _Hope I wrote out angry Sabine correctly! Wasn't too sure entirely how she would have acted in a situation like that. I've never been to good at writing protagonists angry at and insulting each other._

 _Thanks for reading, and glad you guys continue to enjoy this series!_


	42. Ch 41 - Storytelling

**Jarik POV...**

After Mara got back from her mission with the Ghost Crew and reported on what happened, she opted to have some alone time. We gave it to her, and used that time to study the crystal and figure out what to do with it. Keeping it out of the Empire's hands is absolutely critical, because someone like Sidious being in possession of a kyber crystal this size is dangerous. There have been instances throughout history where massive shards of kyber were used to power super-weapons, and cause destruction on an unimaginable level. So obviously, we can't lose this thing to the Sith. Me and Ahsoka were discussing whether or not it was possible to hide it within the crystal caves here on Ahch-To, or to take it into space and destroy it when Mara appeared again.

"Hey Mom, Dad," she greeted.

"Hey kiddo," I replied with a smile. "How you feeling?"

"Better," she answered. "I know I told you guys about the mission, but there was something else bothering me."

Ahsoka frowned. "What is it?" she asked.

"After the mission... it was kinda revealed that you're my adopted father," she replied, gesturing to me with a nervous expression. "In front of Sabine, a Mandalorian."

My eyes widened briefly before I sighed in understanding, sharing a knowingly look with Ahsoka. "Bet she took that well," I muttered, looking back at her. "Anything else you had to tell them?"

She shook her head. "Not really, all I really told them is that you rescued me as a toddler, and you've trained me as a Jedi. I didn't tell them about you though Mom. Or about the whole Fulcrum thing."

"Thank you for that." Ahsoka replies with a small smile.

"Yeah no problem..." she says, thinking hard before looking back at me. "Dad... why do Mandalorian's hate you so much? Or anyone with the name of Shan?"

I develop a nervous expression, hesitant to answer. "Well..."

"Sabine said some... really messed up things about you," she continued, a disgruntled expression on her face. "She said that your family killed a lot of Mandalorians, and humiliated them, having a rather gruesome history. Is that true? Because I'm not sure how I feel about it," she asks nervously.

I share another look with Ahsoka, contemplating what to say. However she just gives me a slow nod, telling me to just tell the truth.

"In a way I suppose it's true, I admitted slowly. "My ancestors have... never been on good terms with Mandalore."

"Why though?" Mara asks. "What could they have possibly done?"

"You know about my ancestor Satele Shan right?" I ask her, and when she nods in confirmation I continue. "Well, around three centuries before her, which is essentially almost four thousand years ago, there was a very powerful and famous Jedi by the name of Revan. He was married to another Jedi by the name of Bastila Shan, and those two are the ones that started the family legacy."

Before I could continue, a long and loud beep from nearby drew our attention to R5, who took the opportunity to tease and make fun of the family that they caused me to exist. I rolled my eyes in exasperation. "Don't you have something better to do R5?" I retort with a raised eyebrow, and he laughs to himself, heading back into the ship.

Shaking my head, I continue telling the story to Mara. She listens intently, mesmerized by the story. Ahsoka listens in as well, regardless of the fact that she already knows the history.

"During Revan's life there was a massive war between Mandalore and the Jedi, spreading across the galaxy. Seeing an opportunity, Revan made his name renown by battling, and slaying Mandalore the Ultimate, who was the current ruler of Mandalore back then, and keeping his helmet from them. He also used a powerful weapon to destroy essentially the entire Mandalorian fleet." I told her.

She widens her eyes. "Woah... he just defeated them all?"

I nodded my head. "Yes, he was successful in ending the war, but it was a foolish move. He not only annihilated Mandalore's fleet, but also destroyed many of his own ships as well with that maneuver."

Mara blinks in surprise and disbelief, and I shake my head at the story. "It was in my opinion the worst way to end the war, because of how much carnage he wrought. He also decimated the entire planet of Malachor V with that weapon, and to this day it is still uninhabitable to an intense degree."

"Why... why would Revan destroy his own ships, and an entire planet?" Mara asks in bewilderment.

"At that time Revan was... unorthodox I guess you could say. He went against the Jedi Code more times than I can recall, and was a brutal, yet efficient tactician. I don't know whether his use of the weapon like that was deliberate or if he didn't think his own fleet would be caught in its wake," I answered.

"Woah... so because Revan basically destroyed and ruined Mandalore in that war, they've hated him ever since?" she deduced.

I nodded my head in confirmation. "Yup. After the Battle of Malachor V, as it was called, Revan personally disarmed and disbanded many of the surviving Mandalorians clans, leaving them devoid of leadership and honor. Mandalore has always prided itself on its fierce warrior culture and their skills to take on even Jedi, but Revan destroyed that, humiliating many of them." I sighed quietly in exasperation. "Mandalorian's have since hated Revan and his descendants ever since."

"No wonder Sabine seemed so mad then," Mara said with a grimace.

"Every time Jarik would be in their presence you could have trouble cutting the tension with even a lightsaber." Ahsoka said in amusement for some humor. I threw her an exasperated look.

"Huh... well I kinda got that from he way Sabine acted." Mara said. "Anyways, thanks for uh, for telling me."

"Anytime Mara," I replied, a small, sad smile on my face as she walked away to get ready for our next week on Berk coming up soon. It's been about a month since we left Hiccup and Toothless to their own devices. I wonder how they've been doing? Or Stoick and his raiding party...

* * *

 _ **Isle of Berk, Ahch-To**_

 **3rd person POV...**

A lone, battered ship is pulled into a slip, overloaded with equally battered-looking men. The wood is broken and charred in many places, the ship barely staying afloat, listing to one side. The sails are completely tattered, ripped to shreds by claws and blasted with fire. Pulling up to the dock, the ship stops with a bump against the wood, and the Vikings begin to disembark. A crowd of onlookers watch with heavy eyes, saddened to see the state of the returning Vikings... and to see some faces aren't there at all. One Viking helps pull several of them off the ship and onto the docks, where the greet the men and women who stayed. He grabs Stoick's forearm and helps to hoist him up, the chief giving him a pat on the back as he passes by.

"Where are the other ships?" someone asks.

"You don't want to know." Spitelout replies glumly.

Stoick lumbers past Gobber with his load, glowering defeatedly at the ground, his pride broken. Gobber looks at the ship with troubled eyes, offering Stoick a hopeful expression.

"Well, I trust you found the nest at least?" he says optimistically.

"Not even close." Stoick replies angrily, not missing a stride.

"Ah. Excellent." Gobber remarks knowingly, hobbling along after the Viking chief. They move up the ramp along the docks and Gobber snags his duffle bag with his hook appendage, sharing the burden.

"I hope you had a little more success than me." Stoick sighs.

Gobber shrugs with a grin. "Well, if by success, you mean that your parenting troubles are over with, then... yes."

Stoick stops, looking at Gobber with confusion and worry. Just then, a group of merry villagers rush past the two.

"Congratulations Stoick! Everyone is so relieved!" one woman cries.

"Out with the old and in with the new, right?!" another comments with a thumbs up.

"No one will miss that old nuisance!" the next cheers.

"The village is throwing a party to celebrate!" the last one exclaims joyfully.

Stoick raises a hand to ask what they mean, but the four Vikings are too far away by that point. Surprised, and worried for Hiccup, he turns to Gobber with a concerned and slightly fearful expression. He may be annoyed and exasperated with how Hiccup was, but he was still his son.

"He's gone?" he whispers with a hint of panic.

Gobber nods his head slowly with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah... most afternoons, sometimes with Mara before they left. But who can blame him? I mean the life of a celebrity is very rough. He can barely walk through the village without being swarmed by his new fans."

A mixture of shock and confusion pass over Stoick's face as he follows after Gobber, listening to him talk. He rushes forward and grabs his friends shoulder, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Hiccup?!" he exclaims in surprise.

"Who would've thought, eh?" Gobber beams. "I think its even more impressive than Ahsoka and Jarik's power over dragons! That's how wonderful it is! he has this... way with the beasts!"

Stoick's expression slowly changes from shock and disbelief to a look of pride, a large beaming smile crossing over his face. His son was finally getting past his weaknesses and proving himself capable against the dragons! Perhaps he was wrong about him after all.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

We pulled up into Berk later that afternoon, the sun beginning to turn more orange in color as it grew closer to night. Ahsoka parked the speeder in our usual secluded part of the docks, and I tied the speeder to them with a simple locked cable so the current wouldn't take it away while powered down. Also so the twins couldn't steal it or do anything stupid. Force knows how many times they've tried that already.

"Wonder how far Hiccup's come along with his... training," Mara commented, carrying her bag.

"If that Zippleback lesson was any indication, I wouldn't put it past him to be soaring through it," I replied literally. Of course any Viking that might overhear us would just think of it as a figure of speech because of how I worded it. Genius.

"Well, you can ask him when we say hello." Ahsoka said.

We walked up the docks towards the village, a little confused upon seeing that it was rather empty. I looked around with a raised eyebrow. It was plainly obvious that people had been here less than an hour ago, yet it was mostly empty wherever we looked.

"Where in the blazes is everyone?" I questioned out loud.

Ahsoka and Mara shrugged, when the latter noticed Astrid walking through the streets back to her house. "Hey, Astrid!" Mara greeted, jogging up to her. She looked up in surprise before giving a quick wave back.

"Oh, hi guys. Didn't know you got back," she replied.

"We just arrived. So where is everybody?" Mara questions.

A frown flickers across her face briefly before she develops a neutral expression. I raise an eyebrow at the emotions flashing through her head. "Oh. Most of the village is attending a party in the Great Hall."

"For what?" Ahsoka asks.

"...for Hiccup," she replies swiftly.

"Hiccup?" We all say, glancing at each other in surprise. As far as we were aware the village rarely ever cared to be friendly with Hiccup, much less throw him some sort of money. I'd be willing to bet a lot of credits that Hiccup isn't even at the party.

"Yeah, I wouldn't believe it either, but it happened," Astrid says, a hint of bitterness in her voice. "For the past month after you guys left he's been doing... really, well in dragon training. It's, it's weird."

Ahsoka smiles lightly. "Well good for him!"

Mara grins as well. "Guess the village is happy that he's making some progress. Maybe that brain of his is starting to truly be a match for your axe am I right?" she jokes, giving the girl a light punch in the shoulder.

"Yeah..." Astrid replies slowly, apparently upset by that comment. Mara picks up on it and frowns.

"Uh huh..." she says slowly with a confused expression. "So if there's a party wouldn't you be attending too? You and the others usually go to stuff like that," she points out.

Astrid shakes her head. "No, I uh, I've got some things to do tonight. I'll see you later," she answers swiftly, giving a quick wave before rushing off to her house. We all watch her go with frowns on our faces.

"She's jealous," I say, sensing the emotion that had been flickering through Astrid's head, as well as the brief spike of rage when Mara made the joke.

"Definitely. I don't think that's a good thing either. It's a different kind of jealousy." Ahsoka says in agreement.

"I hope she doesn't take it out on Hiccup," Mara says in concern. "She's never bothered to bully Hiccup, but she doesn't help him either. She just... ignores him," she observes.

"No wonder she's feeling this way then. In her eyes a nobody is robbing her of a her honor and a chance to redeem her family's name," I add in.

* * *

 _Little bit of a short chapter, but I didn't want to bring in the flight scene with Hiccup and Toothless for it, since that would clash with the main tone/theme/whatever for this part. But yeah they are now back on Berk!_

 _Jarik giving some history about the Mandalorian's deep hatred for the Shan's! What do you guys think went on through Revan's mind when he unleashed the Mass Shadow Generator? I read that Meetra gave the order to use it, but was horrified by the outcome, not expecting it. Did Revan know what would happen or was he just as surprised at it?_

 _*shrugs*_


	43. Ch 42 - Test Drive

**Hiccup POV...**

I had a huge grin as the wind blew against my face from how high in the sky we were. Toothless and I were even at the same level as some of the lower clouds, although the mountains of Berk still towered high above us in the sky. It was a sunny day, with good weather conditions, perfect for our first real test flight. Toothless shifted slightly as he flapped his wings, and I grasped onto the saddle in order to better stabilize myself.

"Okay there bud, we're gonna take this nice and slow," I tell him, checking my cheat sheet, clipped onto the harness in front of me with the six different tail positions.

"Here we go. Here we go. Position... three, no four," I said, clicking the pedal into place. The tail fin reacts accordingly, springing out to the correct position. Toothless looks back at it before turning his gaze forwards, snorting in a mixture of exasperation of annoyance, I can't tell. I do get the feeling that he knows just how important that prosthetic tail fin is and how I need to learn to use it.

Toothless angles around in a wide, but smooth arc against the sunlight. He flaps his wings again during the turn, and I check the cheat sheet and the harness to make sure they work. Thankfully they do work, which is wonderful because I do not want to go through the failed attempts over the last month previously at this height in the sky. The wind blows against us in the sky, whipping my hair around and causing Toothless to shift from side to side in order to compensate. Every now and then I glance back at the tail fin to make sure it's working, and although a bit less stable in relative position to his actual fin, it does its job by keeping us in the air. I lean forwards and tuck tight against Toothless' neck.

"Alright, it's go time. It's go time." I mutter to myself.

We make a long dive towards the ocean, and Toothless lets out a long and excited roar. He pulls out of the dive just before hitting the water, his wingtips cutting through the surface a few times, lifting up a spray as we head towards the sea stacks.

"Come on. Come on buddy. Come on buddy!" I chant encouragingly.

We soar across the ocean's surface and through a massive arch from the sea stacks. A flock of birds fly and chirp overhead, which I catch a glimpse of as we zip perfectly through the arch, much to my delight. I grinned excitedly.

"Yes, it worked!" I cheered, glancing back at the tail before looking forwards. Spotting a few sea stacks close by, I smile eagerly and steer Toothless in that direction, hoping to weave through them as well. Unfortunately, I don't manage to position the tail properly, and start heading towards one of the pillars. Toothless growls, attempting to turn or stop by flaring his wings and flapping upwards, but we smack into it anyways. He lets out a quick cry of annoyance.

"Sorry!" I called out apologetically.

We start heading towards another pillar, and my attempts to turn once again prove to fail. I try pulling on the saddle to help Toothless avoid the rock pillar, but we still slam into it anyways, and he roars in irritation.

"That's my fault," I add.

To my surprise, he actually uses his right ear 'flap' or 'plate' to slap me in the face in order to express his annoyance. I yelp in surprise and slight pain, the place of impact stinging for a few moments as he grumbles.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm on it!" I exclaim in exasperation, looking back at the cheat sheet. "Position four, uh three," I say, checking the pedals and clicking in into the appropriate position. Toothless then angles upwards, and we begin to rise higher into the sky, piercing through the cloud layer and even rising above the high mountain peaks of Berk. Toothless had his tongue out in delight as he flapped his wings harder to go even higher.

"Yeah! Go baby!" I cheered in exhilaration, spurring him on. "Yes! Oh, this is amazing! The wind in my..."

Just then I notice my pedal position sheet get swiped off of the saddle and start flying through the air, causing me to panic.

"...CHEAT SHEET! STOP!" I yell, grabbing frantically for the airborne sheet. Luckily I grab it just before it's carried out of reach. However Toothless stopped at my command slowing down so that we we floating weightlessly in the sky. This causes the rings of my vest to continue moving and float off of the harness hooks, leaving me detached from the saddle.

"NO!" I scream in terror as we start falling. Toothless looks up at me in surprise, his expression quickly shifting to fear as he realizes that we were falling uncontrollably. Without me to help keep it activated, the tail loses control. We start spiraling downwards uncontrollably, my stomach churning uncomfortably. Toothless roars in alarm and struggles to get back underneath me.

"Oh gosh! Oh gods! Oh no!" I yell, trying to grab onto one of his wings, but getting flipped through the air instead. Toothless starts to spin around quickly, and I try to pull myself through the air closer to him. "Alright, okay! You just gotta- kinda angle yourself! No no no come back down towards me come back down-" I stammer out in a panicked rush, extending my arms and legs towards him.

However in the middle of my yelling the tumbling dragon smacks me in the face with the full end of his tail, sending me soaring away from him. "OW!" I yell out in pain, slightly dazed from the hit, and I have a moment of terror when the tip of the mountain seems to pass by me way to close for comfort. Thankfully Toothless stops spinning enough for me to shift closer to him, and I reach my hands out desperately for the saddle. After a few more misses, manage to grab hold of the harness and clip myself into the saddle. With me back on, I help to angle Toothless straight and then yank harshly on the saddle with a muffled cry to help pull Toothless out of his dive, the cheat sheet in my mouth. Toothless snaps open his wings to stop the fall, which helps, however we're still falling at an incredible velocity, just barely skimming past the treetops.

Toothless begins shrieking in terror as we approach a hazard of huge sea stacks covered in mist. We'd never be able to slow down in time like this and if we hit those, we will be splattered unrecognizably against the rocks. I pull the cheat sheet out of my mouth and try looking at it desperately for any sense of direction, but it's impossible to see with how hard it was flapping against the wind. Toothless continues to roar in terror and I continue glancing quickly between the sheet and the rocks, which are about to hit. With no time to think, I make the last-second decision to wing it (hah, no pun intended) and throw it away. Acting purely on instinct, I tuck myself tight against Toothless' neck with a determined expression on my face and start clicking the pedal, changing the position of the tail. Toothless immediately reacts and turns appropriately, managing a tight, terrifying series of split-second turns, weaving and ducking between the seastacks. After a few barrel rolls and narrow misses against the rocks, we come out of the maze of seastacks and make it to the open water, unscathed.

We soar out of the mist and I pant heavily, taking several moments to catch my breath before grinning widely at my success. I takes a breath and glance back at the death-defying obstacle course, now safely behind us. Sitting back in the saddle, I throw my arms up in to the air and let out a cheer of victory.

"YEEAHHH!" I exclaim in triumph.

Toothless quickly releases the same happy squeal as well as a victorious fireball. I drop my arms to my sides in resignation, a defeated look of dread replacing my look of triumph as I gaze at the blazing fire ahead of us.

"Come on," I say in exasperation, passing through the fireball.

* * *

I stare straight ahead, blinking my eyes while sitting on the rocky beach beside Toothless, still slightly in shock from flying through the fire. My face was slightly singed, the front of my hair and eyebrows singed and charred slightly to a black color. The singed hair was forced upwards, leaving my face clear of how it usually looks from hanging in front of my face. After the flight, Toothless and I caught a good amount of fish and came to a rocky beach to eat it. I was currently roasting my fish over a fire when Toothless begin to make some hacking sounds. I looked over at him as he spat out a fish head, looking at me with a happy expression. No way was I eating a raw fish again.

"Uh... no thanks. I'm good," I tell him, gesturing to the fish on my stick with a sheepish expression.

A sudden squawk from the sky gets our attention, and we look over to see several Terrible Terrors land like seagulls, hissing and nipping at each other. They quickly approach us, and I eye them warily, not sure if they'll be as peaceful as Toothless considering they're wild. Toothless growls lowly, hovering protectively over his pile of fish and pulling a few closer to him as they approach. One makes a grab for his pile, but he snaps at the dragon, causing it to hesitate. However another Terror quickly nabs the regurgitated fish head and drags it away, nibbling from the end of it, satisfied. Another attempts to steal it from him, however it squawks angrily, hissing. They face off with each other, and the Terror raises its head, unleashing a stream of fire to scare it away from its prize. I watch in amusement, however Toothless doesn't feel the same, giving the Terror's all the stink eye.

That is until Toothless spots one of his fish leaving the pile. he watches it with wide eyes in bewilderment before the movement is revealed to be a stealthy Terrible Terror exposed as the thief. Toothless growls and quickly grabs the fish, tugging briefly on it before it snaps back into Toothless' mouth. The Terror looks at Toothless in surprise, and he swallows it, laughing at the him tauntingly. Irate, the little dragon begins hissing furiously and paws at the ground, preparing to fire a blast. I watch nervously as he rises onto his hind paws, opening his mouth, and the gas hiss comes. However Toothless simply spits fires a tiny ball of flame straight into its mouth, causing the gas to backfire into the little dragon. It inflates from the interior explosion, collapsing pitifully on the ground with a whine before staggering away, looking ill.

I chuckle in amusement at the sight. Mara would probably laughing in satisfaction at the sight. She says that the Terror's are absolute cute, but at the same time very annoying.

"Heh, not so fireproof on the inside, are you?" I ask rhetorically, throwing the Terror my cooked fish. I could always get something to eat later, or just not eat tonight. I've done it plenty of times before. "Here you go."

The appreciative little dragon's eyes lighten up he quickly gulps down the meal as I lean back against Toothless. He then starts to approach with a curious expression, and curls up next to me underneath my arm. I widen my eyes in amazement, slowly petting the dragon as it purrs in contentment.

"Mara, Ahsoka and Jarik were right. Everything we know about you guys... is wrong," I say in awe, carefully petting the Terror, which sends it into a blissful sleep.

"Glad you finally figured it out dude," Mara's voice spoke up.

I widened my eyes in surprise and glanced behind me to find Mara striding towards me, Ahsoka and Jarik sitting against another rock a few feet away. They gave me a quick smile before looking out at the sunset. Toothless lifted his ear flaps and looked over with an excited expression at her approach.

"Gahh! You're, you're back!" I stammered in surprise.

"Yup, sure am," she quickly agreed, standing next to me before sitting down against Toothless. The surrounding Terror's eye them warily and begin to hiss threateningly, however they quickly calm down a moment later. Probably from their Force thingy or whatever.

I sighed in exasperation. "Why is it you always seem to appear out of nowhere and make me jump in surprise?"

All she did was smirk mischievously in response.

"She's gonna do it for as long as she wants, you'll just have to deal with it," Jarik calls out with a roll of his eyes.

I sigh again as Mara giggles. Toothless gives his own version of a dragon laugh, and I look over at him with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, you're gonna side with her too?" I demand, and he stares at me innocently in response.

"Hey don't be mad that Toothless likes me more than you!" Mara teases, reaching over to rub said dragon's head, which gets him purring in response.

"Hey, I've known him a lot longer than you have," I protest with a frown.

"Quality, not quantity," she retorts, much to my bewilderment.

I sigh in exasperation, crossing my arms with a pout, causing her to laugh again. "Chill out Hic, I'm only joking," she says with a grin. I wave an hand dismissively at her. "Yeah yeah, whatever you say Jade."

She then takes notice of the Terror between me and her. "You making new friends already? Can't say I blame you," she remarks, stroking the little dragon's back. "He's adorable."

"So far I haven't really seen much of the annoying part," I point out, and Toothless gives me a deadpan look. "Although they did make a fuss for Toothless' fish," I admit.

"Yeah, give it time. These guys are the worst troublemakers." Mara says. "You know the village actually a party going on for you," she said.

I raised an eyebrow disbelievingly at her. "That's funny. Real classic," I say with a roll of my eyes.

"No really," she insists seriously, much to my surprise. "Apparently you've been doing so well in dragon training that's its got everyone happy, glad that the heir is finally proving he can "fight" dragons," she says, emphasizing on 'fight' with sarcasm.

I let out a tired sigh. "Yeah, I'm not going to that."

"Didn't think you would," she said knowingly. "And fighting dragons would actually be a problem for you because of..." she gestures all around her, and at me. "...this," she finishes.

"You just gestured to all of me," I pointed out.

"Exactly!" she says with a nod. "Berk's first dragon trainer in history! Who knew?"

"Yeah I suppose you're right... I just don't know how I'm gonna..." I trail off hesitantly.

"How you're gonna tell the village?" she finishes quietly, and I nod my head.

"Yeah," I reply. "Oh gods, they're gonna hate me."

She shrugs. "Maybe. If they don't except it you could come live with us," she suggests. "But I have a feeling that one way or another they will."

"Because of your Force sense?" I question.

To my surprise she shakes her head. "No. Because of you. You're a good person."

I stare at her quietly for a few moments, taking in what she said with a slow nod. The fact that she has that much faith in me being able to get the village to see that dragon's aren't bad... Toothless rumbles lowly, seemingly sensing my distress as he eyes me in concern.

"You know what, enough of this depressing crap," Mara suddenly blurts out. "Let's talk about something cool."

"Ok... what d'you think they're talking about?" I respond, pointing over at Ahsoka and Jarik, the former giving his hair a few small Viking braids as they stare out at the sunset, apparently in quiet discussion over something.

Mara grins. "Hopefully talking about their future or something. I just want them to get married already!" she whispers eagerly.

"Married?" I question.

"Yes! They've been in a relationship before I was born, and yet they still haven't gotten married!" she whines.

Shrugging to myself, I glance back over at them as they watch the sunset.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

While the kids talked and did their own thing with Toothless, Ahsoka and I took the opportunity to just relax and enjoying each others company in this rare moment of peace. The sunsets on Ahch-To were really something, and always cast a warm orange glow, even with two stars. True peace in our lives has never been a commodity, and we cherish every moment we get. Even during our days as younglings we were busied with lessons and training in the Temple, concerned with what came next. Ahch-To is the only place we've ever gotten the chance to sit back without any worries.

 _"Never gets old being able to sit like this,"_ Ahsoka comments. through the bond.

 _"Yeah. Sometimes it just makes me want to stay here forever, and not worry about the rest of the galaxy."_ I admit.

 _"Yet that's not an option,"_ she points out.

I nodded my head. _"No it's not,"_ I said quickly in agreement.

She then scoots closer beside me on the rock from where I'm perched and starts to fiddle around with my hair. _"You know, I've always wondered what's its like for you guys with hair."_

I glance at her with a raised eyebrow but respond. _"Well, I guess it's just, there. Although we do have to wash it, brush it, and maintain it to keep it from getting unruly or smelly. I doubt you have to do anything with your lekku."_

 _"The only thing we have to do is take care of our headdress, and even that's optional. Guess I should be glad I don't have to worry about my hair,"_ she says with a small smile.

 _"Because you don't have any,"_ I reply.

 _"Nope!"_ she says. _"It was always interesting watching Padme fix up her hair whenever I was at her apartment."_ she recalls with a wistful smile.

 _"Oh yeah. She'd invite you over occasionally when you were both free for some 'girl time.'"_ I said with a frown on my face. She takes notice and nudges me playfully.

 _"Oh stop it Jarik, it was nice,"_ she says defensively.

 _"What was that story I remember from one of your visits? That one of her handmaidens was actually a disguised assassin, and you exposed her?"_ I recall with a raised eyebrow in exasperated expression.

She shakes her head in amusement. _"Even then, trouble always seemed to find us."_

 _"No kidding,"_ I reply quickly in agreement. We remain in comfortable silence, looking out at the scenery, and Ahsoka begins to stroke her hands through my long hair, pulling a few strands carefully and adding small braids. I glance over at her but say nothing. Kind of reminded me of the small and simple Viking braids that some of the villagers wore in their hair. Ever since living on Ahch-To we'd picked up a lot on their culture with interest. Ahsoka gave off a small but slowly growing smile of confidence.

 _"Eh, braiding hair's not as hard as I thought. It's kinda long though,"_ she observes.

I shrugged. _"Well I'm not cutting it short. I like it better this way."_

 _"So do I little Jari. Gives you that roguish quality. Also it's wavy too, in a good way. Better looking than you're short Padawan cut style,"_ she says.

 _"Anything's better than that style. You could ask any human Jedi about that, and they would agree."_ I tell her.

 _"Well, it's not like its ever been something for me to worry about. I stayed the same,"_ she responds.

 _"Oh I wonder why,"_ I say, rolling my eyes.

 _"Don't you sass me!"_ she says sternly, although the hint of amusement in her eyes betrays her look as she lightly hits me.

I grin at her. _"My apologies dear Sweetie Horns."_

She lets out an exasperated sigh. _"Oh boy, just stop talking,"_ she retorts with a fond smile. She continues to absentmindedly add small braids into my hair while we gaze out at the sunset, cherishing this moment of peace.


	44. Ch 43 - New Burdens and Dangers

**Hiccup POV...**

Later that night, after parting from Toothless, Mara and the others, I returned to my private workshop in the forge to some more on my designs for Toothless' saddle and my harness, trying to figure out ways to improve it. The sun had long since gone down by the time I had gotten bored, laying my head on the table. I pushed my pencil up and down the slanted desk with a burdened expression. Spending time with Toothless has been some of the happiest moments in my life, even more so with Mara's family being completely fine with it, actually welcoming the idea. However the conversation I had with Mara about me telling the village had really gotten to me. One way or another, I can't hide Toothless forever, it's too big of a secret. But if I tell my dad about it, he probably won't listen, and he'll have the village hunt Toothless down. Then afterwards I'd be banished from Berk, or worse... I highly doubt they'd understand fully how I feel about Toothless before making up their decision. I'm already an outcast.

Speaking of which, I glance over by chance and widen my eyes at the sight of my dad's head poking through the doorway. "Dad! You're back!"

I quickly jump to my feet and hastily start to pile up all of my drawings of Toothless and the fin behind me before he could notice, and he squeezes through the tiny door. Well, tiny for him anyways.

"Gobber's not here, so..." I start to say, striking an awkwardly casual pose, trying to cover up as much as possible.

"I know," he tells me, cutting me off. "I came looking for you."

I blinked in surprise, not expecting that. He never came looking for me. Not unless I'd done something wrong. "Y-You did?" I asked in surprise.

"You've been keeping secrets," he says sternly, narrowing his eyes.

My heart stops in shock, and I nervously drag my journal behind me as well. **"** I...have?" I stammer out nervously.

"Just how long did you think you could hide it from me?" he demands, glaring down at me.

"I don't know what you're..." I say in vain, fearfully tapping my fingers on the desk, not able to meet his eyes.

"NOTHING happens on this island without me hearing about it," he proclaims harshly, and I flinch at his tone of voice, glancing up at him briefly.

"Oh?" I squeak out.

"So," he says, taking a massive step forwards as he towers over me."Let's talk, about that dragon."

My hand slides off the desk and I stumble slighty, the blood draining from my face in terror. How did he find out?! I am so dead...

"Oh gods," I breathe out in horror. "Dad I'm so sorry. I was going to tell you. I just didn't know how to-"

However before I could say anything else, my dad starts to chuckle. I stare at him in bewilderment as that chuckle turns into a massive booming laugh, his whole body literally shaking. I laugh along nervously, completely baffled at this reaction.

"You're not...upset?" I ask hesitantly.

He whips his head to look at me as if I was insane. "What?! I was hoping for this!" he exclaims in delight.

"Uh...you were?" I ask slowly in confusion, staring at him with a furrowed brow. Why would my dad of all people, be glad I was friends with a dragon?!

"And believe me, it only gets better! Just wait til you spill a Nadder's guts for the first time!" he says happily, and my face falls. Of course he wasn't talking about Toothless, how could he have known? He's actually just talking about my success in the dragon ring, not that I'm friends with a dragon. The only way he'd know that is if Mara, Ahsoka or Jarik told him, which I highly doubt they did.

"And mount your first Gronckle head on a spear. What a feeling!" he exclaims, patting me playfully on the shoulder. To him it was probably just a pat, but for me it was a full blown hit, sending me into the bookshelf behind me with a startled grunt. I struggle to get back to my feet as he continues talking.

"You really had me going there, son. All those years of the worst Viking Berk has ever seen!" he says, much to my annoyance. "Odin, it was rough. I almost gave up on you!"

If I thought my expression couldn't sink any lower, I was wrong. He may not think what he's saying is anything bad, but that right there might as well have been a punch to the gut. This whole time he was so disappointed in who I was he was ready to consider giving up on me ever being worthy of recognition, much less his son. Way to make me feel better... I sighed sadly with a feeling of hurt.

"And all the while, you were holding out on me! Thor almighty!" he continues, grabbing a stool and sitting down. His massive frame nearly fills the tiny room.

"Ahhhhh. With you doing so well in the ring, we finally have something to talk about," he says in relief.

We stay in awkward silence for a long while, and I struggle to come up with something to say, opening and closing my mouth. He scoots closer, the most elated expression I've ever seen on his face before. I've always wanted my dad's approval, but now that I have it... it's in completely the wrong way. After a few moments he finally notices my discomfort, and clears his throat awkwardly.

"Oh, I... brought you something. To keep you safe, in the ring," he says, pulling out a horned Viking helmet and fixing its horn. he gives it to me, and my eyes light up in awe at the gift.

"Wow. Thanks," I say with sincere gratitude. Despite what he just said a few moments ago, he seemed to truly want what's best for me in the moment, like a real father. And that's all I've ever wanted from him. I accept the helmet and run my fingers along it in gratitude.

"Your mother would've wanted you to have it. It's half of her breast plate," he says.

I instantly stop and pull my hand away from the helmet with a grimaced, now more disturbed. I know its a gift from him and from my mother but... really?

He taps his own helmet. "Matching set. Keeps her close, y'know?"

I continue to stare at the helmet with wide eyes, my mouth half open, but my expression softens at the look on his face as he recalls my mother. I could obviously tell how much he still missed her to this day in that expression. I wish I could have known her, but nobody would really discuss her. Not even dad...

"Wear it proudly. You deserve it. You've held up your end of the deal," he says pridefully, and I slowly place the helmet onto the desk, squirming. After a few moments I give off an obviously fake yawn, pretending to be tired just to get this conversation over with.

"I should really get to bed."

He widens his eyes and nods quickly, standing up from the stool. We then of course start to talk over each other, the awkwardness so thick it could be cut through by Jarik's lightsaber. "Yes! Good! Okay. Good talk. See you back at the house. We should do this again. I'm Great. Thanks for stopping glad I stopped by, I hope you by. And for the... the uh, like the hat. breast hat."

"Oh umm... I'm gonna stop by Jarik and Ahsoka's house on the way back, since uh.. to get their take on how well you're doing," he says, coughing nervously.

I widen my eyes slightly. "Oh... well, sure I guess," I say nervously, and he nods. He stands up straight and takes a deep breath.

"Well.. uh.. good night," he says, leaving the room. As soon as he's gone I let out a big sigh of exhaustion, more burdened then ever, because now he thinks I'm the best at dragon fighting. Yet I'm not. All I'm doing is just using simple tricks I picked up from Toothless. Of course, he'd be outraged and any pride he had for me will then vanish if he learns that. I just hope Jarik and Ahsoka don't reveal anything... not that I doubt them but...

The sound of metal clashing violently just outside the shop gets my attention, and I groan in exasperation with a facepalm. No doubt my dad just knocked over everything in the forge with his huge size. Now I've gotta clean that up.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

A loud banging on the door woke me and Ahsoka up, and I would bet Mara as well. Very likely she'd try to ignore it now. With an irritated groan I sat up in bed, rubbing my eyes tiredly as Ahsoka did the same, although slower.

"Who in the world is knocking this late at night?" I grumbled irritably.

"No idea," Ahsoka replies with a mumble, stretching her arms.

Whoever it is knocks on the door again, too strongly for it to be Hiccup. Mara mumbles 'go away' from the loft, causing me to roll my eyes. However this person clearly wants to speak to us, so I slowly get out of the bed and turn on the lamp, walking over towards the door, running a hand through my hair. I open it to be greeted with the massive form of Stoick the Vast, 'O Here His Name And Tremble' standing there. I'm a decent height, just over six feet, but still he towers over me. Vikings and their ridiculous size. I stare at him with a tired expression, which he takes notice of.

"Hello, uh... sorry about-" he starts to say before I close the door on his face. I let out an exhausted sigh and rub my eyes while Ahsoka lets out a cough.

"Jarik," she says sternly in disappointment.

"I know I know, I just want to prepare myself," I retorted, opening up the door again.

He blinks in bewilderment, too stunned to speak for a second. "I'm... sorry?"

I simply wave my hand casually. "No, you're fine I'm just tired," I replied. "So what's up chief?"

Regaining his composure, he looks at me curiously with a hint of excitement. "I'll only be a minute don't worry. But since you two and Mara are closer to Hiccup than most, I was just wondering how you feel about how well he's been doing in the ring. It's amazing. Have you been helping him?" he asks curiously, pride leaking through his voice.

I raise an eyebrow at how excited Stoick sounds for Hiccup, and glance over at Ahsoka, who gives a small shrug. Looking back at Stoick, I answer truthfully. "Well, none of us have really taught him anything. We've given him advice sure, but that's all him. He's doing good," I answer truthfully, the hidden meaning unknown to Stoick.

He beams at us. "That's fair, that's fair. I'm proud of him though. All these years of mistakes and foolishness and now he's showing how much of a Viking he can really be!" he states happily.

I grimace at his choice of words, considering how insensitive they are, but don't say anything about it. Hopefully he'd learn son enough. "I suppose. But just remember, that he's a good kid, and he just wants what is best for the village. He has a good heart, and I'm sure he's a lot braver than you realize."

He nods, although if he got the whole message I'm unsure. "Of course. Well... thank you Jarik, and um.. goodnight," he says awkwardly, smiling briefly before heading off. Once he was gone, I closed the door again, shaking my head lightly before returning back to the bed, shutting off the lamp.

"Still pretty blind to sensitivety," I remark quietly, climbing back into the bed. Ahsoka leans back down beside me, draping her arms around me.

"He wants what's best for Hiccup, that's the important thing," she mumbles.

"Just wish he'd realize the proper way to go about showing that. He probably hurts Hiccup's feelings without realizing it," I reply, wrapping my own arm around her.

"One way or another, we'll hopefully change that soon," she promises.

* * *

The next day was supposed to be the final dragon training class leading up to the battle against the Monstrous Nightmare. It would be decided by who defeated the Gronckle, and it was just Hiccup and Astrid left in the small tournament for the "prize" of the fight. Because of his recent successes in dragon training, everyone was eager to watch the fight, so most of the village would be there spectating. Stoick would also be there, very eager and prideful to see how Hiccup was taking down dragons so effortlessly as the village has been saying. I'll admit, I was interested as well. Besides the Zippleback fight, none of us have really witnessed any of his dragon takedowns since we were gone for a month. Currently the three of us were standing near Stoick and Gothi, waiting for Gobber to release the dragon. Hiccup and Astrid were standing in the ring side by side as he instructed them on how it would go.

"I can't wait to see this," Stoick says eagerly.

"I hope he'll be ok," Mara says quietly.

I nudge her on the shoulder. "Oh come on, you still think he can't handle a dragon after what he did to that Zippleback?" I joked with a small grin.

"What? I worry," she says defensively. I give her an amused looked, causing her to roll my eyes before I notice Ahsoka frowning.

"Hey, what's up?" I ask her, sensing her wariness.

"I don't know its just... something seems wrong," she says, still frowning. My expression turns a little more serious.

"With the match? Is something gonna happen?" I ask in concern, and Mara looks up worriedly.

She shakes her head however. "No it's not with the match It's... something else," she said, glancing off to the side and narrowing her eyes. I follow her gaze and notice a Viking coughing slightly, his wife berating him or something for being here while sick. Hoark the Haggard I think. I can't make out most of it, but I don't see the problem too much. The situation then starts to increase a little bit more dramatically, as he begins coughing even more, looking more ill.

"Something's wrong with him..." she mutters in concern. I nod along, narrowing my eyes and trying to figure out what Ahsoka is feeling about him besides some sickness.

His wife then develops a worried look as he coughs more, that look turning to fear and concern when he suddenly collapses, skin extremely pale. "Hoark!" she exclaims in surprise, kneeling by his side.

"What's wrong with him?" Mara asks in concern.

I look back over at Gothi, and move to get her attention, but luckily she had already noticed, and started hobbling over. Stoick noticed as well and upon seeing the situation, did what any good chief would do and rushed over as well.

"This isn't a normal sickness," Ahsoka says again, deep concern etched in her voice as she moves over.

"Hoark!" the wife cries again, and now I can see how serious this is getting, and already his life seems to be fading noticeably through the Force. What is wrong? Other surrounding Vikings are noticing as well, and I move towards them with Ahsoka as well, Gothi and Stoick having already reached them, the former with a look of deep worry on her face.

"What's wrong?" Stoick asks in concern.

"He's been ill all day but it wasn't anything serious! But now he's just collapsed!" she said fearfully. Gothi quickly checks Hoark to find out the problem, and Stoick studies him intently before widening his eyes in horror, at the same time as Gothi.

"No..." he breathes out, turning around to the crowd. "Everybody make way!" he cries out.

"What's wrong with him?" I ask in concern. A couple Vikings move over at Gothi's direction to help pick up Hoark, who looks extremely pale and limp now. I'm very worried at this point, and Mara's eyes are wide.

"He's been bitten!" Stoick exclaims moving over to help.

"B what?" Ahsoka questions, a rare intensity to her voice.

"Hssiss dragon," he says with a scowl.

I widen my eyes in shock, just as Ahsoka. Surrounding Vikings gasped and the wife started bawling. By now most of the arena had realized the problem, and Gobber, Hiccup, and Astrid also having stopped, looking up in worry.

"Wait, you just said he was bitten by a Hssiss dragon?!" I demand in disbelief.

"Yes!" he exclaims, before turning back slowly to look at us in confusion. "Wait... you've met them before?"

Ahsoka quickly shakes her head. "No, but they're widespread across the galaxy. It's not important right now. Do you have any way to treat the poison?"

Stoick glances over at Gothi, who lowers her head sadly. "We've never known how to cure it," he mutters quietly. Several Vikings take off their helmet sadly for Hoark, the two about to exit the arena with him in tow.

"There's no cure?" Mara asked in horror.

Me and Ahsoka share a quick glance, sharing a silent conversation all in the span of a second. We knew there was no cure to the Hssiss dragon from what we learned in the Temple. All except for one thing...

"I didn't think so. Unfortunately there's no physical cure for the Hssiss dragon's poison for one reason: those dragons are touched by the dark side," she says, causing everyone to turn their heads sharply to us in shock.

"The... the dark side? Of the Force that you use?" Stoick asks in horror.

She nods her head. "Yes. It's a dark side poison that Hssiss dragons developed over thousands of years, neglected only through the Force."

"Do you have any way to save him?!" Stoick asks quickly, and Gothi looks up at us with a fierce expression.

"We can try, but we've never done this before," I admitted.

"It doesn't matter. Do it!" Stoick demands, stopping the two Vikings from carrying Hoark away. They gently set him back on the ground and under Gothi's watch we both kneel by his side. Ahsoka positions herself behind his head, and we share a brief nod, closing our eyes and opening ourselves to the Force. Ahsoka hovers her hands gently over him, and I stretch out with my right hand, sensing for the poison coursing through his body. His life was almost nonexistent, and physically his skin was almost as white as paper, his breathing heavily labored. A look of deep concentration was on my face as me and Ahsoka shared our presences with each other, greatly increasing our power through the Force. We could sense the darkness surrounding Hoark's body, devouring not only his body, but his soul as well.

Communing with each other through the Force, she begins to utter quiet words in an old Jedi language, enhancing her focus. Grabbing onto the darkness within Hoark's body, we unleash the Light Side of the Force upon him. The dark side poison recoils, shrieking furiously through the Force. In the physical world there was no noise, although he began to spasm a lot. Luckily, Stoick and another Viking held him down as we continued, the dark side continuing to shriek rebelliously at us. We focused our energy into a spike, and imagine the dark side like a pollutant, flushing it out with the Light Side, which we imagined as clean water. It fought hard to stay, but we persisted, calling upon the Force and Morai to help us succeed in this endeavor. After about a minute, one last push from Ahsoka drove the darkness away, and Hoark gasped, his mouth open and expelling an almost unnoticeable dark mist. through th Force we could hear the shrieks draining away.

With the dark poison gone, Ahsoka and I opened our eyes and backed away to lean forwards on our hands, breathing heavily in exhaustion. I can't remember off the top of my head when I put so much effort into the Force like that.

"Hoark...?" his wife whispered.

We glanced over, and he slowly blinked, groaning. "Mmmmmhh uhh? Huh? What happened?" he muttered, and everyone sighed in relief, a few giving out shouts of joy. Gothi smiled widely, and Mara squealed in delight.

 _"Well... that was something,"_ I commented to Ahsoka with a tired smile.

 _"Sure was,"_ she replied in agreement.

* * *

 _Oh wow, Hssiss dragon poison! Sure isn't something I'd like to have. O_o_

 _Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Compared to what I've written in the past, the writing for this part when they were talking about the Hssiss poison was... meh in my opinion. I don't particularly enjoy how it went since it doesn't seem too realisitcally for my tastes, but I'll let you guys decide how it seemed._

 _Hssiss dragon's do have a potent poison that's influenced by the dark side, which gives it no cure. How the poison acts, that was never really explained, just that it goes quickly. The only real defense against it was the Force, because a Jedi in Legends had to use a healing trance in order to cure themselves from it. Hope you enjoyed my take on this dragon's poison! :D_


	45. Ch 44 - Romantic Flight

**Hiccup POV...**

After the whole situation with Hoark being poisoned occurred, my dad decided to push back the semifinal match for the next two hours to allow everyone to cope with what just happened. I was still worried for him of course, just like anyone else would be, but I was also in awe of how Jarik and ahsoka had saved him using the Force. Whatever they did, saved him from Hssiss dragon poisoning, something no one had ever accomplished before. It always seems like something miraculous happens whenever they were around...

Furiously beating wings get my attention, and I duck down behind the barrier I was standing next too, reminded of the situation I was currently in. The match had already started up again, and the Gronckle flew right past my head as it searched for us. A moment later Astrid ducked behind the barrier, doing a double take as she noticed me. I smiled sheepishly at her, and she scowled angrily, shoving my shield down.

"Stay out of my way! I'm winning this thing," she warns me, leering in my face before rushing off.

"Good. Please, by all means!" I call after her sincerely. I honestly would rather have her win this match instead of me. Even if my dad would still be disappointed in me losing, there was no way I was going to kill the Nightmare. Besides, he'd understand me losing to Astrid right? She never loses to anyone.

"You got it Astrid!" someone yells.

I let out a sigh and stand up, looking around. Amidst the crowd of onlookers, dad watches keenly, beaming with pride, Mara, Ahsoka and Jarik beside him. He locks eyes with me, giving an encouraging nod with a closed fist. Mara gives me a thumbs up, while Ahsoka and Jarik simply smile reassuringly. I adjust my new helmet and force a half-hearted smile. However I never realized that by standing up I had attracted the attention of the Gronckle.

The sound of beating rings and a load roar gets my attention, and I look over with wide eyes as the Gronckle begins to charge at me, although I can't tell if its moving to attack, or has grown a liking to me since I always lay it out like a puppy. Nevertheless, it was charging straight for me, and if it started to beg me happily for another chin scratch there would be confusion and chaos from everyone watching. With a yelp, I leap to the side quickly, dropping my sheild and axe, my helmet also slipping off of my head and desperately reach for the spot underneath its chin. Quickly scratches, the Gronckle gives out a blissful cry and collapses, sliding a couple feet on its side and kicking its leg in the air.

A few moments later I realize what this would me and my face falls nervously. A sudden war cry heading in my direction has me flinching against the barrier until it suddenly stops. Glancing over, I see Astrid standing there mid run, axe held over her head with a shocked expression on her face. With wide eyes, I frantically gesture at the Gronckle in an attempt to indicate that it wasn't my fault. However she wasn't having it.

While everyone cheers at my victory, she stomps her foot furiously and swings her axe in a rage. "NO! NO! SON OF HALFTROLL RAT EATING MUNGE BUCKET!" she yells angrily. I stand there quietly, wishing desperately to be anyplace but there while Astrid continues on her rant. I can just feel the concerned stares from Mara, Ahsoka and Jarik on my back.

A loud clack from Gothi's staff rang out as she stepped forward, and my dad holds his hands up to quiet the crowd. "Wait! Wait!" he exclaims.

Seeing an opportunity in the chaos, I attempt to slip away. "So, later."

Unfortunately, Gobber has other ideas and snags me with his hook to prevent my escape, and sets me back down. "Not so fast."

"I'm kinda late for-" I stammer out before being turned around, an axe held at my throat. I grunt in surprise, and back up desperately upon seeing the livid expression on her face. "What?! Late for what exactly?!" she demands.

Luckily my dad's voice draws everyone's attention and she backs off, although reluctantly. "Okay quiet down! The elder has decided."

Thrilled, Gobber stands behind me and Astrid as we both look up to where Gothi is standing. Next to her and my dad, Mara sends me a nervous look, Jarik and Ahsoka's expressions neutral, although I can see the knowing look and concern in their eyes. Gobber first holds his hook above Astrid as the crowd waits in silent anticipation. Gothi shakes her head 'no,' resulting in a few hushed reactions from the crowd. Gobber then raises his hand over my head, and I flinch, a nervous grimace on my face. To my utter horror, she nods an affirmative 'yes' with a smile on her face. The crowd roars in approval, and I shut my eyes with a grimace, slowly glancing over to Astrid, who turns a seething, deadly glare on me. If looks could kill, I'd be dead ten times over.

Gobber holds me in a one armed hook, an excited expression on his face. "You've done it! You've done it, Hiccup! You get to kill the dragon!"

"Ha, ha! That's my boy!" I can hear my dad shout pridefully. Mara and her parents all have supporting smiles on their faces as they clap politely, although I know for a fact that its just a front. The teens all rush me, with Fishlegs hoisting me on his shoulders. If this was a month ago, I would be bursting with joy and happiness, having finally been accepted by the village as one of their own. Everybody was happy for me, and my dad was finally seeing my accomplishments, and was proud of what I could do. I should be happy.

But not this time.

I nervously go along with it in a half-hearted attempt to mask my panicking emotions. "Heh, heh. Oh yeah! Yes! I can't wait. I am so... so..." trail off, unsure of what to say.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

After the match, my parents and I had retreated to our house to talk things over. As soon as he was out of the ring, Hiccup vanished, most likely to go hang out with Toothless. I bet he was gonna do something rash, maybe even leave Berk with him at the worst, I just knew him too well.

"Well this sucks," I remark in disappointment, leaning back in the chair with my feet on the table. "What the kriff is he supposed to do now?"

"Language," mom chastised, and I rolled my eyes.

"Sorry mom," I replied. "but seriously, what is he supposed to do?"

"Well, he can either confront his dad about the truth, forfeit the fight for a certain reason, or what you thought he might do, leave," she said. "But he won't be able to put it off for an excuse. Sooner or later the truth is going to come out," she warned.

"He can't hide Toothless forever," dad added in agreement.

I sighed. "And Hiccup knows that. He's just too afraid of what everyone will think. I would be in his position."

They both nodded their heads. "The best we can do right now is support him, no matter what decision he makes. If he tries to deal with it alone, it won't end well." dad says. "But ultimately, it's his choice to make. We can't fix the problem for him."

"If, the truth comes out and Hiccup does get banished from Berk, then we can bring him to live with us in the Temple," mom decides.

"And if they try something worse on him?" I ask nervously.

"We won't let it come to that," dad promises with a sad expression. "Even if it makes us Berk's worst enemy."

The idea of that happening is worrisome, but like he said, I'd take Hiccups side any day over Berk. They haven't exactly been nice to him at all. Standing up from my chair, I make a beeline for the door. "I'm gonna see how Hiccup's doing," I announce.

They share a quick glance with each other, probably in some sort of private bond conversation before they get up as well. "Alright, we might as well go with you," mom says.

* * *

 **Hiccup POV...**

"We're leaving!" I called out, strolling through the cove with a basket of fish, looking around for Toothless. For some reason he wasn't responding as usual, but there was no way he was gone, the cliff walls see to that. Maybe he was trying to play a hiding game...

"We're leaving. Let's pack up. Looks like you and me are taking a little vacation, forever," I call out again, setting the basket on the ground next to a rock. Still Toothless is nowhere in sight, and I open the basket up, checking my harness with a million thoughts racing through my head. I know it was probaby a little selfish of me to just up and leave Berk now, but I couldn't handle the place anymore. I can't kill a dragon now, not with what I know about them. And if I try to tell my dad about this there is no way he would listen. Best to just leave without them realizing anything. Maybe me and Toothless could find the island that Mara and her parents live on...

"Oh.. man..." I say quietly, standing up with a burdened sigh.

The sound of a rock screeching across metal above my head suddenly gets my attanetion, and I look up in confusion, only to stumble back in shock upon seeing Astrid sitting there.

"Aggh! What the-" I yell in shock, recomposing myself. "I, eh, uhh... What are you doing here?"

She tosses her sharpening rock aside and hops off the boulder, stomping forwards while spinning her axe threateningly. My eyes dart around nervously, searching for Toothless. If she catches sight of him...

"I want to know what's going on. No one just gets as good as you do. 'Especially' you," she demands, and I had to admit that stung a little bit more than the usual insults I've received. I stumble backwards nervously as she advances. "Start talking! Are you training with someone?"

"Uh... training?" I reply nervously.

She grabs me harshly by the harness and lifts it up slightly with a frown.

"It better not involve this," she continues.

"I know this looks really bad, but you see... this is, uh..." i hastily stammer out for an explanation.

"Is Mara teaching you some of her Jedi tricks? Maybe her parents?" she suggests with a suspicious glare.

"What? No, she isn't! none of them are!" I protest truthfully.

"Well it looks awfully similar!" she retorts.

"I- I know it seems that way but, they uh, have the Force! I can't do any of that-" I start to say, however a rustling on the other side of the cove catches our attention. She drags me to the ground with a quiet gasps before stepping over me with a narrowed gaze to investigate. I yelp in pain slightly before getting up to stop her. No doubt the rustling came from Toothless... oh of all the times to not have Mara here...

Panicking, I quickly step in front of her. "You're right! You're right. I'm through with the lies. I've been making... outfits!" I say with a sheepish smile. i honestly can't believe that's the poor excuse I came up with but I have to roll with it now. I really should have thought of a situation like this happening... "So you got me. It's time everyone knew. Drag me back. Go ahead. Here we go."

I grab her hand and place it on my harness in an attempt to get her to drag me away. That plan backfires when she grabs my hand and painfully bends it backwards, sending me to the ground with a cry of pain.

"AAAAUUGGGHHH! Why would you do that?!" I complain.

She kicks me to the ground with her foot. "That's for the lies!"

Next, Astrid holds her axe above me and drops it, so that the handle bounces off my stomach and back into her hand. I gasp in pain, the air getting knocked out of me. "And THAT'S, for everything else!" she sneers.

A sudden growl comes from the other side of the cove, and Astrid gasps in surprise, looking up on high alert.

My face falls, knowing what was probably running through Toothless' head right now. "Oh man."

just as I get up, Astrid suddenly grabs me and slams me back into the ground again, catching me by surprise. "Get down!" she exclaims.

I watch in disbelief as she gets back up, axe held at the ready. "Run! Run!" she yells, ready to take on Toothless in defense of what she thought was an attack. Despite how she acted towards me not five seconds ago, I had to admire how she immediately went from being angry with me to being ready to protect me from death within a heartbeat. However with Toothless charging, Astrid ready to fight him, I had to intervene before someone got hurt in this misunderstanding.

"NO!" I yell out, diving at Astrid and shoving her to the ground. Yanking the axe from her grip, I shove it away and turn towards Toothless, holding my hands up placatingly. "No. It's okay! It's okay..."

Toothless pulls up short and lands hard, spraying Astrid with sand.

"She's a friend," I reassure him.

Toothless snorts in disagreement, but relents. Astrid is frozen in shock and disbelief. Toothless looks from her to me and back to her, obviously confused. i turn back to Astrid, holding Toothless by the head to keep him from charging further. "You just scared him."

"I scared him!?" she exclaims in disbelief.

I make a shushing motion, and then she goes silent, eyes wide in realization. "Wait. Who, is him?" she whispers intensely.

Witha nervous expression, I hesitantly gesture between her and Toothless. "Astrid, Toothless. Toothless, Astrid," I introduce. He snarls furiously at her, making me grimace.

Astrid backs away, eyeing the two of us with pure disgust. The sound of feet on rocks then gets everyones attention and we all look over to see Mara, Ahsoka and Jarik emerge from the cove entrance, chatting quietly with each other.

"Are you kidding me mom?" Mara laughs, looking over. "He..." her voice trails off as she takes in the situation, Ahsoka and Jarik stopping as well with surprised looks on their faces. Astrid stares at them wide eyed, more shocked than she was even before, and Mara looks between us.

"So... she knows now?" she asks dumbly.

Jarik rolls his eyes. "'She knows now,' of course she does she's standing right there," he retorts sarcastically.

Ahsoka giggles while Mara glares up at him. "Well excuse me 'Mr. Know-It-All!'"

Astrid stares around at all of us in a mixture shock, disbelief, and disgust before narrowing her eyes. She shakes hers head slowly with a glare and quickly runs away, climbing out of the cove, no doubt off to tell the village.

"Du du duh, we're dead," I deadpanned.

"No kidding," Ahsoka says in agreement.

Toothless however, simply stands on his hind legs with a satisfied glare in Astrid's direction before turning around and hobbling away. I look at him with a bewildered expression. "Woah woah woah, where do you think you're going?" I demand.

The other three walk forwards and Mara shakes her head. "You really did it this time Hiccup."

"W-what- it's not my fault! I didn't even know she was here!" I protested.

"Well, you better go get her then," Ahsoka chimes in.

"Sweep her off her feet, like dad does to mom!" Mara exclaims dramatically with clasped hands.

Jarik nods his head. "Yeah- wait what?" he says with a raised eyebrow, both he and Ahsoka staring at Mara with narrowed eyes. She simply giggles mischievously in response.

I stare at her with an annoyed expression. "I- I'm, not, sweeping her off her feet," I deadpan.

She shrugs. "Alright fine. Then Toothless will. Hey, Toothless!" she calls out.

He comes bounding over, seeking attention from the three of them, which Mara and Ahsoka happily provide. Jarik slings an arm casually around my shoulders. "Well, the secret is out now, with Astrid at least. So, you can either let her blab to the village, probably live on our island knowing they hate you, or try and explain the true nature of dragons to her. What d'you say?" he asks.

I consider the options in my head. I was planning to leave, but I don't want my dad to think I betrayed them for the rest of my life, so I reluctantly sigh with a nod. "Alright, I'll do it."

He pats me on the shoulder with a smile. "Good man," he says, turning towards the others. "Alright you two, let them take flight. Hiccup needs to catch his girl."

Ahsoka giggles, while Mara doesn't bother to hide her laughter. Even Toothless rumbles with laughter, and I let out an aggravated sigh. "D-did you tell them about my crush on Astrid?" I demand from Mara furiously.

She smirks mischievously. "Maybe..."

I groan in annoyance. "Come on bud, lets get this over with," I tell him, climbing onto the saddle. With a quick growl, he flares his wings as I snap the tail into position, sending us soaring into the sky while they watch us leave. Heading in the direction Astrid went, I quickly scan the forest for any sign of Astrid, easily spotting her running through the trees with her bright blue shirt and armor.

"There!" I point out to Toothless. He growls in annoyance, but flies downwards, claws outstretched. Just as Astrid jumps off of a log, Toothless snatches her up by the arm, quickly flying back up into the sky. She lets out a scream of surprise and terror, frantically grabbing at Toothless' paw.

"Oh great Odin's ghost! Oh this is it!" she yells in terror.

i lead Toothless over to a tall tree near the cove, Astrid screaming the whole way, and he deposits her none-to-gently on a branch, perching on top. The tree leans over dramatically from his weight, dangling her over the cove about a hundred of feet below. I can just make out Mara and her parents, most likely watching the event.

"Hiccup! Get me down from here!" she yells furiously.

"You have to give me a chance to explain," I reply desperately.

"I amm not listening to ANYTHING you have to say!" she yells in a rage, struggling to geta good grip on the branch.

"Then I won't speak. Just let me show you. Please, Astrid," I plead, reaching a hand out to her.

She eyes me Toothless, then the ground far, far below, where the others are watching.

"I could let go and the others would catch me," she challenges.

This time I was ready for a counter. "But then they would keep you there until I could explain things," I argue back.

She scowls, looking back down, although I can tell that she knows I'm right. After a moment, she pulls herself onto the branch with a grunt and hesitantly reaches a hand out. toothless growls when she gets closer, and she retracts her hand, before carefully grabbing e saddle, making sure to avoid as much contact with him as possible. I hold a hand out to her, but she swats it away and reluctantly climbs over the pedal, lines, and harness. She settles behind me, looking very uncomfortable.

"Now get me down," she demands.

With a smile, I pat Toothless gently on the head. "Toothless? Down. Gently."

With a growl, he spreads his wings slowly, and they flare open with the updraft of the wing. He stays still for a few moments, and I look back reassuringly at Astrid. "See? Nothing to be afraid of."

I would come to regret that choice of words a moment later, as Toothless suddenly snaps his wings hard and launches us straight upward. Astrid screams in terror, the acceleration absolutely tremendous. Every downbeat bucks the saddle, heaving us into the sky, increasing our speed more and more. I desperately try to grapple my hands onto the saddle, while Astrid holds on to me with her arms and legs for dear life.

"Toothless! What is wrong with you?! Bad dragon!" I yell, mortified. I turn to Astrid, trying to desperately offer an explanation. "He's not usually like this." Moments later, Toothless lists to one side and we begin to plummet. I glance downwards in dread. "Oh no..."

Astrid screams in terror once more as we plummet through the air at breathtaking speeds, crashing through the water. I'm sure Mara is probably laughing her butt off right now, the little punk. Toothless rockets over the ocean waves, deliberately dipping us in the froth.

"Toothless, what are you doing?! We need her to like us!" I protest.

Instead of listening to my words, he rises back into the air again as fast as possible, and then begins to twirl quickly, which I'm used to by now from all the test flights, but Astrid for sure isn't.

"And now the spinning. Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile," I deadpan.

Astrid's arms are wrapped around me tightly as she buries her face in my neck, eyes shut. We then begin to fall once more, corkscrewing through the air. "Okay! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Just get me off of this thing!" she yells sincerely. I'm slightly surprised. Astrid is defeated, her aggressive energy gone, which I never thought possible before. Satisfied, Toothless relents, and snaps his wings open, immediately stopping our descent with surprised yelp from Astrid.

We level off, and Toothless slowly rises into the clouds. Astrid opens her eyes again, and looks out at the clouds and sky with an awed expression of wonder. Despite her usual personality, she drops her tough attitude and reaches out to touch the clouds, piercing columns ablaze in golden hues, floating over a vast, beautiful sky. Her terror is replaced by wonder, and the expression on her face has me smiling as well. She grins happily, letting go with both hands and drifting them through the clouds without a care.

We continue to go through this for a while, and quickly than I thought possible, it was already night time. The sun had long since gone down, which none of us noticed due to getting lost in the beauty of the sky. Toothless slowly rises above the clouds and levels off under a starry sky. We emerge under the dancing Northern Lights, shimmering in ribbons across the vast sky. Both of us look at the light show in wonder, having never seen such a thing this clear before. Gliding further back towards the mountains of Berk, the clouds part to reveal the landscape of the entire village, lit up at night. Below us, Berk's torches flicker in the inky darkness. The new perspective is breathtaking, and too my surprise, Astrid tucks her arms into my vest, burying her chin into my shoulder with a peaceful and happy expression. I smile nervously, unused to contact like this, but return my staring to the village, taking in the sights.. Toothless then climbs past Berk's tallest peaks and heads out over open water, leaving the village lights to fade behind us.

After hours of slow, gentle flight, Astrid finally speaks. "Alright I admit it. This is pretty cool. It's... amazing," she says, looking down at Toothless and softening her voice. "He's amazing."

She carefully reaches down and pats Toothless' side, which the dragon accepts with a happy warble.

"You know, Mara told me that they see stuff like this all the time when they fly in their ship," I recalled.

"That's incredible..." she breathes out in response. "I still can't imagine what space looks like beyond Ahch-To..."

We remain in comfortable silence for a few more moments until she asks the question that i was dreading. "So what now?"

I let out a quiet groan. It's a problem without an answer.

"Hiccup, your final exam is tomorrow!" she exclaims incredulously. "You know you're going to have to kill a... kill a dragon," she whispers in my ear.

"Don't remind me," I reply glumly. Neither of us notice as a strange, unearthly din approaches. It's only when Toothless' ear plates suddenly stand on end, that I notice something weird going on, and he abruptly dives into the fog without warning.

Me and Astrid give out a quick yelp of surprise, and I lean forwards. "Toothless! What's happening? What is it?"

However he only lets out a swift roar in response continuing forwards. I'm confused and nervous, when suddenly, out of the dense cloud, a Monstrous Nightmare emerges. I widen my eyes in shock, Astrid with the same fear. All around us, more dragons began to appear. What was going on?!


	46. Ch 45 - The Nest

**Hiccup POV...**

"Get down!" I whispered harshly, pressing myself against Toothless, Astrid doing the same. The Nightmare gives out a roar, and we both look around fearfully, Toothless' flapping getting more intense. I try to steer Toothless out of the fog, but a Deadly Nadder, much larger than the one back in the ring appeared, boxing us in between them. Moments later, more and more dragons begin to appear out of the fog, squawking and growling to each other. There could be dozens of them, completely surrounding us.

"What's going on?" Astrid asked nervously.

"I don't know," I replied, placing my hand on Toothless' head. "Toothless. You've got to get us out of here, bud," I pleaded.

However Toothless shakes my hand off with a growl, continuing onwards with the dragons. Glancing at the dragons surrounding us, I take notice of how they're all carrying fish and dead animals in their talons.

"It looks like they're hauling in their kill," I whispered.

"What does that make us?" she replied nervously. A Zippleback hovering alongside us eyes us ravenously, and I gulp nervously. Thankfully, the dragon doesn't do anything.

After a few more moments, we come to an area where the dragons all dive in formation, plummeting through the thickening fog and weaving between towering, craggy sea stacks. We emerge at the base of a massive mountain on a rocky island, which glows orange from small streams of lava. A volcano... Astrid and I both look up at it in terror, hearing the loud buzzing echoing in our ears, like crickets but much, much louder. The flock of dragons fall into rank, forcing Toothless along with them, funneling through a crack, and zipping through a winding tunnel. It gives way to a vast, steamy inner chamber, tiered with pocky shelves. Immediately I can feel the difference in temperature, being much hotter inside than outside. The glowing smoke must be from some sort of lava pool at the very bottom of the volcano. The arriving dragons fly in, dropping their catch into a central pit, glowing red and shrouded in mist before flying onto the rocks to perch with other dragons. I widen my eyes in realization and disbelief of what we had just discovered.

"What my dad wouldn't give to find this," I muttered in awe.

Thankfully, Toothless peels away from the crowd and flies towards an empty rock shelf, landing behind a pillar to stay hidden. All three of us peek around the pillar to observe the nest,and I take note of how similar it seems to an insect hive. While the dragons continue to drop all of the food down into the pit, I frown in distaste.

"Well, it's satisfying to know that all of our food has been dumped down a hole," I remark dryly.

"They're not eating any of it." Astrid observes.

A pathetic buzzing or growling sound gets our attention, and we watch as a Gronckle flies forwards on its own. It looks kind of drunk, if a dragon can get drunk, occasionally falling several feet before correcting its flight again as if hovers towards the center. I raise an eyebrow but continue to watch as it opens its mouth, dropping a tiny fish down the hole. It scratched itself with its back paw, seemingly pleased before a massive roar rings out, causing it to widen its eyes in fright. It quickly tries to buzz away, but before it can move a few feet, the most massive dragon head I had ever seen comes charging out of the mist, snapping its jaws around the poor Gronckle. Me and Astrid gasp in horror, instinctively flinching before that beast.

"What is that?" Astrid asks slowly in shock. All of the other dragons in the nest back away from the hole as far as they could, squawking in fear. It lowers its head down, disappearing once more into the mist while its massive gullet, shudders, a sign of the Gronckle being swallowed by the beast. As it does so however, the air around us suddenly seems to become chilly and cold, uncomfortably so, despite the fact that it should be swelteringly hot in here.

"You feel that?" I ask Astrid nervously, and she nods her head, just as confused. Toothless however glances behind us and begins to growl dangerously, eyes narrowed into slits. I look behind us and widen my eyes in terror, seeing a single dragon stalking forwards dangerously. I recognized them from the Book of Dragons, and they were dangerous! It had a charcoal colored hide and red underbelly and was a little smaller than Toothless, but that didn't matter because they were Hssiss dragons!

"Oh Thor!" I whispered in a panic. Astrid looked back and widened her eyes in fright, although she didn't know what it was yet.

"What dragon is that?" she demanded.

"It's a Hssiss dragon!" I whispered back, and she gasped in terror.

As if to make matters worse, the Hssiss dragon suddenly reared on its hind legs and let out some sort of call, snarling viciously at us. Its beady red eyes glared savagely at us, wanting nothing more than to tear us to bits. The chill surrounding it was just, unnatural. A sudden shaking of the rocks and loud sniffing got my attention, and a quick glance showed that massive beast poking its head up again, searching for something.

 _For us,_ I realized in horror.

"Alright bud we gotta get out of here. Now!" I told Toothless, who immediately agreed. Right as the massive dragon's eyes locked onto us, the Hssiss let out a challenging shriek, making all of the other dragons nearby flinch and back away in terror. Even the Nightmare's were afraid of it! The shriek seemed to press down on our minds however, as if some strange unnatural force was trying to dominate our very being, and me and Astrid both held our heads with pained cries. However Toothless let out a retaliating roar, a dim purple glow coming from his mouth, which somehow immediately released the pressure on our minds, and took off, shooting a plasma blast at the Hssiss on the way, knocking it back.

At the same time, the massive beast lunged forwards, barely missing us with its jaws. Each tooth was about twice the size as my dad himself! Every dragon in the nest took flight, desperate to escape, and Toothless shot us towards the chaos, allowing us to get lost in the swarm. Behind us, the monster attempted to snatch us from the air again, but caught a Zippleback that had gotten in the way instead. Satisfied, it lowered itself back down into the mist with its prize, but we weren't done. Just as I thought we were through, a sickening shriek off to the side got out attention, and we looked over to see another Hssiss leaping off the side of a ledge at us, claws outstretched with the intent to kill.

Astrid and I screamed in terror, but Toothless thankfully reacted in time, shooting a plasma blast at the Hssiss to send it tumbling back down the cavern, disappearing with a wail into the fiery depths below.

"Good thing those punks can't fly!" I managed to cry out in relief, Astrid nervously laughing, sharing the same thought. I had never been so glad to leave someplace behind before. And I was so grateful to have Toothless with me. He just saved our lives twice already!

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

We watched as Hiccup took off into the sky after Astrid, contemplating on how this would go. Mara looked at us with a grin on her face.

"I can't wait to see what happens," she says eagerly.

"Well, what do you think he'll do?" I ask her.

"Probably have Toothless grab her or something, then fly around, or maybe attempt to explain it," she says thoughtfully with a shrug. "The second option would probably fail though."

Ahsoka puts a hand on her hip with an amused smile. "Well, he could certainly be the new Obi-Wan with his 'talking it out' approach," she mused.

I let out a snort and shook my head. "Probably."

"What's the most ridiculous thing Master Kenobi did again?" Mara asks curiously.

We both frown thoughtfully, and I recall one of my first missions ever with him. "I would say when he tried negotiating with a fat, bug queen," I recalled.

Ahsoka shivered at the reminder of the Geonosians, and Mara groaned in disgust. "I'm so glad I don't know what they looked like," she said.

"If only I could say that," I deadpanned.

Astrid's screaming echoing through the air halted our conversation, and we looked up to see Toothless and Hiccup deposit her on top of a tall tree hanging above the cove. The dragon then landed on the top, causing the tree to heavily lean over the lake. I rolled my eyes while Ahsoka put a hand to her head in exasperation.

"Oh boy," she muttered.

Mara let out a laugh of amusement, looking up at the scene. "HA! I never thought he'd even go that far!" she exclaimed.

"He's even crazier than Obi-Wan," I muttered to myself. The two Viking teens were obviously conversing with each other, and Astrid's furious yelling was distinguishable even from this height, however I couldn't make out what she was saying. I let out a sigh.

"Well, knowing Hiccup's luck, just be ready to catch her incase she falls," I warned them, and they nodded in agreement, although Mara was still stifling her giggles. Luckily for us though, whatever Hiccup was saying seemed to get through to Astrid, as she pulled herself onto the branch and mounted Toothless behind Hiccup. The dragon spread his wings, staying still for a moment, and Ahsoka groaned in exasperation.

"What?" I asked her in confusion.

She gestured up to the scene before us. "Toothless is mad," she said simply.

That statement was proven seconds later as Toothless suddenly took off, causing Hiccup to cry out in surprise and restart Astrid's terrified screaming all over again. The Night Fury shot into the sky so fast that they soon disappeared within seconds, at this point a black blur in the sky before disappearing behind the treeline. And all the while, Mara was laughing her butt off. She eventually managed to calm herself down to the occasional giggle.

"That has got to be one of the funniest things I've ever seen," she snickered.

"Sure. Also brings back some memories as well," I remarked.

"Oh dad, please..." she replied in exasperation, before lighting up mischievously. "What kind of memories?"

I put a hand to my chin, a gesture I no doubt picked up from Obi-Wan and shrugged. "I'd say... Hiccup is Obi-Wan, Astrid is Padme, and Toothless... is Anakin's flying."

That got Ahsoka to crack up laughing, easily finding the comparison to be genuine. She should know, since she actually helped teach Padme to fly a starfighter before. Ironically Ahsoka was the first to get knocked out by a single vulture droid, which I teased her about for weeks. Despite having never met them, Mara's heard enough of our war stories and seen enough holograms to get the gist of it, and chuckled a little bit as well.

"That is so accurate," Ahsoka said, recomposing herself.

I nodded my head, and we stood there in silence before I clasped my hands together. "Ok! Training time!"

"Right now dad?" Mara complained.

"I'm assuming you want to wait here until they return?" I ask her with a raised eyebrow.

She thought about it before shrugging with a sheepish smile. "I guess..." she admitted.

"Then we're gonna pass the time with some training!" I said cheerfully.

"We never planned for a lesson though," Ahsoka pointed out. Mara raised an eyebrow in response, crossing her arms.

Spoil sport.

I frowned, nodding slowly in agreement. "I suppose... but then again, who knows what could happen when you're on a mission?" I asked rhetorically.

Mara and Ahsoka looked at each other, and then back at me, but I had whipped out a blaster pistol and opened fire on them, causing both of them to yelp and take leap to the side. The blaster was set for stun of course, so it wouldn't hurt them, but it was still shocking. They both quickly pulled out a lightsaber each and deflected a few shots.

"Are you crazy Jarik?" Ahsoka exclaimed angrily.

"Come on, this is not the worst thing I've done for a surprise training session," I argued, letting off another shot.

"It still sucks though!" Mara retorted, deflecting another bit of laser fire. I merely grinned and continued my barrage of laser fire, noting Mara's technique and positioning so that me and Ahsoka would be able to help improve her form.

* * *

After my surprise blaster deflecting lesson, we switched to lightsaber dueling, and Mara would trade off against either me or Ahsoka to get a better understanding of different lightsaber styles. Ahsoka would help to teach her how to defend against an aggressive and fast combatant, as well as someone wielding two blades, while I was more of the precise and elegant style of dueling, with one blade instead of two. I also gave her Ahsoka's old green lightsaber, and Ahsoka helped her to better learn how to handle using two blades instead of one if the situation called for it.

When lightsaber training was finished, we turned to practice with the Force, which Ahsoka took charge over. She was helping Mara to reach out with her senses and feel for certain things, as well as more instruction on how to better cloak her presence in the Force. Then she'd go through several drills, where we would blindfold her and have her try to seek us out using the Force. The trick was we were cloaked, so she'd have to figure out a way to get around that obstacle to sense us. She eventually found me, since I was less skilled in the ability than Ahsoka was.

Currently we were meditating, something that none of us found any particular joy in, but I'd grown more used to it due to my prowess in foresight. Ahsoka had also gotten more used to it as well, having becoming much wiser in these last few years, a lot different compared to her old Padawan self. She was advising Mara about meditation during the session, while I did more of my own thing. And that was when I of course got pulled into another premonition...

 _A large planet with rings blocked my view of the star it orbited, and approaching that planet seemed to be some strange fleet of ships I could not identify. That evil presence with three eyes grasped my vision again, and it laughed._

 _Next, I saw an ordinary world that looked remarkably similar to Naboo or Alderaan hovering in space, looking perfectly normal. A sudden darkness overcame the planet, massive cracks flowing like a gushing river over its surface, flowing with purple light, and the entire world suddenly exploded. Out of the purple explosion I could see two glowing eyes, as well as the shadow of an ancient being. This terrified me, and I had no idea what it was._

 _My view suddenly shifted from the evil entity, changing to that of a dark cave, with stone as black as the void of space. In the center of a cave was a large boulder in the middle of the cave, a dim glow of purple light barely noticing emanating from the rock. I've seen this before, only briefly... sure enough, the familiar sound of Vader's mechanical breathing filled the area, and the Sith Lord himself slowly approached the stone with his hand outstretched. I could feel him... actively searching for a way to uncover what was within._

 _A quiet sound could be heard, slowly increasing as Vader got closer, when he suddenly stopped, and everything went silent. The only sound that could be heard was my own breath, as well as Vader's. I watched anxiously as Vader seemed to still as well, stopping just before the stone. To my surprise, he slowly turned his head to stare directly at me, lowering his arm, and my breath stopped. This wasn't a vision anymore. Somehow through the Force, I was with him._

 _We stared at each other for a few moments before he spoke. **"Jarik Shan..."** he growled out lowly with hate, his voice echoing. He then began to approach, pulling out his lightsaber, which sprang to life with a sharp hiss. He raised his lightsaber in preparation to swing it, and I raised my arms to cover my head, backing up..._

I came out of the vision with a gasp, looking around quickly to reassure myself that Vader wasn't anywhere, before sighing in relief. It was dark out now, the sun having fully gone down, and we were still in the cove. My gasp caught Ahsoka and Mara's attention, the former looking down at me with sad, knowing gaze.

"You had a premonition, didn't you," she stated. It wasn't a question.

Getting to my feet, I nodded slowly, recollecting myself. "Yeah. This time was different though," I replied.

She raised an eyebrow, while Mara frowned in confusion. "Different how?" she asked.

Before I could answer, the sound of chatting caught our attention, and we looked over to see Toothless glide into the cove, touching down on the moonlit beach. Astrid was rambling quickly to Hiccup, apparently something really big on their minds. "No, no, it totally makes sense! It's like a giant beehive! They're the workers, and that's their queen. It controls them," she said.

The three of us all shared a surprised and confused glance, wondering what they could be talking about. She leaps off of Toothless and runs toward the village. "Let's find your dad!"

Mara widened her eyes in alarm. "Wait, what? What's going on?!"

They both took notice of us still being there as Hiccup hopped off of Toothless. "Oh, you guys are still here!" Astrid said in surprise.

"Uh huh," I said, crossing my arms. "I see your death-defying flight changed your mind," I noted.

"Oh... yeah," she mumbled, a little embarrassed that we saw that.

"So what's got you two so riled up?" Ahsoka questioned. Hiccup opened his mouth to answer, but Astrid beat him to the punch. "We found the dragon's nest!" she exclaimed.

I widened my eyes briefly at this information, sharing a look with Ahsoka. Mara gaped at them. "Seriously? You found their nest? The elusive, impossible to find dragon nest?"

Astrid nodded her head quickly. "Exactly! And there was this huge dragon queen there, as large as a mountain! We have to tell the chief!" she said, about to rush off again. this time Hiccup found his voice to stop her.

"No, no! Not yet. They'll... kill Toothless," he sighed. "Astrid, we have to think this through carefully."

Astrid eyes him incredulously. "Hiccup, we just discovered the dragons' nest... the thing we've been after since Vikings first sailed here. And you want to keep it a secret? To protect your pet dragon? Are you serious?!" she demanded.

Mara narrows her eyes slightly, but Hiccup stands firm, resolute in his decision. "Yes."

Astrid's taken aback, as well as Mara, having never heard him give such a simple yet firm answer in the entire time any of us knew him.

 _"Quite a burst of confidence,"_ I remarked casually to Ahsoka over the bond, who nodded in agreement.

"Okay." Astrid replied after a moment of silence. "Then what do we do?"

He looks down, seriously burdened. "Just give me until tomorrow. I'll figure something out."

"Okay," she says quietly, before punching Hiccup in the arm.

"That's for kidnapping me," she said. Hiccup looks to Toothless for support, only to receive a dismissive snort in return. He then looks to Mara, who only smirks at him in amusement, arms crossed. Astrid glances at the three of us briefly, considering something heavily before she grabs him, and he braces for another hit. Instead, she quickly kisses Hiccup on the cheek, pulling away just as fast. "That's for, everything else," she says softly.

In the awkward wake of the moment, Astrid hurries off, before turning around to wave at us. "By guys!" she says.

"See ya," Mara replies, struggling to hold in her giggles at what had just occurred. Ahsoka and I are smiling at him as well, reminded of how we felt around each other back as teenagers. Toothless hobbles up beside him, and we all stare at him in various forms of amusement, which he quickly takes notice of.

"W-what are you looking at?" he demands.

"Hiccup's got a giiirrlfrieeend! Hiccup's got a giiirrlfrieeend!" Mara sings, causing Hiccup to groan in embarrassment. Ahsoka and I both give off a brief chuckle before turning serious again.

"So you two found the dragon's nest?" I asked.

He nodded his head. "Yeah, we did. It's inside of a volcano, and there's this massive dragon, probably as big as a small mountain inside. W-we never even saw its whole body, just the head. One tooth is twice as large as my dad!" he exclaims, and I could see the fear in his eyes. He wasn't lying. "It was acting as their queen, forcing them all to steal the food so that it could eat to its content."

I frown in concern at what he was saying. Sounds like another Zillo Beast situation to me, which I know Ahsoka could relate to as well. We never took part of that event, but we were on Coruscant when it charged through downtown.

Ahsoka looked at him knowingly with narrowed eyes. "There's something else, isn't there," she stated.

Hiccup slowly nodded, and I could sense his unease. "Yeah... Hssiss dragons."

I shared a surprised and worried look with Ahsoka, seeing that things just got even more complicated. Ancient Sith Lords used them in battle, killing many due to their savageness and incurable poison.

"Hssiss dragons?" Mara said in surprise, a look of concern on her face. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, they didn't touch us," Hiccup reassured us, much to our relief. "But those things... they had this, coldness to them. We were inside of a swealtering volcano, and when they showed up, I was cold!" he said, clearly shaken by the experience. Mara stood next to him and put a hand on his shoulder for comfort. "If it wasn't for Toothless, we'd probably be dead," he said.

"Did these coldness feel like a chill, running through your spine? Feeling as if it breached your very soul?" I asked knowingly.

He nodded in surprise. "Y-yeah, it did! What was that?" he asked desperately.

"What you felt was the dark side of the Force," I said grimly. "Hssiss dragons have a natural affinity for it, which is why they are so deadly. unlike most dragons, they are truly, completely savage, having no love for anything except death and chaos. The dark side corrupted them to that mindset millennia ago."

Hiccup looked at us in fear, nodding his head in understanding. Toothless came up and gently prodded him, letting out a warble of concern. Hiccup responded by scratching his head. "When one of them let out a shriek, it felt like something was pressing down on my mind, trying to dominate me. But Toothless... his roar somehow stopped that," he told us.

I widened my eyes, not expecting that, but at the same time not surprised either. Toothless and the Night Furies also had a natural affinity to the Force according to Satele's journal, so it only made sense that they should be able to ward of Force based attacks from a Hssiss.

"Well, he is an epic dragon," Mara said with a grin, scratching Toothless' neck, which the dragon accepted with a delighted purr.

Hiccup nodded, a small smile on his face before looking at us again, a question shining in his eyes. "Do you... know how Toothless could've stopped that shriek the Hssiss gave?"

Ahsoka and I shared another look, debating on whether or not to tell him yet, and I could see Mara wanted to as well, although she was letting us decide. "We'll tell you later Hiccup," Ahsoka said. "It's late. I'm sure your dad is worried about you."

Hiccup sighed, but nodded in understanding, and as we prepared to head back to the village, I thought hard about what we had just learned recently. Whatever was going on, something big was going to happen tomorrow during the fight against the Nightmare, I'm sure of it. And learning that Hssiss dragons could actively use the Force in an attempt to dominate someones mind was troubling, something that was never known about before. Whether or not Ahch-To's Force energy strengthened the Hssiss dragons here or not I'm unsure of, but if a non Force sensitive could feel the dark side, then that meant they were beyond the regular Hssiss dragons known in galactic history.

And there were even more questions I had about my visions. What was that evil entity I saw? And just what was it Vader was trying to uncover beneath that stone?


	47. Ch 46 - The Kill Ring

**Jarik POV...**

The entire kill ring had been changed, with numerous banners and flags flying in the morning sun. Sitting in the stands surrounding the ring was the entire village of Berk, everyone having turned out for the event. At the backside of the ring on a raised platform stood Stoick, between two statues with a huge smile on his face. The crowd of Vikings continued to cheer as he prepared to speak.

"Well, I can show my face in public again!" he yelled, drawing some more cheers. "If someone had told me that in a few short weeks, Hiccup would go from being, well... Hiccup, to placing first in dragon training... I would've tied him to a mast and shipped him off for fear he'd gone mad!" the crowd roared in approval from his words. "Yes! And you know it!"

While he was certainly making everyone happy with his speech, the way he was putting it was not very encouraging, and not helpful to Hiccup at all. I frowned in distaste at it, Ahsoka and Mara sharing the same feeling. Stoick laughed before continuing on with his speech, growing more serious.

"But here we are. And no one's more surprised... or more proud than I am. Today, my boy becomes a Viking. TODAY, HE BECOMES ONE OF US!" he roars, and everyone cheers in approval.

I give Hiccup a sympathetic look, seeing how burdened he truly was. What Hiccup was doing... being an outcast, and defying the social norm in order to do what he knew was right was a very brave thing, but also very tough, knowing his father most likely wouldn't support him. Mara puts a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he accepts it with a look of gratitude. Astrid then approaches us with a look of concern and worry etched onto her face.

"Be careful with that dragon," she warns.

Hiccup glances at her before looking back at the stands, watching as Stoick walked over to his stone chair, sitting right at the front to give him full view of the arena. "It's not the dragon I'm worried about," he replied grimly.

I nodded in agreement, understanding exactly what he was talking about. What he was about to do was definitely going to draw outrage from the village.

"Don't tell me you're going to do what I think you're going to do," Mara says with a worried gaze.

Hiccup sighs, but his expression is firm, and he's made up his mind. There's no going back. "I have to, Mara. I have to put an end to this."

Astrid eyes him, dubious, and Mara looks back at the crowd of Vikings, obviously afraid for her friend.

"I have to try," he continues. "Mara, Astrid... If something goes wrong... just make sure they don't find Toothless," he pleads.

"We will Hiccup," Mara promises, and Astrid nods her head.

"Toothless will be fine Hiccup," Ahsoka reassures him with a gentle smile.

Astrid steps a little closer, anxious. "Just... promise us it won't go wrong," she pleads.

Hiccup eyes us all, and I can see in his eyes that he's unable to make the promise. Before he has a chance to answer, Gobber suddenly rounds the corner. "It's time, Hiccup! Knock him dead," he exclaims cheerfully, oblivious to the conversation or emotional fear bleeding off of Hiccup.

"Good luck out there Hiccup... we're behind you," I promise him with a comforting grin.

He smiles lightly at me in gratitude, and Mara gives him a quick hug before separating. Taking a deep breath and steeling himself, Hiccup puts his helmet on and enters the ring. Once he enters, Gobber closes the gate behind him and hobbles up towards the stands. Ahsoka and I prepare to follow, glancing back at the two girls. "Will you be staying here?" Ahsoka asks them.

Mara nods her head. "I will mom."

"Same here," Astrid says with a firm nod.

With that being said, Ahsoka and I walk up into the stands, moving through the crowd and head over to where Stoick is sitting in his chair, Gothi and Gobber standing beside him on his right. We both stand on his left, watching Hiccup with concern in our eyes. I share a glance with Ahsoka.

 _"Something's going to happen soon,"_ Ahsoka says grimly, and I nod my head slowly, returning my gaze back to the arena.

 _"I know. I feel it too,"_ I replied softly, both of us sensing flickering warnings through the Force for what is about to occur.

We watch as Hiccup looks around the gathered crowd of cheering vikings, obviously very afraid. How nobody else can see that is beyond me, but they probably think its nervousness from having to face a Monstrous Nightmare dragon. Stopping by the weapons rack, he picks out a shield and tiny dagger, which I snort lightly at, to quiet for anyone but Ahsoka to hear. his choice of weapon did not surprise me in the slightest. Not like he planned on using a weapon anyways.

"Hrmph. I would've gone for the hammer." Stoick mutters.

"I'm not surprised at all," Ahsoka remarks with an amused grin, hiding her true feelings as well as I was.

Having picked out his weapons, he turns towards the heavy bolted doors just beneath our spot, and steadies himself, taking a deep breathe. Opening his eyes, he stares forwards with a determined gaze. "I'm ready," he declares loudly.

The door bolt to the Nightmare's pen is slowly raised, and the crowd grows quiet. After a few moments, the doors get violently blast open with a stream of sticky fire, coating it in flames. Following the explosion was the Monstrous Nightmare as it teared out of its cave like an angry gundark, roaring defiantly. The Nightmare's entire body was lit of with fire, and it immediately jumps into action, climbing up the walls and chains, hissing at the provoking crowd and blasting fire. While most Vikings see a bloodthirsty dragon, I can feel across the bond for Ahsoka's predatory instincts What she sees is an angry, yet terrified animal that just wants to escape its prison, and she does her best not to scowl, face remaining impassive. I share the sympathy.

It's only when it sees there to be no place of escape that the dragon spots Hiccup below it. the Nightmare descends, slinking to the floor with a low growl. It stares down at Hiccup with narrowed, angry eyes, and advances forwards. The crowd waits in anticipation. With the Monstrous Nightmare's eyes locked upon him, Hiccup backs away slowly and deliberately drops his shield and dagger, stepping away from them. The dragon glances at the dropped weapons and pauses slightly, confused, but still wary. The Vikings all mutter to each other.

Stoick frowns in confusion. "What is he doing?" he asks. Me and Ahsoka both share a worried glance. This is when things got tricky.

The dragon presses closer, a suspicious look on its face. Hiccup extends his open hand, and it snarls. However Hiccup remains calm, making sure the dragon could see his entire body and moved slowly, outstretching his arm carefully. The dragon continues to pace, and it glances up at Hiccup's helmet, the suspicion clear. I releaize what it meant, and Hiccup realizes as well. He then reaches up and removes it. Looking up at the crowd, specifically Stoick warily, he takes a breath to acknowledge the point of no return, and then tosses the helmet aside. It hits the ground with a loud clatter.

"I'm not one of them," he tells the dragon.

The Nightmare's pupils widen, a sense of calm overcoming it, and it glances back at the crowd to gauge their reaction. Stoick leans forward quickly, his eyes widening in a slow-building rage. The crowd gasps in shock as all eyes turn to him, the Viking chief's anger building. "Stop the fight," he demands.

"Stoick-" Ahsoka says in warning.

"No!" Hiccup calls out, his voice firm and demanding attention. "I need you all to see this."

Everyone grows restless as Hiccup continues, calmly holding his hand out to the Nightmare. The dragon begins to respond, slowly calming down as it sniffs him curiously. "They're not what we think they are. We don't have to kill them," Hiccup says.

Every head turns to Stoick, who then gets up from his chair and grabs his hammer. I widen my eyes in alarm, moving to stop him.

"Stop!" Ahsoka exclaims, reaching an arm out.

"Stoick no!" I shout at the same time, but it was too late.

"I SAID STOP THE FIGHT!" the viking chief roared, slamming the hammer into the iron bars with enough force to badly dent them. The sound rings around the arena, and my gaze whips towards the dragon, sensing its sudden spike of anxiety and alarm. Hiccup was in danger.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

The echoing clang of the hammer against the arena rung through every bar, resonating through the ground, and through the Monstrous Nightmare. Spooked, the Nightmare's pupils return to slits and snaps at Hiccup's outstretched hand. Hiccup yelps and springs backward, but the spell is broken. The Nightmare reacts to Hiccup's sudden movements and blasts another stream of fire. He screams in terror and barely dives out of reach. Mara gasps in terror, watching with transfixed eyes.

"Hiccup!" she yells.

Hiccup scrambles around the ring in a desperate attempt to outrun it, but the Nightmare pursues viciously. It snaps its jaws and sprays fire, continuing to spring from ground to wall. Stoick shoves Ahsoka and Jarik off to the side angrily and pushes through the crowd, rushing to the doorway. "Out of my way!" he roars. The two Jedi quickly rush after him, shoving Vikings out of the way as well.

"Hiccup!" Astrid exclaims in fear. She searches for a way through, grabbing an axe off the wall and wrenching the gate open with Mara's help. The two girls slide underneath the gate, desperate to help their friend. A narrow stream of fire narrowly avoids Hiccup as he continues to dash around the ring, evading the Monstrous Nightmare. Panicking and desperate, he goes to the weapon rack in an attempt to arm himself, but the Nightmare quickly destroys the rack and knocks him away.

Stoick wrenches the grated door to the arena and jumps through, Jarik and Ahsoka following. The Monstrous Nightmare is only a few feet behind Hiccup when Astrid makes her move.

"Hiccup!" she yells.

Spotting a hammer, she picks it up and hurls it with all of her might at the Monstrous Nightmare, smashing it square in the face. The dragon is knocked to the ground with a pained cry, and shakes its head, furiously diving after Astrid. The Viking girl dashes to the side, now finding herself desperately trying to escape its reach. Luckily, Mara tok action and activated jumped through the air, grabbing onto the dragon's horns in an attempt to wrestle it to the ground. however the Nightmare reacts, violently flinging her off and into the wall.

She shakes her head, and looks up to see the dragon charging at her, mouth wide open. Thinking quickly, she ducks her head, the Nightmare missing her by mere inches, and leaps up, activating her lightsaber at the same time. The violet blade leaves a small scratch on its face, causing the dragon to roar in fury, and mid-jump she pushes off of the wall to land in the center.

Just then, Stoick wrenched open the gate to the arena and waved his arm. "This way!" he cries out.

"Mara! Come on!" Jarik yelles.

Mara deactivates her lightsaber, and rushes back to the entrance with Astrid, and they both make it through. However the Nightmare was now shivering with fury at the wound inflicted on it, and jumps up with a screech, blasting the doorway before Hiccup could reach it. With nowhere to go, he scrambles towards the center of the ring, but it pounces on him and snarls viciously, preparing to finish him off.

"Hiccup!" Mara cried out in horror, reaching forwards. Ahsoka held her back just as Jarik prepared to charge in there himself and take on the Nightmare, pulling out his own lightsaber hilt, but not yet activating.

A sudden growing shriek builds all around the arena, and everyone stills at the familiar, yet terrifying sound. Those that knew who it was all stiffened in shock and nervousness. The two eldest Jedi looking up in dread.

Moments later, Toothless bounds over the crowd and unleashes a massive plasma blast, exploding a hole through the chain enclosure. He flies through it and disappears in the boiling smoke. The Vikings all rush to railings in time to see a flurry of wings cutting through the dissipating smoke.

"Somebody get in there and help him!" a Viking cries.

Rolling out of the smoke are Toothless and the Nightmare, locked in a toothy, vicious fight. The Nightmare arches its back in an attempt to bite his head, getting on top of Toothless. Said Night Fury roars in retaliation, using his feet and front paws to block the dragon's bites before kicking the Nightmare away. He rolls to his feet and plants himself between Hiccup and it, roaring protectively. The Nightmare snarls, circling them as it tries to find a way to Hiccup. However Toothless lunges at it several times to head off, finally unleashing a furious roar. Frightened and seeing it was outmatched, Nightmare relents and scurries away. To everyone's shock and horror, Hiccup immediately gets to his feet and grabs Toothless' head protectively, trying to shove him away.

"Alright, Toothless, go. Get out of here!"

The crowd is gob-smacked, growing livid. Vikings begin pouring and clambering through the enclosure, dropping into the ring with their weapons.

"Go! GO!" Hiccup pleads, however Toothless wasn't having it, snarling at the Vikings defensively, finding them a danger to Hiccup.

"Take it alive!" someone yells.

Stoick grabs an axe and charges into the arena. Astrid calls out to him, panicked. "Stoick no!"

"Dad! No! He won't hurt you!" Hiccup yells upon taking notice.

However Stoick quickly is stopped in his tracks by an unseen force, and growls angrily, glaring back behind him to see Jarik with an outstretched arm. "Ahsoka go!"

Ahsoka nods and rushes into the arena, Mara right behind her as Jarik uses the Force to violently pull the Viking chief back. With a war cry, Stoick turns around, using the momentum to swing a fist aimed directly for Jarik's head. Reacting quickly, Jarik holds out his left arm and catches the fist, bringing his right arm to help hold back the Viking, struggling even with his mechanical arm against the chief's insane strength. Astrid watches with wide, terrified eyes.

"We are not, your enemies Stoick!" Jarik strains to say, enhancing his strength with the Force and slowly forcing his arm back. "Think about what you're doing!" he pleads.

"You've thrown in your lot with dragons?!" he roars. "I SHOULD'VE NEVER LET YOU ON MY ISLAND!"

Pulling back his fist, Stoick kicks out with his foot, catching him by surprise and sending Jarik flying backwards into the rocky ground with a pained cry.

Back in the ring, the Vikings were preparing to all tackle the night Fury when Ahsoka and Mara came between them. Ahsoka shoved her hands out, unleashing a massive Force burst that blew everyone away, before the two activated their lightsabers, holding them out defensively.

"Stop! You don't have to do this!" she yells out. Mara stands beside Hiccup and Toothless, who was growling, lightsaber at the ready while Ahsoka stands protectively in front of them all. Their lightsabers weren't meant to kill, only put on the lowest setting so that at the worst they'd knock someone unconscious, although painfully so. However the Vikings instead got back to their feet with roar cries and furious glares.

"Traitorous witch!" a few of them roared.

"Take them alive!" another exclaimed, and the rushed forwards again.

The first that got close enough were knocked back by deadly kicks from Ahsoka, and the occasional sting from her swinging lightsabers before being shoved back with the Force. Those that came at Mara were first blown back by the Force, and then she got to work quickly shocking them with her lightsaber. Those who were hit let out various cries of pain as the points of impact stung viciously, the low powered plasma blade causing serious discomfort and light burns. Toothless also used his tail and wings to knock a few of the Vikings back as well, before taking notice of Stoick, who was once again running towards them with his axe. Noticing this, Hiccup tried to get him to stop.

"No, don't! You're only making it worse!"

Stoick raises his hammer as he charges for Toothless, and Ahsoka spots the confrontation, widening her eyes. She moves to unleash a Force burst, but one Viking manages to surprise her with a punch to the face. She cries out in pain, but retaliates with a brutal takedown, grabbing his arm and flipping him over, kicking him away. unfortunately her distraction with that Viking enabled others to get the jump on her, slowly overwhelming her despite her quickness. Jarik rushes into the arena after Stoick, winded from his brief contest against the chief and attempts to stop him again. However another burly Viking quickly tackled him to the ground before he could react. Jarik punches him in the face with his prosthetic, sending the Viking back, howling in pain, but two more quickly replace him.

Stoick and Toothless reach each other, and Stoick swings his hammer. however the Night Fury dodges the attack and pounces, rolling over him and pinning the chief to the ground. "Toothless! STOP!" Hiccup cries out in fear.

He pins Stoick to the ground and raises his head with a snarl, inhaling. The familiar hiss of gas builds, and Stoick braces for the fire attack.

"NO!" hiccup yells in terror.

Hearing the distress in his voice, Toothless swallows back the blast and turns to Hiccup, not understanding. Hiccup stares at him in defeat, emotionally torn, which is when the Vikings pounce on him.

"Get him!" someone yells. Spitelout yanks Toothless off of Stoick by the head and slams him into the ground, more Vikings piling on top of him, as Toothless roared out in distress.

Mara ran for them, but another Viking bashed her in the side with his shield, sending her sprawling, and her lightsaber flies from her grasp. she gets up and blows him away with the Force, but another Viking comes up behind her and yanks on her hair. She yells out in surprise and pain, elbowing him back, causing him to grunt in pain. However a quick knee to the stomach stops Mara's fighting, and she gasps in pain, the breath knocked out of her as another viking helps restrain her. Ahsoka was now the last Jedi standing, and was being quickly overwhelmed, despite her prowess. She blasted three of them away, and slashed another with one of her lightsabers, but one viking swung an axe. she dodged, but was knocked off balance, and another Viking took the opportunity to slam a fist against her back, sending her falling to the ground with a cry of pain. Her lightsabers were knocked from her grip, but she flipped back onto her feet quickly. Unfortunately another Viking tackled her to the ground, and with the assistance of another, was restrained.

"No! Please...just don't hurt them! Please don't hurt him!" Hiccup pleads, but Astrid holds him back, just as torn emotionally as he was.

Stoick gets to his feet, fuming and shaken. A Viking presents Stoick with an axe. He eyes Toothless a moment, then the Jedi family, who were all lined up in a row. It took two Vikings alone just to hold down Jarik's left arm, but he eventually relented, opting to glare at Stoick instead. Ahsoka's gaze was cold with hidden fury, while Mara's face was filled with absolute fury. Coming to a decision, he pushes the axe back into the Viking's hands.

"Put it with the others! And send these Jedi to the prison! Four guards each!" he exclaims furiously, staring at them with contempt. He then turns his burning glare onto Hiccup, who stares back up at his father in terror.

* * *

 _Yeah, a very sad chapter. I still don't know entirely which is more emotional: this or the death of Stoick in HTTYD 2._

 _Jarik, Ahsoka and Mara all put up a very good fight, but there was only so much they could do with extreme limitations. The most damage they dared to do was a low powered lightsaber, which usually just stings an opponent, kinda like an insect sting, although worse. Add that to the fact there were so many Vikings, they couldn't keep it up forever._

 _Now comes the rage of the Chief of Berk against his only son, and against their Jedi allies. :(_


	48. Ch 47 - Betrayal and Heartbreak

**Hiccup POV...**

My dad yanked the door open and roughly shoved me into the Great Hall, where I stumbled across the ground. I looked back in a panic as he stomped inside, slamming the door and leaving us in darkness. The force of his slam however caused the door to bounce back and open up slowly again, giving us some light. He stride past me, visibly fuming with anger.

"I should have known. I should have seen the signs," he growls out quietly.

"Dad," I started nervously.

"We had a deal!" he exclaims, glancing down at me as he continued his pacing.

"I- I know we did... but that was before... ughh, it's all so messed up!" I replied timidly, grabbing my head in agitation.

He turns towards me with an angry glare. "So everything in the ring. A trick?! A lie!" he exclaims, pointing an accusatory finger at me. "Did the Jedi teach you any of those tricks?" he demands suspiciously.

I gaped up at him. "N-no, no! Of course not, they're the only ones who can do stuff like that!" I protested.

He snorts. "Not from what I say! And then they you helped defend that beast!" he yells.

"I- I- I screwed up. I- I should have told you before now!" I stammered in nervously. "I- just, take this out on me, be mad at me, but please... just don't hurt Toothless!" I pleaded. "Or Mara, or any of them. Please!" I pleaded.

"The dragon?" he exclaims in furious disbelief. "Those Jedi?! That's what you're worried about? Not the people they almost killed?!" he roars.

"Toothless was just protecting me! He's not dangerous!" I protested. "Mara and the others were trying to protect all of us! they didn't want to fight you!"

"They could have killed us with their lightsabers!" he shouts. "They aren't from Berk! That is an act of war, even if its only three of them!"

"All they want is what's best for us! They've been telling us that we have the wrong view of dragons for years!" I argued back.

"They've killed HUNDREDS OF US!" he exclaims.

"And we've killed THOUSANDS OF THEM!" I yelled back, reaching a breaking point. "They defend themselves, that's all!"

He widens his eyes in outrage at my statement before growling, pacing around again as I continue my retaliatory rant. "They raid us because they have to! If they don't bring enough food back, they'll be eaten themselves," I say, trying to let it sink in. "There's something else on their island dad...it's a dragon like-"

he suddenly whips his head to stare at me with wide eyes. "-Their island?" he exclaims, stopping me in surprise with an accusatory finger. "So you've been to the nest," he says, voice suddenly dangerously quiet.

I lean back fearfully. "Uh, did I say nest?"

"How did you find it?!" I demand.

"No... I didn't!" I protested. "Toothless did. Only a dragon can find the island!"

A moment passes, then an idea takes form on his face, and his eyes flare. I widen my eyes in horror, realizing what was going through his head.

Oh no, Dad, no!" I chase after him, panicked. "Dad. It's not what you think. You don't know what you're up against. It's like nothing you've ever seen!"

"Dad. Please. I promise you that you can't win this one! It's even littered with Hssiss dragons!" I plead with him, hoping that'll get him to see sense.

He stiffens slightly, but actually snarls furiously, continuing on with an even quicker pace. "No. Dad. No!" I say in distress.

"For once in your life, WOULD YOU PLEASE JUST LISTEN TO ME?!" I yell at the top of my lungs, desperately grabbing onto his arm. In retaliation he shoves me back harshly, causing me to hit the stone floor hard. I grunt in surprise, staring up at him in hurt disbelief. He's never hit me before...

"You've thrown your lot in with them," he snarls in disgust. "You're not a Viking... You're not my son."

My heart drops in shock, tears welling up in my eyes as Stoick leaves, disowning me without a care. He pushes out the door to leave me in my misery and the cold darkness.

"Ready the ships!" he calls out.

It took all I had in order to not cry in grief and heartbreak.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

Stoick the Vast, the great chief of Berk stormed out of the Great hall with an expression of furious determination on his face, before suddenly stopping. he staggered back a few steps, gasping as the realization of what he just did occurred to him, and he stared at the sky with grief. he then steeled his gaze and continued onwards to prepare for the raid to end the plague of dragons once and for all. But first, he had to pay a visit to the ones that betrayed his trust.

He stormed through the village with a cold expression of fury etched onto his face as he headed for the prison. Many of the villagers were rushing around at Stoick's order to prepare for the final raid against the dragons, but seeing the look on his face, nobody dared to get in his way. Eventually he reached their prison, outside of the village inside of a cold, heavily sealed cave where Berk's prisoner's were held. it wasn't used much, as most fighting any tribe did was against the common threat of dragons, but it was always good to have one, especially now. Stoick wrenched open the iron gate and strode inside, glancing at the three prison cells with contempt.

Each cell was covered by a wall of iron bars, and inside were the three Jedi, each guarded by four burly Vikings. The Jedi all worse heavy iron cuffs on their hands, a chain attached to them that was bolted to the floor, and their belongings piled in a room out of sight, including their lightsabers, and battle armor. the strength of Jarik's left arm was taken into consideration, and was bolted down against the wall with a heavy chain, leaving it immoveable. All three returned the glare back at him, Mara showing the most anger, the other two more impassive.

"Fragging moof-milker," she said coldly. Jarik rolled his eyes at that, while Ahsoka let out a sigh.

Stoick glared back at her intensely, not understanding the term but wise enough to know it was an insult.

"So, are you happy now Stoick?" Ahsoka asked.

"You betrayed us for that dragon," he replied accusingly.

"And you betrayed hiccup's trust in you, far enough to disown him," Jarik retorted.

The guards glanced up at Stoick in slight surprise, but otherwise didn't really care. Stoick whipped his head to stare at Jarik in shock and anger. "How do you know that?!" he demanded.

Mara scoffed. "We could sense his heart being broken from miles away you bantha fodder!" she yelled.

One of her guards gave her a harsh knock to the head. Stoick looked away, the slightest bit of shame and regret visible in his eyes, which was not missed by Ahsoka or Jarik, before it disappeared.

"Mara, calm down." Jarik replied quietly.

"What? I can't be angry? He's never had any respect for Hiccup! Why should i have the same respect for him?!" she retorted.

"You know nothing about our relationship girl!" Stoick yelled back at her in outrage.

Mara laughed mockingly. "Oh please-"

"Mara!" Ahsoka exclaimed in warning. She stiffened, but held her tongue, much to the other two's relief.

Stoick scowled at them. "I'm not here to talk about Hiccup, so shut your mouth!" he stated. "You fought us without provocation, and attempted to kill us with your lightsabers! The only reason I don't have you executed on the spot is because of your status as Jedi!"

"Tried to kill you?" Jarik asked with a raised eyebrow. "Our lightsabers were on the lowest setting. The most we could do was knock you unconscious."

"And that helps your case?!" Stoick demanded. "You still attacked us, helping that dragon!"

"Because they're not what you believe them to be. Dragon's are gentle, and kind creatures," Ahsoka replies. The queen of their nest is what forces them to attack you."

"As if I'd believe anything else that comes out of your mouth," Stoick says with contempt, eyeing Ahsoka in a form of disgust. She met his glare fiercely. "As for the nest, that is going to be taken down today! you precious Night Fury will lead us right to it," he states. Ahsoka and Jarik share a concerned glance while Mara rolls her eyes.

"You don't even know what's on that island," Jarik says with narrowed eyes.

"I know all about those Hssiss dragons," Stoick counters. "And they will die along with the destruction of the nest."

"You're no match for what lays on the island," Ahsoka warns him.

"Am I not?" he asks rhetorically with a glare. "Then you will be coming with us witch! You're going to put your control over dragons to could use, and use your Force powers to warn us of any danger!"

"What?!" Mara exclaim in protest. "No!"

"And then once we return, you will all be banished from this island!" Stocik continues, ignoring her. "If you ever step foot on Berk again there will be no mercy!"

"You can't do this!" Mara cries out furiously.

"It's alright Mara," Ahsoka replies calmly, meeting Stick glare without fear. "They'll need all the help they can get anyways."

"You're the only one coming," Stoick states firmly. "Without your lightsaber."

The guards released Ahsoka from her restraints, although they kept the cuffs around her wrists, and lead her out of the cell. She followed along without question, sharing a quick glance with Jarik on the way, who gave a brief nod, noticeable only to her. Satisfied, Stoick turned around with a huff and stomped out of the prison, Ahsoka's four guards bringing her along with them, although she was allowed to bring her battle gear along with her. Once she was gone, Jarik closed his eyes, sensing her progress through the Force, and allowed himself a small smirk.

* * *

Down at the docks, the entire fleet within Berk's arsenal was being prepared for battle. Broken-down catapults and trebuchets are bundled up and lowered from the cliffs. Below on the docks, Vikings load the heavy artillery into the hulls of awaiting ships. Working together, they loaded Toothless aboard Stoick's ship, chained down to a palette, muzzled, and restrained with a weighty neck ring, all the while the Night Fury struggled against them, looking exhausted and miserable. Next to him, Ahsoka's cuffs and chained to the metal palette, and the Force-user stroked Toothless' neck in an attempt to calm him down, which the dragon accepted, despite his distress.

Up above, children watch in a mixture of fear, nervousness and confusion while Gothi pulls them close to her, brow furrowed in worry. The elser couldn't help but feel like this was a bad idea, whether it was because of what they were doing with the Jedi, or something else, she wasn't sure. The Jedi were supposed to be beings of good, yet right now they were enemies, helping dragons...

Stoick crosses to the bow as the ship pushes off and joins the amassed armada of ships adrift in the harbor. Stoick's brow is furrowed, all warmth drained away. He turns west and glares at the horizon with cold determination.

"Set sail! We head for Helheim's Gate," he orders.

He then notices Hiccup watching from his familiar cliff-side perch beyond the village. Their eyes meet, full of hurt and regret, and Hiccup slowly shakes his head in warning. Stoick breaks the stare and strides across the ship to Toothless and Ahsoka, fuming.

"Lead us home, Devil," he says coldly to the Night Fury.

"The Force is dark around you Stoick. You have no idea what you are getting yourself into," Ahsoka warned.

"And you do?" he retorts disbelievingly. She doesn't respond, gazing at him with a sad expression on her face.

* * *

Hours later, the ships had already left the view of Berk, but Hiccup was still standing there. He quietly mourns the loss of everything that brought him joy, grief ridden for his friends, and swimming in a pool of regret and shame. Any respect he still had in the village was gone by now. Once his dad... once Stoick got back from the nest, if he survived that is, he was surely going to be banished. He doesn't look up or react to Astrid behind him. She approaches cautiously and stands beside him in silence.

"It's a mess," she says sorrowfully. "You must feel horrible. You've lost everything. Your father, your tribe, your best friends... Mara, Ahsoka, and Jarik."

"Thank you for summing that up." Hiccup replies bitterly, before letting out a sigh. "Why couldn't I have killed that dragon when I found him in the woods. It would have been better for everyone," he says glumly.

"Yep. The rest of us would have done it," she replies in agreement. "So why didn't you?"

Hiccup just shakes his head slowly in response, as he really doesn't know. Astrid's eyes glimmer, and she stares at him, wanting an answer. "Why didn't you?"

"I don't know. I couldn't," he replies quietly.

"That's not an answer," she replies, unsatisfied.

Hiccup glances behind him in aggravation. "Why is this so important to you all of a sudden?" he demands.

"Because I want to remember what you say, right now." Astrid replies seriously, staring at him with a firm expression.

"Oh for the love of- I was a coward! I was weak. I wouldn't kill a dragon!" he exclaims.

"You said 'wouldn't' that time," she observes.

"Whatever! I wouldn't!" he exclaims furiously. "Three hundred years and I'm the first Viking who wouldn't kill a dragon!"

Astrid stares at him for a few moments, replying. "First to ride one, though," she points out.

Hiccup blinks in surprise, his face softening back into one of sorrow and regret.

"So..." Astrid presses.

"...It's just... what if Ahsoka, and Jarik, and Mara were right about dragons? What if they really were wonderful creatures?" he says softly. "I wouldn't kill him because he looked as frightened as I was. I looked at him and I saw myself."

Astrid turns to face the open sea, a contemplating expression on her face.

"I bet he's really frightened now," she says, turning to him with a provoking tone. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Eh... Probably something stupid," he says.

"Good. But you've already done that," she replies.

Hiccup thinks carefully for a moment, his eyes lighting up with an idea as he backs away. "Then something crazy."

Astrid smiles in response as he runs off. "That's more like it," she says, rushing after him with an excited look on her face.

"You know, it'd probably be a good idea to try an get Jarik and Mara out of jail, if that's even possible!" Astrid pointed out, easily catching up to him.

"Don't worry about them," he replies. "If I know them well enough, they'll have managed to escape by now!"

"Against a dozen Vikings constantly guarding them?" she replies incredulously.

"have you even seen them training before?!" he responds rhetorically, a grin on his face as they run towards the arena.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

I sat in the cell with a bored expression on my face, tapping my metal hand against the rock lightly. To the Vikings they wouldn't bat an eye, but the tap was actually a signal to Mara. We meet each others eyes inconspicuously for a moment, having a conversation simply through our gaze. After a moment, she looks away, and I let off a grin, looking up at my captors.

"So, how have you boys been today?" I ask them innocently.

They glance at each other in confusion, but otherwise give no response. Brilliant. I crack my neck in preparation, the small smirk still on my face as I flex my fingers.


	49. Ch 48 - The Hssiss Pack

**Ahsoka POV...**

The armada of Viking ships coasts toward a shroud of heavy fog, hung like drapes from a low-hanging, ominous sky. Coming towards a certain gap in the massive rock spires hidden by the fog, we turn into it one by one, our ship in the lead. the fog envelops us like a blanket, and I could sense the nervousness emanating from the Vikings, but much more so their fierce determination and anger, directed in me and Toothless' direction. He could sense their anger as well, and was shifting anxiously, while I kept a hand on his head to keep him calm. Stoick glances back at us impatiently, and I give him a blank stare in return. He scoffs before gazing forwards again.

"Sound your positions. Stay within earshot," he calls out.

The Vikings all follow the order, helping lead each others ships through the fog. Gobber moves up to Stoick, giving me a concerned glance before speaking to him in hushed tones in an attempt to keep the conversation quiet. Unfortunately for them I could hear their discussion perfectly, and listened in with interest.

"Listen... Stoick... I was overhearing some of the men just now and, well, some of them are wondering what it is we're up to here- not me of course," Gobber rambles on, and I roll my eyes. It's obvious he's the one wondering what the plan is. "I know you're always the man with the plan- but some, not me, are wondering if there is in fact a plan at all, what it might be?" he questions.

"Find the nest and take it." Stoick says coldly with his eyes narrowed in silent anger. He turns back to us, staring with narrowed eyes for any sign of movement.

"Ah. Of course. Send them running. The old Viking fall-back. Nice and simple." Gobber chuckles nervously.

I scoff quietly. They're all going to die if Jarik and Mara don't get here. Stoick takes notice with offense.

"What're you laughing at?" he demands angrily. at least he respects me enough as a person to not give me the label of witch. Ventress was more deserving of that title... Because she technically was one. I wonder what happened to her... oh right.

"Your plan is going to fail," I reply simply. Toothless gives off a quiet growl of distaste, but Stoick doesn't take notice.

"That's none of your concern," he says dismissively. "Now, where is the nest? I know you can sense it," says with an intimidating step forwards.

"We aren't there yet," I say with a small smirk, and his gaze narrows angrily. "I will warn you though, that any attempt at stealth will be useless," I inform him, looking off into the fog.

"Ehh... why, exactly?" Gobber asks nervously.

I look back at them with a serious expression. "The Hssiss dragons already know we're here, and have no doubt alerted the nest. They can sense us too."

Concerned whispers and mumbles come from the Vikings behind us, and Stoick clenches his fist in frustration. "You didn't think to warn us earlier?"

"Well it wouldn't have mattered. Unless they leave, it's impossible to sneak up on the nest," I retorted.

Gobber shifts nervously. "Should we take a moment to plan out our approach?" he asks, but Stoick was no longer paying attention. His gaze was narrowed intently on Toothless, who I noticed was twitching slightly. I could sense the buzzing of the nest calling to him. In fact, it was buzzing in my montrals as well. And for a girl like me, that is annoying! I grimace slightly, which doesn't miss Stoick's gaze either.

"Shhh," he tells Gobber.

After studying Toothless' shifting for a few moments, Stoick crosses to the stern of the ship with determination, and moves the one steering the boat out of the way.

"Step aside," he says gruffly, taking control.

Toothless suddenly lifts his head up, pupils narrowed slightly, the call of the nest pulling strongly at him now. The buzzing in my head gets louder, much to my discomfort, and I give Toothless a small, reassuring pat. Stoick pulls the ship into a turn, covertly following Toothless' head movements, barely missing a jagged outcrop that suddenly appears out of the soupy fog.

"Bear to port," someone calls out.

The order is called out from ship to ship. The bow barely makes it past the narrow gap through another sea stack as Stoick continues to follow Toothless' cues, undeterred.

* * *

 **Hiccup POV...**

I stood in front of the Monstrous Nightmare's pen, breathing heavily in an attempt to assure myself that things would be alright. This time, there was no crowd of Vikings to mess it up. I could tame it, I know I can. Raising a hand, I reach out towards the lever to the Nightmare's cage.

"If you're planning on getting eaten, I'd definitely go with the Gronckle," a voice calls out.

Turning around in surprise, I see that it was Fishlegs who has spoken. All of the teens were here, much to my bewilderment, and Astrid was standing in front of them all with her arms cross, a confident smile on her face. Guess that's what she meant when she said she was going to get help...

Tuffnut stalks forwards, shoving Ruffnut out of the way in the process as he approaches me with a mischievous expression I back up nervously. "You were wise to seek help from the world's most deadly weapon..." he says with exaggerated hand movements, waving his hand in front of his face. "It's me," he clarifies.

"Uh..." I mumble.

Snotlout shoves Tuffnut away by the face, raising his fists in excitement. "I love this plan!" he exclaims eagerly."

"I didn't..." I attempt to says, but Ruffnut punches him in the face, coming up to me. "You're crazy!" she says with a frown, before suddenly smirking in a, very uncomfortable fashion. "I like that," she adds with a suggestive tone. I back up, face in an expression of alarm.

Luckily Astrid came to my rescue by grabbing her braid and yanking her away. I let out a breath of relief. "So? What is the plan?" she asks.

Despite all their weirdness, and all the mean things they've done to me over the course of my life, the fact that they are willing to help me out now is more than I could ask for. I smile happily, glowing in the support of my new friends... weird.

"Well, first we have to wait for Mara and Jarik to get here," I start to explain.

"Wait, aren't they in prison?" Tuffnut asks in confusion. "Or were they..." he wonders. Before I could explain, the worst happened.

"HEY, YOU KIDS!" someone suddenly yells out, and we all look up in alarm to see a Viking standing above the arena with a bewildered and angry expression on his face. "What are you doing here, with that runt?!" he demands.

Fishlegs whimpers slightly, but before anything else could happen, the Viking is suddenly shoved forwards into the metal bar with a painful clang, making us all wince. He groans, teetering on his feet for a few moments before slumping backwards and falling unconscious. Behind him stands Jarik in his full battle gear, much to my relief, and he brushes off his hands. Mara comes up next to him with an inquisitive look on her face.

"Did you really have to smash him that hard?" she asks. Jarik shrugs in response.

Fishlegs, Tuffnut, Ruffnut and Snotlout all gape up at them in shock, while Astrid looks up in wonder at their escape from prison. I just smile knowingly, and Mara then takes notice of us, waving with a smile.

"Hey guys!" she calls out.

"That, was, AWESOME!" Tuffnut yells.

* * *

 **Ahsoka POV...**

Stoick continues to steer the boat under the direction of Toothless, and all the ships follow in line through the gauntlet of rocks as orders are whispered from ship to ship. A dragon head looms out of the fog and all the men recoil... only to discover that it's a wrecked ship, impaled high on a gnarled sea stack.

Gobber hums nervously in recognition. "Ah. I was wondering where that went," he says lightheartedly.

Soon enough however, the clicking buzz becomes audible, growing louder so that all the Vikings could now here it. Stoick's eye light up eagerly, turning the ship once again when Toothless turns his head. moments later, Toothless starts to yank back in fright, the fog parting in front of us to reveal a massive cliff, and I stroke Toothless along the head comfortingly, sending waves of calm to him through the Force. everyone starts to mutter eagerly to themselves.

"Stay low, and ready your weapons." Stoick calls out.

Moments later, the ship suddenly jerks to a halt as the keel burrows into shallow black sand. Striding forwards, Stoick glances up at the nest with a grin on his face, eyes lit up in victory. I look up with a heavy gaze at the dragon's nest, the buzzing really powerful in my head, noticing a dragon's red tail that suddenly slips out of view. However Stoick had already taken notice of it, the triumphant grin still on his face.

"We're here," he announces, pleased.

He hops overboard with a grunt, landing on a sprawling beach. Immediately, the buzzing stops, much to my relief, and he glances around warily in confusion, taking notice of the lack of sound. Above us, a craggy volcano towers into the gloom. With the buzzing gone, it is deathly quiet, not even the whistle of breeze in the sky, which is very unsettling. And what I can sense makes me shift nervously, making me grow paranoid. The sense I was getting wasn't discreet at all, which I suppose shouldn't be too surprising, and the cold chill was heavy on this island.

The Hssiss dragon's were here.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

I watch, arms crossed with a small smile on my face as Hiccup steps back from the door, drawing the Monstrous Nightmare out of its cave. It snorts, stepping into the ring, calmed by Hiccup's outstretched hand, completely focused on him. The teens all watch with mixtures of awe and wonder, gasping softly to themselves.

"You sure he isn't using the Force?" Fishlegs asks curiously, and I shake my head.

"No. Even better," I replied, confusing him slightly.

Snotlout however picks up the end of a spear that was lying near his foot. Astrid and Mara are both standing next to him, and the former gives him a smack on the shoulder.

"Uh uh," she corrected disapprovingly, helped by Mara's glare.

Reluctantly, Snotlout places the spear back on the ground as the dragon approaches. Hiccup slows to a stop in front of the teens, with the Nightmare inches from his outstretched hand, and he reaches to grab Snotlout's trembling hand.

Panicked, Snotlout attempts to yank his hand back. "Wait! What are you..."

The Nightmare snorts in agitation, and Hiccup calms it down, pulling his hand back again. "Relax. It's okay... it's okay."

Hiccup replaces his outstretched hand with Snotlout's, putting him in control of the dragon, which gives off a snort, but otherwise remains calm, settling into a gentle purr. Snotlout, by contrast, chuckles in a mixture of amazement and terror. The others watch in awe, spellbound at seeing even someone as Snotlout capable of doing this. Hiccup then shares a small grin with Mara and starts to walk away towards the side of the arena. I'm amazed nobody has noticed the dragons all watching us yet.

"Wait! Where are you going?!" Snotlout panics, nervous at the thought of being left alone with the Nightmare. Hiccup pulls a bundle of rope from a supply box, a smirk on his face.

"You're going to need something to help you hold on," he says simply.

The teens all eye each other in confusion, before whipping around when they hear a squawk. They mutter in surprise at seeing all the dragons, Mara standing in front of them with her backs to the dragons, a grin on her face. All of the dragons eye the teens expectantly, offering curious squawks or warbles.

"Well, we'll leave you guys to it," I announce, and Mara jogs over to me, as we head out of the arena.

"Wait, where are you guys going?" Astrid asks.

"To our speeder." Mara replies. "It was part of our plan, plus its faster anyways. Except for a Night Fury."

* * *

 _ **Magma Pool, Dragon Island, Ahch-To**_

 **3rd person POV...**

He could sense them.

Every, single one of those pathetic creatures that sought to destroy their glorious majesty. But not just them, but the Night Fury as well. It's Force power... it smelled like the most delightful thing he had ever smelled, and he wanted it. He'd kill for it. Ever since that Night fury had arrived at the Nest, he and his pack had craved to feast on its Force power, but the Queen denied them that glory, finding use for it. It was infuriating, but for all of his glory, even he could not usurp the Queen. One day however... one day.

But now the Night Fury was no longer of the Nest, which delighted him. He thrived on chaos, lived off of it. Without chaos and their dark gods in the Force, he might as well be a disgusting, weak, common Terror! And that could not be allowed. He and his pack needed to feed, both physical meet, and the Force energy of their prey. There was plenty above their caves, and the Queen had given them permission to feed on them, and the Night Fury...

But there was something else... something new...

It smelled unlike anything he'd ever smelled, and when he felt this creatures Force energy, he shrieked in pain and rage. This was a creature of light! Their opposite! It needed to be destroyed, it's Force energy drunk! It was an abomination! Bogan would not be pleased...

The Hssiss dragon called to its brothers and siblings, all chained together through their chaos, and their Bogan. Bogan would desire them to destroy everything in order for its rule to be absolute, which included the Queen. eventually they'd deal with her, get revenge for their years of faked servitude. But first... it was feeding time.

He called for his brethren to slink around their prey. Several dozen Hssiss dragons and all would take on any feeble defiance these two-legged creatures possessed...

* * *

 **Ahsoka POV...**

The Vikings had all worked together to efficiently set up all of their equipment for war. Tree trunks were sharpened and planted into the sand at angled rows. Boulders were being loaded into catapult baskets, with six catapults all in total. Toothless was left on the boat, while I was brought over by Stoick's side in anticipation of the Hssiss dragons. My wrists were still cuffed, much to my annoyance, but I was otherwise free, so I didn't complain. Not like I couldn't break open the cuffs with the Force anyways. Stoick, Gobber, Spitelout, and Phlegma the Fierce were up front with me, a war plan being scratched in the sand. The Viking chief looms over it, looking determined.

"When we crack this mountain open, all hell is going to break loose," he says grimly.

"In my undies. Good thing I brought extras!" Gobber exclaims nervously, and Spitelout shakes his head in annoyance.

"Really Gobber?" I comment dryly.

"Nothing wrong with the truth," he defends

Stoick strides forwards with a confident gaze etched onto his face, while I examine their map. They hadn't bothered me for military advice, even though Stoick and Gobber at least are no doubt aware of my time as a Clone War commander, having seen the full scale of war. Probably still bitter about us siding with Hiccup and the dragons. Their plan is simple, and efficient, but I get the sense that it will be ruined within moments. By the Hssiss dragons... or worse.

"No matter how this ends, it ends today!" Stoick says in determination.

He walks toward the base of the volcano wall, back by several hundred of Berk's warriors, and raises his arm. A moment later he drops it, and a line of catapults unleash their two-ton loads into the cliff wall. It cracks and flakes away. Several more hits tear away at the hollow shell of hardened lava, with the final boulder shattering the fractured wall, creating a deep, dark opening to the cavern within. Everybody moves forwards while I stay behind in my own spot at the map, watching with a neutral expression. Stock steps up to the mouth of the cave and stares inside for a few moments. When nothing happens, he makes a gesture with his hammer, and a flaming bushel is launched into the dark from a catapult, lighting the wall. Even from out here I could see it completely filled to the brim with dragons.

With a war cry, Stoick charges into the cave, swinging his hammer and shield around. In a chaotic flurry, the dragons suddenly rush out in a panic, completely ignoring the Vikings. Still no sign of any Hssiss dragons...

They take to the air, bypassing the axe-swinging Vikings and fleeing the island in a mass exodus. I gesture unnoticeably with my hand, stretching out my senses in the Force to feel their thoughts. They were afraid, deathly so, but not of the Vikings. The sense of the darkness loomed over them, most likely due to influence from the Hssiss dragons, and I try and influence them, guiding the dragons to insure they don't stay here. Not while the true threat still lies within. As they all fly past with terrified screeches, the battle-ready Vikings drop their weapons, confused, watching as they all flew away.

"Is that it?" Gobber questions with a shrug.

Above the island, dragons pour from every crevice, fleeing to the sky. Soon enough, the sound of screeching dragons (Cheering as one)

"We've done it!" Spitelout yells out, the roars and cheers of Vikings following soon after. Stoick doesn't celebrate, and I lock eyes with him. We share a look, and I shake my head in warning. This was far from over. He glances further, and I follow his gaze to see Toothless thrashing in terror, the Force swirling around him in agitation. The Hssiss dragons could sense him too, I could feel that much, and he was in danger.

"This isn't over. Form your ranks! Hold together!" Stoick yells, and everyone stops cheering, slightly confused, but quickly obeying. It was then that the temperature began to drop quickly, the chill of the dark side washing over us all. I grimaced in surprise, and placed my shields around my mind. I could sense this being the work of the Hssiss dragons... the fact they could unleash a Force attack as animals was unbelievable! A pained groan from the Vikings all around me got my attention, and I realized with a start that nobody else had any defense against a Force attack. Nobody except for Toothless, who was freaking out right now. They were about to be slaughtered...

Signatures choked with the dark side then began to appear, most in the cave where Stoick was, the Viking chief grasping his head in pain. Black mist flowed over everyone, some of the dragons on the cliffs above us, getting ready to pounce. I had to act.

With a yell, I used the Force to bring my cuffs and thrust my hands out, creating a field of Force energy all around me. Immediately the mist recoiled, and a faint shimmer of light could be seen. Outraged shrieks that sounded like the Son's bat form surrounded us, and I thrust out my Force shield, brushing it through the minds of the Vikings, clearing their heads. Stoick shakes his head and looks at me in shock, and I rush forwards, leaping over fearful and surprised Vikings.

"Stoick! Get away from there!" I yell out.

An extremely loud shriek sounds from all around us, echoing out of the cave, and Stoick whips around, weapons at the ready to face the threat. Out comes charging a Hssiss dragon, larger than I thought possible at 17 ft instead of the average 10, which slams into him, throwing him away with a roar. Stoick cries out in shock, landing at the base of the ledge with a pained grunt, and those standing at the foot of the cave back up in surprise. This, beast, is colored a midnight black, with a red underbelly the shade of the Son's crimson. On its head seems to be some sort of sharp crest, the same red color as its underbelly. Scars litter the entirety of its length, obviously gained through fierce battle with other dragons, wanting chaos. It's teeth are jagged and wicked sharp, the two fangs sticking from its snout colored a rotten black, with drool dripping from its mouth as it whips its head around in a mad frenzy. It almost sounds like its cackling...

Two more, this time the average size, appear on either side of it, and then even more in the tunnel behind it. On the cliffs above us, more Hssiss dragons begin to appear, and the Vikings all ready themselves for battle as Stoick gets to his feet with a determined scowl, Gobber and Spitelout beside him.

That's when I make my appearance, jumping over the Vikings and landing several feet in front of Stoick, in a battle ready stance. Oh how I wished I had my lightsabers...

Every single Hssiss dragon takes notice of me, and within moments their beady red eyes all narrow, snarls emanating from their mouths. I can sense their emotions... and they hate me, with every fiber of their being. Not in the way that a predator wants to eat its food, but in the way a Sith would hate someone, but on an even larger scale. Their basic instincts are telling them that I have to be ripped apart.

"What are they doing!?" Stoick demands, not bothering to question how I got out of the cuffs. Not important.

"They're focused on me. I'm of the Light Side... they're of the dark," I informed him.

With a loud roar, the Hssiss dragon leading their group charges towards me, the others following, and we brace ourselves. The Vikings ready their shields, getting out their axes with challenging war cries, and I bare my pointed teeth as well, a slight hint of my natural Togruta predatory side coming up. I was not going to back down from these monsters.

I readied myself with the Force as the Hssiss dragon leader leaped through the air, claws outstretched...

* * *

 _Boom! Cliffhanger! I'm so evil! :)_

 _Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, sorry it took so long to get out. so the Hssiss dragons, despite being chaotic and loving death, have some sort of hierarchy, and of course want to usurp the Queen, despite serving her. It is the way of the Sith... right? ;) Even though the tecnically are not and never will be Sith they still serve the dark side at a basic level, so I decided to use similarities like that. Sith can be joined together, but they constantly try to be more powerful than the other, which leads to a mess. Sort of like this Hssiss pack._

 _And they hate the Light Side of the Force. so they shall kill it. How shall Ahsoka and the Vikings fight off dozens of Hssiss dragons...?_


	50. Ch 49 - Jedi vs Beast

**_Author's Note_**

 _Hey readers! Sorry for the late upload, I've just had a tough time writing this chapter for various reasons. I'm on a family vacation at the moment, but I have wifi at the rental house so that isn't too big of a problem._

 _Writing this chapter has been tough, because for this whole sequence of events, I know what I want to happen, but I'm having a tough time executing it. Massive battle scenes with so much going on are tough to write, because I don't want to ignore things that happen, but at the same time I don't want to go to much into detail, when it should be rolling by quick. In the heat of battle you can't exactly stop to think about things, but with smaller action sequences like a lightsaber duel for example, I can do that very well._

 _So I've decided to compromise, and split this whole scene into two chapters. This one will focus more on Jarik, Ahsoka and Mara's battle against the Hssiss dragons, and the next will happen during the same time, but will focus more on the actual movie scenes._

 _I hope my writing doesn't seem too poor in this chapter, and hopefully its enjoyable for you guys with this compromise idea! :D_

* * *

 **Ahsoka POV...**

The Hssiss dragon leaped through the air, claws outstretched, straight for me. Raising an arm, I used the Force to shove it back, slamming it into the rocks. It roars in anger, but otherwise has no reaction of pain. It rolled to its feet and looked up in time to see me running straight for it. I slammed its face with a Force-enhanced kick, causing it to yelp in surprise. By this time, the rest of the dragons had charged forwards, the Vikings going to meet them. Stoick slammed one heavily with his hammer, and it gave a squawk of pain and rage.

I turned my attention back to the pack leader in surprise as it tackled me to the ground. I grunt in pain, holding its head back as it growled viciously. I then noticed it raise its front leg, sharp claws gleaming with the intent of slashing me to bits. Thinking fast, I quickly brought the Force to my disposal and threw the dragon off of me, back towards the cave entrance.

Getting to my feet, I could see that the amount of Vikings were managing to keep the Hssiss dragons at bay, and they fought very well. Unfortunately, their chaotic nature meant that the dragons didn't care and just kept charging recklessly in rage at the Vikings, a few managing to slash them, with their claws. I had no idea if there were any deaths because of all the chaos, but I could sense the pain from several of the Vikings, indicating they were slashed or bitten. Some of the more experienced Vikings were putting up a good fight, and I could already see one Hssiss dragon dead, a few marks indicating axe swings and the bash of a hammer to the face. Courtesy of Stoick most likely.

I returned my focus to the pack leader, which clawed to its feet with a ferocious snarl, glaring down at me with beady eyes. Out of nowhere, it suddenly let out a high pitched shriek, and I cried out in pain, holding my montrals as they ringed painfully from the shriek, falling to my knees. The dragon then rushed down from the cave with the intent to kill, but the ringing in my montrals was still to painful for me to do anything, and I scrambled backwards sluggishly in an attempt to recover before it reached me.

"HEADS UP!"

The sudden sound of Jarik's voice yelling over the rocky beach made me sigh in relief and happiness. I glanced behind me, the dragon leader stopping for a moment with a confused and furious snarl, gnashing its teeth. What I saw was the most bizarre thing I could've imagined, and I widened my eyes in shock at the sight of it. Zooming just barely over the heads of the Vikings was Jarik and Mara on the landspeeder. The Vikings all yelled in surprise, quickly ducking to avoid being hit, but he was headed straight in my direction. Moments later, he and Mara both jumped out of the speeder, and I got the message as well, rolling to the side, albeit sluggishly.

The Hssiss pack leader only had time to squawk in surprise before the entirety of the landspeeder slammed into it at top speed. The force of the impact sent both the speeder and the dragon crashing back into the cave, followed by a massive explosion resulting in the speeder's destruction. Flames spurted out of the cave, the ground shaking a little, and those near it quickly scrambled to get out of the way of explosion. It blew me off of my feet, and I went flying several feet, sliding across the rocks. I looked back up to see the rock surrounding the cave entrance more blackened now, with a few flames still flickering inside.

"Ha! Genius!" Jarik exclaimed, he and Mara suddenly right next to me, exhilarated grins on their faces.

Gobber then hobbled over to us with a shocked expression. "You're insane!" he cried out incredulously.

"Did you really have to blow up the speeder?!" I asked in exasperation.

Before either of them could reply, a shriek came out of the cavern, followed by a clawed foot pulling itself over the lip of the cave. The Hssiss pack leader struggled to his feet, heavily injured with severe burns, but still going, and I could sense it now as being more furious than ever. The rest of the Hssiss dragons suddenly backed off from attacking the Vikings, slinking away, confusing everyone.

"What are they doing?" Gobber asked.

The pack leader then raised its head and let out a series of calls, the rest of the dragons following suit. Jarik pulled something out of his cloak and handed it to me, which I realized with a start were my lightsabers. I accepted them with a nod, and the Vikings all readied their weapons, Stoick striding to the front.

"Let's finish these beasts!" he yelled out, everyone answering with an approving yell. In the heat of the battle I suppose they had yet to realize that Jarik and Mara were both here, having freed themselves. Eh, they'll figure it out. They all began approaching the Hssiss pack, who were still making their calls, which I narrowed my eyes at in confusion. What were they doing...?

"Something's not right..." Jarik muttered, sharing the same line of thought.

Our suspicions were then proven when the Hssiss dragon calls were actually answered. just as Stoick had gotten halfway up the pile of rocks towards the dragons, a massive, earth-shattering roar streamed out of the cave, actually blowing a few Vikings back from the force of it, and I covered my montrals to block out the noise. The Hssiss dragons all glared down at us, before scampering off away from us and the cave opening. The earth then began to shake, and a massive presence in the Force began to rise from beneath the mountain.

"Go. Go!" Jarik exclaimed, shoving me and Mara back.

"GET CLEAR!" Stoick yelled, jumping back down. The Vikings closest to him all let out a few screams of shock and fear, and the whole cave collapsed in on itself, a massive, gargantuan dragon head shoving its way out of the stone, roaring in rage. Stoick and Gobber looked back at the huge dragon, eyes wide in terror, and Mara let out a frightful gasp, having never seen anything so massive or terrifying in her life. To me it felt like another Zillo Beast.

"Beard of Thor, what is that?!" Gobber yelled incredulously.

"Odin help us..." Stoick said numbly, his voice shaking slightly in fear, the first time he's ever shown any hint of it.

The dragon let out another earth shattering roar, pushing itself out of its cave, and then I realize an important fact.

"Where's Jarik?" I demand in a panic, looking around quickly.

"What?!" Stoick says, whipping his head to look around, eyes widening at the sight of Mara. "You- you're supposed to be in prison!" he exclaims in bewilderment.

"Did you really think you'd keep us in there?!" Mara yells back angrily.

He growls in annoyance but doesn't respond, the more immediate threat in front of us. I then hear a dragon roar off to the side, and look over to see Jarik facing off a Hssiss dragon running straight for him.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

I shoved Ahsoka and Mara back as this, monstrosity rose from underneath the mountain, breaking apart the cave entrance and causing an avalanche of rocks. Stoick jumped back down from the entrance, waving his arm for all of the Vikings to scatter.

"GET CLEAR!" he yelled, everyone running away from the entrance as fast as they could with screams of fear. I glanced behind me to see the Queen's head shoving through the mountain, massive boulders cracking apart and falling to the ground with an avalanche.

In my distraction with the Queen, I never noticed the Hssiss dragon charging at me. With a roar, it slammed into me, and I let out a cry of surprise as it tackled me to the ground. It opened its jaws with the intent on biting my head off, so I raised my left arm, giving it the metal prosthetic to chew on instead. Luckily, the arm was strong enough to not get seriously damaged by the dragon, and it continued to chew on it. Pulling out my lightsaber, I activated the blue blade and prepared to swing it, but the dragon quickly switched tactics upon noticing it and yanked me off the ground, throwing me several feet away.

The Force then gave me a warning, and I twisted around in the air to see an approaching rock. Enveloping my left arm with the Force, I reached back and punched through the rock, obliterating it completely, however I was unable to land properly, and hit the ground with a pained grunt.

Looking up, I see the Hssiss dragon running straight for me with a roar. I rolled to my feet with my lightsaber up, but before it could get any closer the Queen's foot stepped on it, killing it instantly with a sickening crunch. I looked up in surprise, but it wasn't focused on me, rather on the Vikings catapults, which were firing their payload. Unfortunately, the boulders barely scratched its skin, only annoying it. The Queen lets out a massive roar of anger, and then starts chomping down on the catapults, stepping over them as well.

"Get to the ships!" somebody yelled.

"No! NO!" Stoick exclaimed, trying to stop them, but it was too late.

The Queen inhaled, mouth glowing orange, and I widened my eyes in horror as it unleashed a massive torrent of flames all over the ships. I could sense a few lives being snuffed out in an instant from the fire, those Vikings attempting to set sail, but meeting their ends. Then I sensed Toothless in a panic, still trapped on the ship.

I set out to go rescue him, but another Hssiss dragon came charging out of nowhere, once again blindsiding me before I could sense it. Reacting quickly, I swung my lightsaber, leaving a massive gash on its face and causing it to roar in pain just as it rolled over me. I got to my feet and blew it away with the Force, the dragon slamming into the rocks. Two more however reappeared and crawled over the rock it slammed into, stalking forwards with a snarl. I raised my lightsaber, ready to fend them off.

"Jarik!" Ahsoka called out.

The sound of a lightsaber slashing, as well as a pained screech from a Hssiss dragon makes me realize that one was attempting to sneak up on me. I whip around and slash my own lightsaber at it, striking it full in the face. Mara jumps in with the finishing blow, jumping on its back and stabbing her blade through its head. Shrieks of outrage sound all around us, and before we realized it we were surrounded by Hssiss dragons, all snarling at us. The dragon that I crashed into with the landspeeder stalks forwards, burns covering its body and walking with a limp, but determined to kill us. Doesn't seem they care to much for pain, rather they do whatever they can to kill.

"Well this looks like fun," I deadpanned.

"This is stupid! Why do they hate us!?" Mara complains.

The pack leader gives out a ferocious war cry and charges forwards, the other dragons following its lead. Mara blasts one away with the Force, and swings her lightsaber to ward off another. Ahsoka rolls underneath the bite of another dragon and stabs upwards, grazing its head with her shoto blade. The leader swipes its claws at me, and I backpedal, slashing with my lightsaber while blocking the bite of another with my arm, calling on the Force to keep a third at bay. Unfortunately my swipe misses, and the dragon leers at me, going for a bite, the other one keeping me in place with my arm. Luckily, Ahsoka blew it back with the Force, and I stabbed the one biting my arm with my lightsaber, killing it.

I share an idea with Ahsoka over our bond, and she quickly agrees. Whipping around to Mara, I tell her the plan. "Mara! Massive burst into the ground, now!"

She widens her eyes but gets the picture, and at the same time, the three of us spin around and shove our hands against the ground, combining our energy to unleash a massive force push. It blows the surrounding dragons several feet away, giving us some breathing room.

"We can't let ourselves get surrounded!" Ahsoka warns us, readying both lightsabers as they begin to get back up.

"No kidding!" Mara says, eyes wide. "That was terrifying!"

Gobber's voice yelling over the air then gets our attention. "Come on! Fight me!"

"NO! ME!" Stoick yells right after, and we look over to see the Queen raising her head over him, mouth inhaling gas. We realize all at the same time that he was about to be killed, and there was nothing we could do about it. The Hssiss dragons all hissed in delight, noticing the scene. Despite her anger at him, Mara gave a horrified gasp.

"No!" she exclaims.

A sudden blast against its skull causes the Queen to roar in pain or annoyance, and a pack of familiar looking dragons come soaring past its head. Hiccup and the teens had arrived, which was great. It also reminded me about Toothless being trapped on the boat.

"LOOK AT US WE'RE ON DRAGONS! WE'RE ON DRAGONS! ALL OF US!" Tuffnut yelled as loud as he could, the Vikings staring in shock and bewilderment. I grinned proudly in amusement.

"Well, just in time!" Mara said happily in relief.

The Hssiss dragons shrieked in rage, some of them glaring at the sky with beady eyes before turning their focus back to us, with the intent to kill.

"Mara, go find Toothless. We'll keep them busy," I told her firmly.

She gaped at me. "What?! But there's too many-"

"We'll be fine, go! Toothless doesn't have much time!" Ahsoka added.

She looked at us reluctantly but nodded, and took off running, leaping over the Hssiss dragon that tried to stop her with a swipe of its claws. It attempted to follow, but Ahsoka reached out with the Force, stopping it in its tracks. "Oh no you don't!" she said.

I pulled out my second lightsaber, facing the pack leader with a determined stare, the green and blue clashing brilliantly with each other. It snarled, three others backing it up as it stalked forwards furiously. Seeing the other six dragons trying to surround us, I quickly backed off to the side before they could close the circle.

 _"I've got the leader. Think you can handle the others?"_ I asked her over the bond.

 _"I'll be fine. The leader is the smartest of the bunch,"_ she warned me.

I backed several feet away, keeping the four dragons focus on me, while Ahsoka dealt with the other six, throwing the dragon she held with the Force into another one. While she dealt with them, the pack leader opened its mouth, a red colored glow coming from within, and shot out a burst of red lightning, similar to the Son's attack straight at me. I crossed both sabers in front of me to block it, my blades absorbing the lightning, although with some difficulty. When it stopped, confusion swept through their gazes for a brief moment before they shook it off, and all four of them suddenly surged with the dark side, unleashing a high pitched shriek.

I flinched in pain with a yelp, quickly covering my ears at the painful sound, the dark side also pressing against my mind along with the shriek. Guess this is what Hiccup felt when he and Astrid encountered one yesterday. Gritting my teeth, I pushed back against their chaotic presence, shoving a Light Side mind attack back in their directions. Their shrieks turned into pained cries, and they clawed desperately at their heads, while I began to advance, lightsaber at the ready.

Unfortunately, the Queen had suddenly thrown one of the Viking's ships from her jaws, the impact shattering the ship into bits and raining down all over us. I rolled out of the way quickly to avoid getting hit, but the Hssiss dragons tough skin prevented them from getting any injuries. With furious roars, they took advantage of my distraction and all charged at me, unleashing blasts of lightning in quick succession, like a Night Fury's rate of fire. I swung my lightsaber around, blocking the lightning by absorbing it into the blade, and jumped over the first dragon. It barreled underneath me, and I landed on my feet, side-stepping the second dragon, but the pack leader anticipated my movement, tackling me to the ground, biting my left arm and throwing me into the dirt a couple feet away.

I groaned in pain, widening my eyes before rolling to the side as the fourth bit the ground where I just was. The pack leader charged again, and I swung my lightsaber straight for its head. However to my great shock, poison began to drip from its jaws in massive droplets, and it caught my lightsaber with its mouth, the blade sizzling against the poison that coated it.

"Oh no," I said with dread.

With a ferocious snarl, the dragon yanked my lightsaber from my grasp and tossed it away, roaring at me again. I backpedaled quickly to avoid its swiping claws, the others coming at me from all sides, and swung my green lightsaber, this time aimed lower and away from its mouth. Unfortunately its claws were also being coated with the poison it excretes, and it slapped the blade away, snapping with its jaws, a few drips of poison flying. I quickly jumped into the air, letting the three charging dragons crash into each other, but the leader crawled over them without a care, pushing off the ground and leaping after me. It swiped its claws again, but I blocked it with Ahsoka's blade, landing with a backflip.

The leader landed in front of me, the other three backing it up once again, snarling viciously. Looking over for a moment, I saw that Ahsoka had already defeated three of her dragons, the other three attempting to charge her. She was right, the pack leader was a lot smarter than the rest, able to even adapt fighting a lightsaber of all things. But I should still be stronger in the Force. Calling the Light Side to me, I unleashed another mental assault on the dragons, and they all gave out shrieks of pain and rage, before leaping at me at the same time. I yelped in alarm and jumped backwards, although the tail of one smacked me away.

I rolled across the ground painfully, groaning as I struggled to get to my feet, watching them approach. They absolutely loathed the Light Side of the Force, I realized. To these dragons it was their natural enemy, and their chaotic nature made seek to destroy it viciously. That's why they hated us so much, and were focused only on us. Contemplating with myself, I had a inner battle against whether or not I should change tactics and go with a... darker approach.

Their roars signaling their preparation to charge again, I made up my mind and then stood up, taking a deep breath before calling on the dark side. I fueled it with my pain received from these dragons, my hidden but controlled anger at Stoick and the Vikings for treating Hiccup so horribly, my fury from the Jedi Council so long ago, and unleashed it against their minds. They stopped their approach, snarling and growling in confusion. My eyes had a golden tint to them, and I raised a hand towards the dragons, seeking to overcome them. It was tough, because not only did I have to try and dominate their minds, I had to control my anger as well, so I wouldn't lose myself.

Thinking about Revan and Bastila's familiarity with the darkness, and me and my family's natural affinity for balance in the Force, I managed to gain control of the dark side, if only briefly, and dominated the minds of the Hssiss dragons. I backed up, and they followed me, although continuously snapping their mouths in my direction, heavy instincts still giving them the need to tear me apart. I stretched my power over to the three dragons Ahsoka was still fighting as well, and they looked over with a growl in my direction. Ahsoka noticed my state and looked at me in concern, however she knew what I was attempting to do. Still, she kept herself ready over the bond, ready to flush me with Light incase I lost myself.

Glaring up at the Queen, I saw as it watched Astrid fly by on the Deadly Nadder, and then suck in a massive amount of air, pulling the pair closer. Shoving my anger at them, I directed them to attack the Queen, although surprisingly without much effort. seems like they wanted to overthrow the Queen as well for Bogan. Well, all the better for me. With shrieks of rage they complied, all seven dragons charging for the Queen's foot. Once their goal was set, I immediately drop my hold on the dark side, collapsing to me knees in exhaustion as Ahsoka rushes up to me, filling me through the bond with the Light Side. She helps me to my feet, slinging my arm around her shoulders as she supports me. I may be able to natural harness the dark side, but it's still exhausting.

"You're crazy," she scolds, but neither of us are in the mood to talk about it, worried for Astrid and her Nadder. The remaining Hssiss dragons all start to scratch and bite at the Queen, some starting to climb up her leg, but they're still too small to make any real difference. I don't know if Astrid is going to make it...

Luckily, the screeching of a Night Fury got our attention, and a smile came to both of our faces as we notice the black speck that was Toothless approaching at alarming speeds, unleashing a massive plasma blast against the Queen's face.

Hiccup and Toothless were now ready for action.

* * *

 _So that's the Jedi vs Hssiss dragon side of the battle, and now it's Hiccup's time to shine! Next chapter will cover that as well as the Queen's wrath from the Vikings point of view, as well as Mara helping in some bit with that._

 _To better explain what Jarik did with the dragons, I'll tell it this way. I'm sure many of you know how a Jedi can influence weak-minded people or animals with the Force to some degree. This is like that, but on a Hssiss dragon it can only be affected that way through the dark side, which Jarik used. He naturally has the talent to call upon it when necessary, but as one who stays tied to the Light, it easily drains him when using it, especially for mental purposes._

 _Hope this chapter was good enough for you guys! Writing it, especially at the start when there was so much going on was tough, but I think I did alright. :D_


	51. Ch 50 - Battling the Red Death

**3rd person POV...**

"GET CLEAR!" Stoick yelled, jumping down from the cave. The Vikings closest to him all let out a few screams of shock and fear, and the whole cave collapsed in on itself, a massive, gargantuan dragon head shoving its way out of the stone, roaring in rage. Stoick and Gobber looked back at the huge dragon, eyes wide in terror, and Mara let out a frightful gasp, having never seen anything so massive or terrifying in her life.

"Beard of Thor...what is that?" Gobber exclaimed in horror.

"Odin help us." Stoick said numbly in fear, for the first time in his life.

The Red Death let out earth shattering roar, pushing itself out of its cave with a massive step forwards, crushing a charging Hssiss dragon without noticing. Jarik looked up at it in surprise as it continued forwards.

"Where's Jarik?" Ahsoka demands in a panic, looking around quickly.

"What?!" Stoick says, whipping his head to look around, eyes widening at the sight of Mara. "You- you're supposed to be in prison!" he exclaims in bewilderment.

"Did you really think you'd keep us in there?!" Mara yells back angrily.

He growls in annoyance but doesn't respond, the more immediate threat in front of them. Ahsoka and Mara then ran off, the former having spotted Jarik being tackles by a Hssiss dragon, While Stoick yelled an order to the men still manning their siege weapons. "Catapults!"

The Vikings all unleash their payload, scoring direct hits. Unfortunately the burning stones simply bounce off the dragon's skin, and the Red Death focuses on the catapults with anger. It crushes the first one with its jaws, smashing it and its crew, and rattling the beach underfoot. Stoick races toward the second catapult. He leaps up and pushes a Viking out of the way just before the dragon crushes him under its forepaw. The Vikings scramble in all directions in a panic.

"Get to the ships!" somebody yells, and several of the men all jump into the boat to push off shore.

However Stoick raises his arms in alarm, knowing what the dragon would do next. "No! NO!" he yelled desperately, but it was too late.

With a massive inhale of breath, gas builds up in the dragons mouth, and the Red Death blasts the ships with tons of flame and liquid hot fire. The sails are completely torched, wood splintering and burning, and Vikings dive overboard with the masts coming down. A few unlucky Vikings were unable to make it off the ship in time before the fire reached them, their lives ending in an instant with searing hot pain. Toothless whines on the ship in terror, struggling with his restraints as Gobber joins Stoick.

"Heh. Smart, that one," he comments light-heartedly.

Stoick looks up and down the beach for an answer, completely guilt-ridden. He could see the three Jedi surrounded by a ring of Hssiss dragons, and the massive Queen rampaging over the beach, killing and destroying anything in its path. "I was a fool," he says, ashamed.

The monster raises its head to the sky and bellows, the sound shaking the beach and knocking Vikings off their feet. It was making it clear that this island belong to her.

Thinking quickly, Stoick stops Spitelout, who was running by. "Lead the men to the far side of the island!"

"Right." Spitelout replies with a nod, turning to the rest. "Everybody to the far side of the island!"

The Vikings scatter into the rocks, and the Red Death roars after them while Stoick strides forwards in determination. "Gobber, go with the men!" he orders.

Gobber immediately shakes his head in disagreement. "I think I'll stay, just in case you're thinking of doing something crazy."

Stoick grabs him by the arm with a glare. "I can buy them a few minutes if I give that thing someone to hunt!" he exclaims.

Gobber removes Stoick's hand and clenches his forearm, the same determination in his eyes. "Then I can double that time," he says.

Despite the situation, Stoick and Gobber both share a grin, friends to the bitter end. They break the moment and look up at the Red Death, a wide smirk on Stoick's face.

"HERE!" he yells, gesturing to himself as he ran forward.

Gobber smirks. "Oh no. HERE!"

The Red Death picks a Viking up into the air with its teeth and drops him, attempting to bite him, but missing. The Viking quickly scampers off as fast as he could, and Stoick rips a sharpened post from the ground, hurling it with incredible velocity into the monster's face. It actually flinches from the impact, being hit close to the eye and glares down at Stoick, snarling.

"Come on!" Gobber yells, drawing its attention. "Fight me!" he exclaims with a vicious glare.

"No, me!" Stoick yells, backing up. Making its choice, the Red Death focuses in on the Viking chief, and it rears back its head, inhaling. Gas begins to build in its mouth, when out of nowhere, an explosive blast hits against the back of The Red Death's head. It roars in pain and turns, distracted, as a Nadder punches through the flames, banking across the sky. Followed by a Monstrous Nightmare, a Zippleback, and a Gronckle. They roll in unison, revealing the recruits riding on their backs. Hiccup leads, with Astrid clinging to his waist. Gobber and Stoick watch slack-jawed, in awe.

"Ruff, Tuff, watch your backs! Move Fishlegs!" Hiccup orders.

The monster shakes off the blast and snaps in their wake. Hiccup directs his squadron out of harm's way, and they climb out of reach and circle each other.

"LOOK AT US WE'RE ON DRAGONS! WE'RE ON DRAGONS! ALL OF US!" Tuffnut yells excitedly.

"Up, let's move it!" Hiccup orders again, leading the dragons past the Red Death. On the ground,Gobber hobbles over to Stoick with a bewildered gaze.

"Every bit the boar-headed, stubborn Viking you ever were!" he comments. Stoick simply nods his head, speechless. The Hssiss dragons lets out loud screeches of rage, and Mara took off running, jumping over one on her way to the boats all the way across the beach. Up in the air, Hiccup turned to Fishlegs, ready to formulate a plan.

"Fishlegs, break it down!" he orders.

Fishlegs nods quickly, assessing the dragon while giving out his observations. "Okay. Heavily armored skull and tail made for bashing and clear of both."

The Queen bit into a Viking longboat before tossing it against a sea stack with a roar, the pieces raining all over Jarik and four Hssiss dragons. "Small eyes, large nostrils, relies on hearing and smell!" Fishlegs finishes.

Hiccup nods, the plan quickly formulating in his mind. If he can get to Toothless then they'd have the best chance of defeating that thing. He took notice of Mara running along the beach for a second, as well as Ahsoka and Jarik fighting a pack of Hssiss dragons. With that in mind, he formulates a plan and looks at the rest of the teens.

"Okay. Lout, Legs, hang in its blind spot. Make some noise, keep it confused. Ruff, Tuff, find out if it has a shot limit! Make it mad," he says quickly, challenging the twins.

"That's my specialty!" Ruffnut declares proudly, while Tuffnut frowns at her.

"Since when? Everyone knows I'm more irritating! See?" he challenges, flipping his Zippleback head upside down, making a bunch of sounds in an attempt to show off how irritating he was.

"Just do what I told you!" Hiccup exclaims in exasperation. "I'll be back as soon as I can!"

With that being said, he and Astrid veer off the find where Toothless is trapped, the rest of the teens flying towards the Red Death. "Don't worry, we got it covered!" Snotlout yells confidently.

"Yeah! Whooo!" Fishlegs cheers.

Snotlout and Fishlegs bank and dive towards the Red Death, splitting up for either side, while the Twins race alongside the monster's head, taunting it.

"Troll!" Tuffnut yells.

"Butt Elf!" Ruffnut jeers.

"Bride of Grendel!" Tuffnut taunts.

The Twins cackle in amusement at the Red Death and fly past its head, while the dragon glares furiously after them, unloading a spray of fire at the twins. They barely dodge the first shot with a cry, ducking underneath the second. Fishlegs and Snotlout hang behind its eyes, banging away at their shields and making a racket in an attempt to confuse it. To their alarm however, two more eyes on either side of the dragon open up, revealing it to have six eyes in total.

"Uh, this thing doesn't have a blind spot!" Fishlegs yells fearfully.

ooo00ooo

On the ground, Mara races across the beach, glancing up at the Red Death every so often to see how the teens were doing, before refocusing back on the ships. Hiccup and Astrid flew by on their Deadly Nadder, and she follows after them. Stretching out her senses, she could feel Toothless on one of the far ships, still struggling and crying out. He could sense her too, and also knew that Hiccup was close by.

The Nadder disappears for a moment, and then flies back out of the smoke, headed back towards the battle without Hiccup. Taking this as him finding Toothless, she races in their direction, jumping over a burning log and eventually making it. Leaping up, she lands on the edge of the boat's railing, seeing Toothless chained to the deck, Hiccup struggling to get his restraints off.

"Hiccup! Toothless!" she called, jumping onto the deck.

Hiccup whirls around to face her, relief evident on his face. "Mara! Thank goodness you're here! I need some help with these chains!" he exclaims.

She nods and activates her violet colored lightsaber, swinging at the many chains keeping the Night Fury locked down, saving the neck brace for last. All the while the Red Death stomps closer, both sides unaware of how close they were getting...

ooo00ooo

Fishlegs and Snotlout both continue to clang their weapons against their shields, which makes the Red Death flinch, much to their excitement. It chewed on the remains of a ship, struggling to focus its eyes on the teens and their dragon mounts.

"It's working!" Snotlout exclaims eagerly.

The huge beast starts to sway its head dizzily, losing focus of them.

"Yeah! It's working!" Fishlegs adds in excitement.

Unfortunately for them, the noise they were making was also confusing the Gronckle and the Monstrous Nightmare. Both dragons begin to lose their bearings, and the Nightmare drifts to close to the Red Death, knocking Snotlout off of his dragon and onto the monster's gigantic head. Snotlout bounces across the top and comes to a stop just shy of the hundred foot drop.

"Agghh!" he yells in terror.

Fishlegs' Gronckle then starts to go down in a spin of confusion. "I've lost power on the Gronckle. Snotlout! Do something!" he exclaims.

He tosses his hammer to Snotlout who just barely manages to catch it. Fishlegs screams as the Gronkle spins through the air before it crashes and skids to a stop. Fishlegs grins in relief.

"I'm okay!" he yells. Then the Gronckle flips over, crushing Fishlegs underneath. "Less okay," he mumbles feebly.

The Red Death takes notice of his and the Gronckle's predicament and growls, raising its massive foot to crush them underneath. Fishlegs screams and terror and scrabbles desperately along the ground to try and get away. Luckily, Snotlout climbs up to the dragon's eyes and starts hammering away, scoring direct hits straight into its eye.

"I can't miss!" he exclaims joyfully. "What's wrong buddy, got something in your eye?" he taunts.

The Red Death roars in agony, missing its step by mere feet and squinting heavily, using its eyelids as a shield against the hammer. Astrid and her Nadder fly by, the former grinning and Snotlout and praising him for the action.

"Yeah! You're the Viking!" she yells.

Snotlout grins up at her, finally vindicated in her eyes. In his distraction however, he gets thrown when the Red Death thrases in an attempt to dislodge him, and lands heavily on one of the Red Death's spines, clinging precariously.

"Whoa!" he yells fearfully.

ooo00ooo

The monster's tail sweeps across the burning ships, snapping masts like twigs. Mara looks up when it smashes the mast above them in alarm, seeing it falling towards them.

"Look out!" she exclaims, deactivating her lightsaber and shoving Hiccup away, leaping towards the opposite side. Hiccup yelps in shock, and then the Red Death slams a foot onto one side of the boat, throwing both Hiccup and Mara into the water, as well as Toothless, who immediately starts sinking towards the bottom. Toothless was still attached by one more chain, which was the yoke around his neck keeping him locked on the palette. It sinks down with frightening velocity, landing on the sea floor.

Hiccup swims down towards him, determined to free him. Mara follows, although slowly, not used to swimming in such a situation. He starts tugging at the chains desperately, and Mara tries to activate her lightsaber, but in the water, it continues to sizzle and flash on and off, making it useless. Both of them start to run out of air, Hiccup near unconscious as he starts to drift away slowly. Mara slowly raises an arm towards him, and glances back at Toothless, whose eyes were wide in fear. She attempts to use the Force, but is unable to focus properly.

Suddenly, a meaty hand grabs both Hiccup and Mara, dragging them away while Toothless lets out a desperate roar. Stoick explodes to the surface with a gasp, pulling Hiccup and Mara to the shoreline through flaming debris, the latter giving him a surprised expression. He lays them both on the rock, and Mara starts coughing, lightsaber rolling out of her hand, Hiccup soon doing the same. They both watch in surprise and disbelief as Stoick charges back into the ocean.

"Dad...?" Hiccup whispers in shock.

Stoick dives back into the water between flaming flotsam, and appears in front of Toothless. The Night Fury was about to give up all hope when he appeared, and the two stare each other down, unsure of what the other would do next. After a moment, Stoick swims forwards and yanks the yoke open, letting it float away and freeing Toothless. The Night Fury stares as him, a mixture of emotions flowing through his eyes before lunging forwards. He grabs Stoick in his front paws and brings them both to the surface, releasing him on the shore.

Mara smiles widely at the sight of Toothless, glad he was ok. After dropping the Viking chief, Toothless leaps up to the rock and raises his wings. He turns to Hiccup and gives a yelp, gesturing towards the Red Death. Despite the situation, Hiccup grins eagerly and rushes forwards.

"You got it, bud," he says. Hiccup climbs onto Toothless and buckles himself in when Stoick grabs his arm.

"Hiccup!" he exclaims, and Hiccup looks over at him in surprise. Mara rushes up, but stays back a few steps, sensing this to be a private moment between the two of them.

Stoick stares at Hiccup, deep regret and guilt flashing through his eyes. His voice even breaks as he speaks. "I'm sorry... for- for everything," he says, wrecked with guilt, but his words sincere.

Hiccup is stunned, but his expression softens. "Yeah... me too," he replies.

"You don't have to go up there!" Stoick reminds him, a small hint of desperation in his voice. He didn't want to lose his son, not after seeing him for who he really was.

Hiccup offers him a small grin. "We're Vikings. It's an occupational hazard."

Stoick smiles at him, and then takes Hiccup's hand in both of his gently. "I'm proud, to call you my son," he says sincerely.

Hiccup is stunned into silence for a moment, almost unbelieving of what he was hearing. He offers a small smile back, the look in his face expressing his full gratitude. "Thanks dad," he replies.

Stoick lets go of Hiccup's arm, and Hiccup turns forwards, Toothless getting ready to take to the sky.

"Hiccup!" Mara calls out, and he turns again to look at her. She offers him a confident smile. "Go kick some butt dragon-boy," she says.

He grins at her, Toothless snorting slightly in amusement, and with those words the pair charge into the sky, Hiccup spurred on by his father's belief in him, and the friendships he shared. Stoick and Mara watch them go, smiles on their faces, before Stoick speaks.

"He's braver than I ever thought possible... I was a fool to miss any of this," he murmurs, a hint of shame in his voice.

Mara turns to look at him. "You were such an idiot, and a complete moron to ever think about brushing him off. You have a lot to make up for," she says, anger running through her voice. Stoick flinches heavily, knowing she was right, in how he treated Hiccup, the dragons, and the Jedi.

"But what you just did makes up for half of that," she adds with a small smile. Stoick looks at her, gratitude filling his eyes.

"Thank you... Mara. I hope you all can forgive me, and the village," he says.

She shrugs. "You couldn't have held us in that cage anyways. If we wanted we could have just easily taken you out in the arena."

"So it would seem," Stoick grumbles, pride slightly hurt.

ooo00ooo

The Twins flew by, having just rescued Sotlout from the Red Death. However, the monstrous beast spots Astrid fly by on her Nadder and inhales, filling its lungs with air while also drawing the dragon and rider further into its gaping maw. She and her Nadder get caught in the suction, pulled toward the monster's gaping mouth. The Nadder flaps furiously, struggling to get out of the suction of air. On the ground, Jarik sees this and angrily directs the pack of remaining Hssiss dragons at the Queen. They all charge at its leg with vicious cries, scratching and biting as much as they could. However, the Queen's sheer size made their attacks as harmful as a fly, and it gave no attention to them, focused on her prey.

A sudden shrieking sound screams through the air, heard by all as Toothless shoots across the sky to gain velocity. The tell tale warning sign of a Night Fury blast being imminent. The Vikings all looked around in a panic, covering themselves with whatever they had on hand.

"NIGHT FURY!" Spitelout cries in alarm.

"Get down!" Gobber yells, covering himself.

A black shape streaks through the sky at lightning speeds, headed straight for the Red Death. The dragon was so caught up in Astrid and the Nadder that it didn't notice until it was too late. A massive blast jolts the Red Death's head sideways, and Astrid is thrown clear of its mouth, and her Nadder. She tumbles through the air, screaming in terror.

On the ground, Jarik and Ahsoka see the falling form of Astrid, and sprint across the beach in the hopes of reaching her, the former calling his lost lightsaber to him in the process. It seems as if they won't make it, but luckily, Toothless swings back and catches her by the foot just before she could hit the ground.

"Did you get her?" Hiccup asks worriedly. Toothless looks down to see Astrid staring at him with a smile, her foot held in his paw. He warbles at her happily and then flips her over, grabbing her arm as well while gliding close to the ground, and carefully sets her down. The pair then head back up into the sky, ready to take on the Red Death.

Astrid watches them, breathless. "Go!" she says.

Jarik and Ahsoka also reach her, looking up at Toothless. "You ok?" he asks, and she nods her head.

Hiccup and Toothless fly around the Red Death at a safe distance, the former analysing the dragon to figure out a way to take it down. He takes notice of the Hssiss dragons all attacking its front foot, bewildered at the sight.

"What are they doing?" he asks himself in surprise and confusion.

Having took some inspiration from Toothless' attack, the pack leader unleashes a blast of crackling, crimson lightning at the Red Death's skull. The blast hits the underside of its jaw, jerking its head to the side a bit. Furious from the second attack, the Red Death finally takes notice of the Hssiss dragons, and roars angrily. It lifts its front paw and slams it back down, throwing the dragons off of it, and snaps its massive jaws.

The pack leader managed to avoid the attack, but most of the Hssiss dragons weren't so fortunate, being snatched up by the Queen in an instant, screeching in agony as her massive teeth stabbed and sliced them apart, before it swallowed them. Another Hssiss dragon lets loose a burst of lightning, catching the Red Death's side, and it actually flinches in pain, which draws Hiccup's attention, spotting a large but folded up wing. The pack leader also fires a shot of lightning, but The Red Death retaliates by unleashing a massive burst of fire. It instantly incinerates the remaining Hssiss dragons, all except for the pack leader, who is blow far away into the rocks from the explosive impact.

Having witnessed the battle, Hiccup turns to Toothless, prompting him to go higher. Attacking the Queen while it was on the ground was a losing battle, so they had to get it in the air. Then, it would be in the Night Fury's territory. Not the Queen's.

"That thing has wings! Okay, let's see if it can use them!" Hiccup yells.

He pulls Toothless into a turn, and they plummet, gaining tremendous speed. The wind buffets them as they target the Red Death at super sonic speed. Toothless charges up a plasma blast the whole way with his signature shriek, and releases it at the highest intensity he could muster. The fireball slams into the dragons back, causing a massive explosion that throws the Red Death onto its side with a painful roar.

ooo00ooo

On the ground, Stoick and Mara had rejoined the main group of Vikings, and stood at the front alongside Gobber, Astrid, Jarik, and Ahsoka. They all shield themselves from the dust of the fallen monster, and then look up, only for their faces to fall in dread as its wings unfold and extend.

"That's not good," Jarik comments.

"How can that thing even fly?!" Mara demands in a mixture of disbelief and worry.

ooo00ooo

Back in the air, Hiccup looks back as they put distance between them and the Red Death. "Do you think that did it?" Hiccup asks Toothless. He widens his eyes nervously as the enraged behemoth rises up behind them, flapping its wings furiously. It was a truly daunting sight.

Hiccup looked away, to scared to look back and shares a glance with Toothless. "Well, he can fly," he comments dryly.

The two then dive into the tangled sea stacks, weaving through the rock in an attempt to lose it, or make it crash. The Red Death snaps at them with its jaws, but cannot reach them, as Hiccup and Toothless pull ahead. Furious, the Red Death then resorts to simply smashing through the canopy of rock in order to reach its prey. Its sheer size allows it to break apart the fifty foot foundations like their were pebbles.

Hiccup and Toothless both fly past the gathered crowd of Vikngs, who watched as they flew by. Stoick had a beaming smile on his face as he saw his son fly by, Ahsoka and Jarik both sharing the same smiles. The latter two secretly sent some energy to the dragon-rider pair through the Force, which Toothless could sense gratefully. Mara and the rest of the teens all cheered Hiccup on, awed by the sight.

"Woohoo! Yeah!" they exclaimed.

"Go Hiccup!" Snotlout yelled.

"You've got it Hiccup!" she cheered.

A moment later the Red Death smashes the sea stacks to dust in hot pursuit, and the mood of everyone is immediately quenched. Hiccup comes to the realization that weaving through the sea stacks won't help, because the Red Death was simply too big, and eyes the clouds above. An idea hits him at the sight of the dark clouds, and he locks eyes with Toothless.

"Okay Toothless, time to disappear!" he exclaims, changing the tail fin. "Come on bud!"

Toothless PULLS into a steep climb, heading toward the clouds, but the Red Death follows, closing in fast. It snaps at them once before opening its mouth, preparing to blast fire. Hiccup hears the tell-tale hissing sound, and braces himself.

"Here it comes!" he exclaims.

They narrowly dodge a column of flame and smoke, and the Red Death swings around, its wings brushing aside the remaining fire. The pair then reach the low-hanging clouds and pierce them, immediately disappearing into the mist without a trace. The monster follows, snapping its jaws at their silhouette before stopping, having lost them in the hampered visibility. It looks around angrily, and lets out a roar, furious that its prey had disappeared.

On the ground, the Vikings could all hear the dragons furious roars, but otherwise saw no sign of the battle, getting worried something had happened. It was awfully quiet up there. Worry starts to fill Mara's heart, but Ahsoka lays a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Relax Mara," she says calmly.

"It's not over yet," Jarik added, and everyone who heard looked up at the sky, straining for any sound of sight they could spot.

The Red Death continues circling the clouds, determined to find its prey, when a shrieking sound begins to build. A black shape cuts through the clouds as it circles the Red Death, and then from out of nowhere, A purple plasma blast streaks through the sky, slamming into one of the Queen's wings. It roars in pain, spotting a black blur and attempts to follow it. However Toothless had moved far past its reach again, and the pair continue their assault. Blast after blast pelts the Red Death's thin and weak wings, some strikes puncturing holes while the dragon lets out roars of agony and rage.

Everybody on the ground stares up at the sky as the booms and flashes of purple light streak through the sky like a lightning bolt, the Red Death's silhouette shown briefly each time. Several of the Vikings gasp in awe and concern, while Mara grins at the sight, seeing Toothless and Hiccup absolutely pelting the Queen with plasma blasts.

After a few more attacks, the Red Death was fuming, having had enough of the attacks. With a bellowing cry of rage, it unleashes a large stream of flame wildly all around it, lighting the clouds a bright orange. One of the blasts flies to close towards Hiccup and Toothless for comfort.

"Watch out!" Hiccup cries in alarm.

The pair manage to evade it mostly, but the random blast had clipped Toothless' tail. It began to burn quickly, heavily damamged by the flames. Hiccup looks back with dread, knowing they didn't have much time now before they couldn't fly any more.

"Okay, time's up. Let's see if this works," he says. He pulls Toothless into a turn, the Night Fury roaring with a challenging cry. They fly directly into the Red Death's face, taunting it.

"Come on! Is that the best you can do!?" Hiccup yells.

Toothless utters an insult too snarling at the Red Death, and they jackknife into a steep dive. The Red Death spots them flying past and attempts to bite them, but misses, quickly pursuing. Toothless pumps his wings, racing faster than he's ever gone before. They stay just ahead of the Red Death, no longer trying to evade it, and Hiccup glances back to check the tail, seeing it was quickly disintegrating.

"Stay with me buddy. We're good. Just a little bit longer!" he encourages Toothless, who had an uneasy expression on his face.

The Red Death closes the gap. Hiccup tucks in and holds Toothless steady allowing the monster to set its sights on them, and it narrows its eyes. Opening its mouth, gas begins to build up with a hiss.

"Hold, Toothless." Hiccup says, listening closely. When the hissing had reached his peak, Hiccup knew they had to do it now. After all, dragons weren't fireproof on the inside, were they?

"NOW!" he yells.

Hiccup hits the pedals hard as Toothless extends one wing. They pivot in place, directly facing the Red Death's mouth, who was rearing back to fire. Toothless immediately fires point blank down the monster's throat. Its amassing gas is ignited, backfiring into the monster and erupting in a chain of explosions throughout its body. Hiccup and Toothless burst from the clouds, the Red Death hot on their tail, exploding from within.

It glances forward and sees the ground rushing up with wide, terrified eyes; the only fear its ever felt in its life. It throws open its wings, attempting to stop, but the punctured, damaged wings from the plasma blasts can't stop its momentum, rather the holes get wider. As the Red Death chokes on the expanding fireball, Toothless manages to suddenly pull out of the dive, streaking up, past its head. With one final, terrified wail, the Red Death hits the ground, head-first.

The build up of pressure and fire in its body causes the energy to expands outward in one of the most massive explosions the Vikings, and even the Clone War veterans had ever seen. The shockwave of the blast knocks several Vikings off their feet, although larger Vikings like Stoick managed to stay up. Jarik and Ahsoka stumbled back, keeping themselves up through use of the Force, and stare in shock at the sight of the explosion, scrambling with their sight to find Hiccup.

As the fireball expands upwards, Hiccup and Toothless weave through the monster's massive back plates, wings, and flailing legs. The expanding fireball races toward them, about to swallow them, but they manage to clear the obstacles. Hiccup glances back hopefully to see they're outrunning the fireball, however at that moment, the last shreds of Toothless' tail tear away. Hiccup's pedals go dead. Even worse, he looks up to see the Queen's tail careening towards them, and they were unable to move.

"No," Hiccup says with growing horror. He tries even harder to turn, but its no use, with the tail being gone. "No!"

The giant tail club slams into Toothless, tearing Hiccup from the harness and sending him tumbling against the backdrop of the fast-approaching fireball. Toothless whips through the air, yelping in alarm as he struggles with all his might to reach the unconscious Hiccup. He opens his mouth, a purple glow emanating from within, and the flames beneath Hiccup slow down, as if blocked by a mystical source as he flies closer to Hiccup. However, the fireball swirls around them, swallowing both Viking, and dragon.

The Vikings watch in horror as Hiccup and Toothless disappear into the boiling inferno, some of them in shock. Mara and Stoick stared with wide, terrified eyes, refusing to believe what was happening. She could barely hear herself screaming as Jarik and Ahsoka rushed into the quickly growing ash cloud with Stoick on their heels, Mara quickly following after them...

* * *

 _Happy scene of victory quickly turned into one of horror and sadness... the music in that really gets you when Hiccup was hit._

 _Although, we have Toothless doing more Force powers! That's cool, right?_


	52. Ch 51 - A New Berk

**3rd person POV...**

The Red Death's explosion against the ground had covered the beach with a white cloud of ash. The ground was scorched, still smoking slightly from the heat. Stoick emerges through the cloud, searching desperately for any sign of Hiccup.

"Hiccup? Hiccup!? SON!" he bellows desperately.

He whirls his head around in a panic, and then through the ash, Stoick spots the motionless silhouette of Toothless. His eys go wide in horror.

"Hiccup..." he breathes out.

He hurries to the dragon's side, gasping in his panic and stands before the Night fury. Toothless is roughed up, but conscious, however his scorched saddle, is vacant. Glancing down, he watches as Toothless shifts on his side with a pained groan, and looks at the tail, half of which is gone. The realization slowly draws over him, and tears begin to well in his eyes. He buckles at the knees, overwhelmed by the loss.

"Oh son... I did this..."

Jarik and Ahsoka both jog out of the smoke several feet behind Stoick, followed by Mara, and all three of them spot the scene. Mara gasps in horror, holding a hand up to her mouth in grief. "No..." she whispers.

Ahsoka and Jarik glance at each other, sadness flickering through their eyes as an unspoken message rang through them. To many of their friends had passed away through their life time, and even though they had grown used to these sort of things, it didn't make it any less painful. Ahsoka wrapped a comforting arm around Mara, who clutched onto her desperately, crying at the loss of her best friend. None of them could sense Hiccup through the Force... just Toothless.

Behind the Jedi family, the rest of the Vikings slowly appear out of the fog, keeping a respectful distance. Astrid pushes through the crowd, her eyes welling up with a small gasp, followed by Gobber. The ring of Vikings all lower their heads dadly, mourning the loss of someone they never knew properly. As the dust and smoke clear, a ring of wild dragons can also be seen, gathering just behind and between the Vikings, sad at the prospect of losing the one Viking who had ever shown them kindness. Toothless stirs and groggily rolls his head toward Stoick. Their eyes meet, and his narrow, still suspicious and wary.

Stoick stares at Toothless, guilt and regret flashing through his eyes. the only thing he could think about was how this was all his fault. If he had just listened to Hiccup's warnings... listened to Jarik and Ahsoka... if he had just heard them out, this could've all been avoided. And now it was too late... and it was all his fault. His only son, the only memory of Val he had left was gone, along with the life of a boy who deserved better.

"I'm so... I'm so sorry..." he whispered, voice breaking.

Toothless studies him intently, and upon sensing his words to be genuine and sincere, widens his eyes again. The Jedi family then widen their eyes in surprise, when part of Toothless' consciousness suddenly retracts, revealing that he had been hiding Hiccup's presence in the Force without realizing it. The dragon then unfolds his wings, revealing Hiccup, unconscious, and clutched safely against his chest.

Stoick's eyes widen in shock, and he lets out a gasp. "Hiccup!" he exclaims.

He wastes no time and scoops Hiccup into his arms. Stoick quickly checks his face for injuries, and then throws off his helmet, listening for a heartbeat. After a moment, he lets out a relieved laugh, new tears in his eyes, this time from joy.

"He's alive! You brought him back alive!" Stocik exclaimed joyously.

Mara's eyes widen, and she also laughs in relief, the same with Astrid. Jarik and Ahsoka both smile, letting out a breath of relief, now able to sense Hiccup clearly through the Force. The crowd roars happily, followed by the dragons. The Vikings all look around warily in bewilderment to find themselves surrounded, without being under attack.

Stoick then leans close to Toothless, meeting him eye to eye. "Thank you... for saving my son," he says gratefully, laying a hand on his head.

Moments later, The Jedi family and Gobber approach on either side, and Mara kneels down beside Stoick to check on Hiccup, relief evident on her face. The other three however, notice something problematic, giving them troubled frowns. Jarik and ahsoka both eye each other privately.

 _"This is awful,"_ Ahsoka says sadly.

Jarik nods in agreement. _"He's even younger than I was when it happened..."_

 _"You and Gobber will have to help him get used to it,"_ she adds.

 _"I know..."_

"Well, you know... most of him." Gobber says.

Stoick glances back at him with a glare, confused.

"Are you really gonna make a joke now Gobber?!" Mara demands, the stress of the past few hours finally catching up to her.

"No, he's right," Jarik says, gesturing towards his lower half.

Both Stoick and Mara follow his gaze towards Hiccup's left leg, both letting out gasps of shock. Toothless also glances that way, moaning regretfully.

"No.. it can't be!" Stoick says in denial, but it was very clear before them. From just below the knee and down, his left leg was mangled, charred and bloody, his shoe gone and the skin turned black, and even bits of bone could be seen. It was a gruesome sight. ahsoka pulled Mara close and forced her to look away, much to the girls protest.

"Mara, go with the rest of the teens," she said sternly.

"But-!" she protested.

"Just do it Mara!" Ahsoka replied, in a voice that left no room for argument. With great hesitance, Mara slowly pulled away with tears in her eyes, and tried to get another glance at Hiccup, but Jarik also blocked her view. she ran back over to where Astrid was approaching, pulling the older girl away, much to her confusion. Letting out a worried sigh, they both turned back towards the sight of Hiccup. They were used to seeing such injuries on the clones during the War, but to see such a sight on a young teenager was even worse.

"We need a healer, maybe, maybe we can-" Stoick rambled quietly.

"Stoick-" Gobber started to say.

"It may not be too late!" he exclaimed, glaring at Gobber.

"Stoick, his leg is too far gone to save, even for where I come from," Jarik said, gesturing to his arm.

Toothless moaned sadly, pawing at his face in guilt. Ahsoka could sense the feelings going through him, and had seen enough of his leg to recognize what caused some of the marks, or more precisely who. Stoick growled furiously in frustration, staring intently at Jarik's arm, the metal hand visible and gleaming, and back at Hiccup's leg before lowering his head in defeat. Just then Spitelout came rushing up.

"What's our next move chief?" he asks, before taking notice of hiccup's condition. "Oh..."

"I know one of us here is a healer. See if you can find them," Gobber tells him, and he nods, about to rush off when Stoick stops them.

"Have the men pick through the wreckage of the fleet. We'll need to create more ships to get off this island. And keep everyone away from this area," Stoick says quietly, and Spitelout heads off, directing the Vikings to carry out the orders. The healer they had brought along soon came over, and kneeled over Hiccup next to Stoick and Ahsoka, while Gobber and Jarik stood over them, watching. Jarik kept a hand on Toothless for comfort, in order to calm him down.

"We'll have to cut it off in order to save the rest," the healer says. "Get a sharp, clean axe for this, then heat it up as much as possible," he tells Gobber.

Ahsoka however shakes her head. "No, there's an easier way to do it, and a less dangerous way too."

"And what's that?" Stoick demands.

"The more his leg stays like this the more risk he has of getting infected. It needs to come off now," she argues. "And two of us just so happen to have the perfect tool for this, and the least painful."

Jarik pulls his lightsaber off of his belt and shows it to them, and they all get the message, widening their eyes.

Stoick nods his head after a moment. "Alright, do it!"

"It will hurt him though, even while in a coma," the healer warns. "We'll also have to cauterize it afterwards."

"Lightsaber blades cauterize things instantly, don't worry." Jarik says in reassurance, before glancing back at Toothless, who was moaning, looking up at them with worried, terrified eyes then back at Hiccup. "Ahsoka, keep Toothless calm, the rest of you hold Hiccup down," he says.

Ahsoka nods and gets up from her position to kneel by Toothless' side, stroking him comfortingly with her hand while sending feelings of reassurance through the Force. Stoick then holds down Hiccup's shoulders, Gobber his right arm and leg, and the healer on his left arm and upper leg. Jarik stands in front of Hiccup's foot, and activates his blue lightsaber, lining up the strike.

Seeing this, Toothless yelps in alarm and struggles to stop him, but Ahsoka keeps him down, shushing him quietly. The injuries of his crash on the ground still kept him from moving too much as well. Taking a deep breathe, Jarik slowly raises the saber, and shares a look with the three Vikings. He then quickly slices the blade downwards, cutting cleanly through Hiccup's leg just above the highest point of damage.

Immediately, Hiccup began to scream and thrash in agony, the Vikings holding him down. Toothless wails with grief, and Jarik quickly pulls away the mangled remains of the leg and then held down the remainder of his left leg. He quickly pulls out a spare bacta patch he carried around in a small pocket on his armor for emergencies, applying it to the smoky stump.

"What is that?" the healer demands.

"Bacta patch, helps with surface injuries in battle during an emergency," he quickly explains.

Soon enough, Hiccup begins to quiet down and stop moving, shivering heavily, his skin pale and clammy, settling down until he was still again.

* * *

 **Jarik POV - _30_ _minutes later..._**

After helping to patch up Hiccup's leg for the time being, Ahsoka and I were sitting on a rock a couple feet from Toothless. Mara was here as well, along with Astrid and Stoick, the latter of which refused to let Hiccup out of his sight anytime soon to make up for being a terrible father. Hiccup was laying on a wooden board, my cloak acting as a comforter for him to lay on, and Stoick's fur cape as a blanket. By now most of the villagers here had learned about Hiccup losing a leg, which was kind of easy to tell from all the screaming that took place during his amputation.

There had also been a headcount after the battle. Unfortunately, twenty-five of the villagers had died during the chaos, eleven against the Hssiss dragons, and fourteen against the Red Death. Nine of those fourteen were killed when the Red Death set the ships on fire. They had been given the proper Viking funerals on the water using pieces of wood fashioned into rafts, after which they began collecting what materials they could find to build a ship. I suppose we could call R5 to come over with the Knight Hawk, but none of the Viking had ever met the droid yet, and we didn't want to shock them anymore today. Besides, the ship couldn't fit everyone on it anyways.

Toothless was laying curled around Hiccup's makeshift bed, seemingly asleep, but the three of us knew he was ready to leap to his defense at a moments notice.

"I'm confused..." Astrid said, breaking through the silence. "How did you guys not sense Hiccup was alive? I thought you could do stuff like that... or whatever."

Ahsoka and I share a look, and Stoick glances up as well. So we decide to reveal what we've kept secret all this time. "Because Toothless is connected to the Force," I stated.

It took them a moment to realize what I had just said. "Wait, what?!" Stoick exclaimed in surprise, standing up. Toothless opened his eyes and jerked his head threateningly, before realizing there wasn't any danger, and laid back down again.

"He is. It's what makes Night Fury's so special." Ahsoka said.

"But... how?" Astrid asked in bewilderment.

"Like us, dragons are also connected to the Force. The Hssiss dragons of course were creatures of the dark side, which made them so chaotic and dangerous." I told them. "Toothless however... he's not exactly of the Light, but the Force is strong in him compared to other dragons. It's what gives him the ability to generate plasma blasts, and have enhanced abilities."

They both stared at Toothless in confusion and wonder, before a growling sound caught out attention. The Force grew chilly again, although slightly, and I widened my eyes. Toothless raises his head and snarled, and we all looked over to see the Hssiss pack leader stalking towards us, severely injured with a limp, and burns covering its body. Stoick got up and grabbed his hammer, charging at the dragon with a war cry.

I leaped to my feet to stop him. "No, wait!" I exclaimed.

"What do you mean wait?! You said these beasts were evil!" he demanded.

"Something's different about this one..." I replied, staring at it. Ahsoka stood up beside me as well, nodding her head in agreement.

Stoick sighed irritably, but lowered his hammer, taking a few steps back, Toothless snarling viciously in warning the whole time. The Hssiss dragon stalked forwards slowly, but still kept its distance, keeping its focus on us. Ahsoka shifted slightly, taking a single step forwards, and it snarled furiously, becoming more violent.

"Wait," I told her, stepping forwards and catching its attention onto me instead.

The dragon snarled, but otherwise calmed down... as much as it was before. Frowning in thought, I then slipped the Light Side back, letting some of the dark slip out instead towards the dragon. It locked eyes with me, and I could sense it's emotions. It was furious, wanting revenge and blood for the loss of its entire pack, but didn't want to risk it. It knew it was outnumbered and outmatched, and knew what I could do. So it backed away slowly, submitting to the reality.

It hated us, wanted nothing more than to tear us apart. But it was also acknowledging that I at least, was more powerful than it, and would win in a fight against it, especially now.

Pulling the dark side back and filling myself with the Light, we watched it slink away from the beach and back through the rocks, headed for some of the deep caves.

"Well that was something," Mara remarked. I nodded with a hum of agreement.

* * *

 **Hiccup POV - _1 week later..._**

I shifted slightly, the feeling of something blowing onto my face rousing me from my slumber. A dragon snort then gets my attention, and I slowly open my eyes, spotting Toothless above me. What... happened? Did I faint or something? I thought Toothless was still chained up...

"Oh, hey Toothless." I said groggily, and he warbles in excitement, moving closer and quickly nudging my face, coming closer and closer. He also slowly pushes me at the same time.

"I'm happy to see you too, bud. Now just-" I start to say, but he then brings his front paw up and accidentally steps on my stomach. I jerk up with a painful groan, holding my side while Toothless quickly jumps away. A moment later I looked up in confusion, finding myself in bed, in my house. The fire-pit was in front of me, fully lit actually. What happened?!

"I'm in my house," I say slowly, looking at Toothless in alarm. "You're in my house!"

Toothless shifts excitedly, wagging his tongue and then jumps around the room, knocking things over, far too big for the space. A few weapons clatter to the ground in a loud noise, and I wince. Dad can't know he's here, he'll kill him!

"Uh... does my dad know you're in here?!" I exclaim in a panic, looking around wildly.

Toothless pauses at the foot of the bed for a moment, tongue wagging while completely ignoring the panic in my voice. He then eyes the rafters excitedly and leaps up onto them, brimming with energy like a happy dog. I have to get him out of here!

"Okay, okay- no. Toothless!" I exclaim, and he stops moving, looking down at me. "Aw, come on..."

I suddenly stop talking as I shift in bed in an attempt to get up, feeling something different about my left leg... actually I couldn't feel part of it at all. I peels back the covers slowly, widening my eyes in shock at the sight. Instead of my lower left leg, is a prosthetic made of iron, and some strange but comfortable material at the spot where the fake leg connected to my real one. It has the general shape of a real foot, but in the middle of it is an open space which looks like some sort of clip that would attach to something else. It also had some sort of spring-like thing at the ankle.

Toothless comes down from the rafters and carefully approaches, suddenly concerned. Then the memories of what happened came flooding back. My dad and the rest of the village had set off to find the dragons nest with Toothless, then I got the teens to follow on their own dragons, Jarik and Mara going first on their strange boat. Then I rescued Toothless, with my dad's help, and fought the Queen. Then... oh gods. I let off a quiet sigh.

I shift over on the bed, lowering my right leg, and then the mechanical prosthetic in place of my second leg. I still couldn't tell what some of it was. I recognized some of Gobber's craftsmanship in the iron parts, but the rest, I had no clue. Toothless slowly lowers his head and sniffs my new leg, then raises his eyes to meet mine, seemingly aware of what I'm going through. Taking a deep breath, I brace myself on the bedpost and try to stand on it. Pain immediately shoots through my leg and I wince, taking a stop. Taking another breath, I puff out my chest and try to walk forwards again, but immediately stumble with a cry of pain. Luckily, Toothless catches my fall with his head and slowly lifts me up.

"Thanks bud," I say gratefully.

Toothless shifts to the side and I lean on him like a crutch. I start to walk forwards, Toothless supporting me the whole way as I tested the prosthetic foot. Despite the pain, it surprisingly felt a lot more comfortable than I would expect it too. Not that I was complaining. Eventually, we reach the door and I limp forwards, grasping the door handle and pulling it open. The moment I open the door, a Monstrous Nightmare charges forwards with a roar, and I quickly slam it back closed with a yelp. Another dragon raid?! Or something else...

"Toothless? Stay here, bud." I tell him, opening the door again.

Peeking outside, I see that instead of attacking, the Monstrous Nightmare is actually carrying Snotlout on its back!

"Come on guys, get ready! Hold on tight! Here we go!" he exclaims, spurring the dragon onwards.

To my shock a class of newbie dragon riders then follow after him on a variety of dragons. Stepping outside, I look around in utter disbelief to see Vikings and dragons milling about by the dozen, basking on the rooftops, weaving along the plaza. No one seems upset, and there isn't a single sword or weapon in sight! Under one of the barns, a Nadder blasts fire onto a metal brace, and then steps back to let a Viking hammer it into shape. Nearby, a Gronkle lands, carrying a tree trunk in his mouth. He shows someone what he's found, and the Viking pats his head.

"I knew it. I'm dead," I stated numbly.

Dad then walks up to me with a laugh, a completely new attitude about him. "No, but you gave it your best shot," he says in amusement.

He puts his arm around me and helps to steady me as we walk forwards. He gestures to the transformed village.

"So? What do you think?" he asks.

I just shrugs, completely at a loss for words. Below in the plaza, villagers start to take notice.

"Hey look! It's Hiccup!" someone exclaims, and others nearby rush forwards as well in excitement. They all jog over, surrounding me with a hero's welcome. I was stunned.

"Hiccup, how you doin' mate?"

"It's great to see you up and about."

"Turns out all we needed was a little more of... this," Dad continues, gesturing non-specifically at me.

"You just gestured to all of me," I reply with wide eyes. He just nods, a proud smile on his face, and I finally smiled back happily, glad to finally have genuine approval from my dad. This is without a doubt one of the happiest moments of my life. Gobber then shoves his way forwards, pointing at me leg while beaming proudly.

"Well. Most of you. That bit's mostly my handiwork, with a little Hiccup flare thrown in. Think it'll do?" he asks.

I take a look at it, moving my foot slightly with an analytical gaze. "Eh. I might make a few tweaks," I reply sarcastically. "But what did you use in this? I've never seen anything like it," I ask in confusion and wonder.

"That would be my addition," Jarik says, and I look up to see him, Ahsoka and Mara all approach with a smile on their face. "I decided to add in some special bits to make it more bearable for you, and more like a real foot."

"Wow... thanks!" I said gratefuly in amazement.

"Now you can be just like my Dad, or Gobber! Take your pick!" Mara says cheerily. the crowd lets out chuckles of amusement while the three of us missing limbs all stared at her in annoyance. She simply smiles cheekily, no regret on her face at the comment. I sigh but shake my head in amused exasperation.

Then out of nowhere, Astrid appears and jabs me in the arm. I flinch slightly in pain and recoil with a grumble, rubbing my arm. "That's for scaring me," she says.

I gape at her incredulously. "Wh- What?! Is it always going to be this way? Cause I..." I ramble in protest.

Before I could continue on, she grabs me aggressively... and then kisses me, much to my shock. Hoots and hollers follow, most of them I am certain are coming from Mara.

She then releases me, and I stare forwards for another moment, still surprised. "...I could get used to it."

Gobber then presents me with a rebuilt saddle, rigging, and tail. I accept it in amazement.

"Welcome home," he says.

Suddenly, the sound of the door opening gets my attention, and a few people begin to scatter.

"Night Fury! Get down!" someone exclaims jokingly.

Moments later, Toothless comes leaping and crawling over the gathered Vikings, including Spitelout, and steps all over them. He eyes the new tail excitedly, tongue wagging. Amidst the pained groans and grumbles, Astrid, Mara and I exchange a sheepish grin.

"Oh by the way, did you know that Toothless was Force sensitive?" Mara comments casually.

She was so casual about it I never even realized what she said until a few moments later. I whip around to stare at her, Jarik and Ahsoka with wide eyes, the latter two rolling their eyes in exasperation.

"WHAT?!" I exclaimed.

ooo00ooo

 **3rd person POV - _A few minutes later..._**

 _'When I started this story, I mentioned how a close friend likes to tease me about narrating things. Well in Mara's case, she's right, and I proudly accept that fact.'_

Mounting Toothless, Hiccup snaps his prosthetic foot into the modified stirrup. The two pieces click together, forming a single shape, and he rotates the pedal. The new tail opens, decorated bright red with a skull and Viking horns emblazoned on it.

Hiccup grins in approval, and looks up to see Astrid backing her Nadder into position. Mara stands beside them both, a grin on her face. Satisfied, Hiccup leans over to look at Toothless.

"You ready?" he asks.

Toothless on excitement, and from his mount, Hiccup looks out over the changed world.

 _'This... is Berk. It snows nine months of the year... and hails the other three.'_

They leap into the bright blue sky, together as one. Astrid follows, giving chase while Mara watches them go from the ground.

 _'Any food that grows here is tough and tasteless. The people that grow here are even more so.'_

Hiccup and Astrid race their dragons through the village. They fly under eaves, over rooftops, down cliff-sides, and between ship masts. It's a high energy, romantic dance of sorts.

 _'The only upsides are the pets. While other places have ponies or parrots, we have...'_

Their fellow recruits join them as they take to the open sky, rocketing far above the village. The Northern sky swirls with blazing, multicolored dragons. Hiccup and Toothless break from the pack, spinning into the blinding sun.

 _'...dragons.'_

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

 _ **Mustafar - Atravis Sector**_

Vaneé strode through the dark corridor of the castle, searching for Lord Vader. He stopped before a set of thick doors, and they slid open with a hiss, before he strode forwards again. The second set of doors also opened, revealing a circular chamber, a viewport at the end to show the fiery landscape of the planet. Standing before the window was the tall, intimidating figure of Darth Vader, his mechanical breath echoing through the room. Stopping at a respectful distance, Vaneé bowed his head submissively and kneeled on the ground.

"My Lord Vader," he said.

"What is it Vaneé?" Vader replied coldly. He was currently mulling over the stone deep within his castle. It was becoming an obsession of his to acquire it, and he rarely liked being interrupted from his thoughts unless there was an important reason.

"Admiral Thrawn of the Navy... has arrived." Vaneé announced, looking up. Vader stood silently for a moment before turning around.

"Inform the Admiral that I will meet with him shortly," he said.

ooo00ooo

Admiral Thrawn stood in the open chamber, which had a massive viewport to see the great landscape beyond. By his side was Lieutenant Vanto, who shifted nervously. Thrawn however paid his nervousness no mind. It was only natural to be afraid of Lord Vader, as everyone in the Empire was fully aware of how ruthless the Emperor's Fist was, despite his successes in battles. Instead, he studied the cave around them, which was lit up by lava from underneath.

The architecture used in its structure was an old design from centuries past, but there were more recent touches to it as well. He could see that while Vader lived here, there was something about it that he also hated... and he seemed to have a complicated past, which was interesting. No one besides the Emperor, and maybe Tarkin know where Vader came from, and that secret was not bound to change any time soon.

"Are you... sure I'm allowed to be in this meeting with you sir?" Vanto ask hesitantly.

Thrawn nodded. "Of course you are. I was assured that it would be no trouble with Lord Vader, despite what his reputation implies," he replied calmly.

Just then, the door at the top of the far ramp opened, letting light and mist spill into the room. Thrawn and Vanto both turned their attention towards it, preparing themselves with the encounter, and Vanto swallowed nervously. The silhouette of Lord Vader appeared, and the sound of his mechanical breathing could be heard, the mist surrounding him eerily. He then strode down the ramp towards them, his boots echoing against the floor with an intimidating stomp. Thrawn and Vanto both stood up straight, an impassive expression on their faces, but unlike Vanto, Thrawn's eyes held no hint of fear.

Vader then came to a stop, his seven foot height towering over the two Imperial Officers. Despite this difference in height, Thrawn matched the Sith Lord's gaze evenly, both men analyzing the other.

"Admiral Thrawn," Vader stated, his voice booming.

"Lord Vader," Thrawn replied with a respectful incline of his head, Vanto following his example.

"I hope what you have to say does not waste our time, for your sake." Vader says.

Vanto swallows again nervously at the obvious threat, but Thrawn is unfazed, nodding his head. "Of course my lord. In fact, I'm sure you will be very intrigued to hear what I have to say."

"What is it, you wish to inform me of?" Vader inquires, sensing the confidence that Thrawn has.

"It has come to my understanding that you have a certain, grudge... against the Jedi Knight, Jarik Shan?" Thrawn asks.

Vader whips his head to stare at Thrawn, thoughts about the stone beneath the castle immediately leaving his mind.

"You have information on Shan's whereabouts?!" he asks.

Thrawn nods his head in confirmation. "I believe I may have a lead on what he has been doing during his years in hiding..."

* * *

 _Ohhh man... Vader and Thrawn meet up! What could Thrawn have possibly learned about Jarik Shan? Things are getting very serious, and dangerous times are quickly coming upon Jarik and his allies. And Vader is still searching for the secret of this stone underneath his castle._

 _Also, the end of the first HTTYD movie! Yay! I hope you guys enjoyed this ending, with Toothless' Force potential being revealed! And Jarik still has to find the proper time to get married to Ahsoka. That'll be tough for him lol._

 _Thank you guys so much for supporting this story, and I hope you all continue to enjoy it! :D_


	53. Ch 52 - Preparing a Rescue

**Jarik POV...**

After the defeat of the Red Death, which is the name everyone decided to give it, the village immediately changed for the better. Vikings and dragons were living together in peace, and the villagers were showing signs of being nicer, and appreciative of who and what they had. Even Ahsoka was now being treated just like anyone else, the Vikings having finally accepted her differences happily. Everything was going good. Sadly for us, the Empire was still a big threat, and the peace between dragon and Viking doesn't change anything in that regard, no matter how wonderful it is. So a few days after Hiccup woke up, we returned to Temple Island.

Since me and Mara crashed our landspeeder, I had to call R5 to fly the ship over and pick us up, which he did, although with great reluctance. He whined and complained about how we were gone for so long, but soon quieted down after we didn't react to much, much to my amusement. Luckily in our absence, nothing important had happened, but that could change any minute. Right now, we were all sitting down out in the courtyard of the Jedi Village, a small transceiver set up nearby. It was constantly monitoring for any important messages, particularly in the Lothal Sector, or for the Unknown Regions, where Sidious was sending ships.

"Hiccup definitely took that bomb you dropped on him well," I said sarcastically.

"You couldn't have at least broken it too him slowly?" Ahsoka asked.

Mara shrugged with a grin. "Eh, it was worth it."

"Thought he was going to go into another coma from shock for a moment there," I admitted.

"Like I said, worth it!" Mara replied happily. "The look of absolute shock on his face... it was so funny!"

A thought then crossed Ahsoka's mind, and she started to chuckle lightly, holding a hand in front of her mouth to block her snickering, but it was pointless. I eye her in confusion, before sensing what she was thinking about. My eyes widened in dread, and I started shaking my head.

"What's so funny?" Mara asked in confusion.

Ahsoka kept snickering, and I shook my head quickly at her, waving a hand. "Mmm mm. Mmm mm. No, we're not talking about that," I immediately said.

"Oh come on Jarik!" Ahsoka said with a laugh.

"Nope, don't you dare," I threatened. Mara was grinning now, and R5 suddenly rolled up close to us, looking between the three of us.

"You want to talk about... funny faces Mara?" Ahsoka asked between laughs with a smirk.

"What happened?!" she asked eagerly.

"Nothing! Nothing!" I said in exasperation.

R5 had now caught on and began snickering as well, much to my irritation. Unfortunately, my pleas and warnings continued to go unheard.

"You should've seen the look on your dad's face when Rex called me back," she said, grinning widely. I threw my arms up in the air in defeat.

"What for?!" Mara presses eagerly.

"Some time after I left the Jedi I was called back to siege Mandalore," Ahsoka explained, and I slumped in my seat with an irritated expression. "I swear, I thought Jarik was going to pass out for a second when he saw me on the hologram!"

"I wish I could see that," Mara says, throwing me a devious smirk. R5 beeps a few times before showing a hologram of that moment. I gape at him in disbelief.

"R5! Why do you even have a recording of that?!" I exclaim in bewilderment.

He beeps at me rudely to shut up, and the hologram plays. I watch with a irritated expression as a younger version of me, Obi-Wan and Anakin, all walked into the communications center, R5 rolling beside me.

 _"Alright Rex. What's so important that you brought us all the way back here?"_ Anakin asked, before stopping with a shocked expression on his face.

A hologram of Ahsoka and Bo-Katan are on the table with Rex in front of it. Ahsoka glances behind her, and then turns around, Bo-Katan following. Obi-Wan's eyes were wide in surprise, and the most... bewildered and shocked expression was on my face.

 _"Hello Master... Jarik... it's been awhile,"_ she says.

The hologram of myself was at a loss for words, trying to formulate a sentence.

R5 then shuts it off, and all three of them burst out into laughter while I sit there pouting, arms crossed in front of me, slumped in the seat with a dull expression.

"Oh Force, that is hilarious!" Mara exclaims in delight, and I let out an irritated sigh.

Why did I always get the short end of the stick?

"I forgot how shocked you looked. You definitely weren't expecting that!" Ahsoka says in amusement.

I rolled my eyes.

"Is there going to be no mention of the stunned expression on Anakin's face?" I offer, attempting to divert their attention away from me.

"That is nothing, compared to you Jarik," she replies with a smirk.

I prop my head on my fist, glaring forwards glumly.

"Way to turn a sensitive moment into a laughing fest," I state, giving R5 a kick in the side, which he squeals in protest at.

"Oh relax, we're only teasing," Ahsoka says.

"Besides, it's so easy to make fun of you! You can't deny that!" Mara says joyfully.

I shake my head in exasperation, but there's a hint of a small smile on my face. Just then, the transceiver starts beeping, signaling that there was some sort of message coming through. Our joy slowly went away as we shared a happy look, before I got up from the chair and headed over to the transceiver, and opened the hologram.

"Huh... this is being broadcasted over the Lothal Sector from a Communications Tower," I observed.

"Why would the Empire broadcast something publicly with that?" Ahsoka asked in confusion. "It's not like them..." she trails off.

"Oh what did they do this time?" I said sarcastically.

"Did the Spectre's do something stupid?" Mara asks.

"Depends on what they did. The betrayal of Trayvis hit them hard, particularly Ezra," Ahsoka stated.

"Well, then let's see what it is that they pulled off," I commented, playing the message. We all moved forwards to stand around the hologram, and the profile image of Ezra came up, followed by a volume bar as Ezra's voice then streamed through the speakers.

 _"We have been called criminals, but we are not. We are rebels, fighting for the people, fighting for you. I'm not that old, but I remember a time when things were better on Lothal. Maybe not great, but never like this. See what the Empire has done to your lives, your families and your freedom? It's only gonna get worse... unless we stand up and fight back. It won't be easy. There will be loss and sacrifice. But we can't back down just because we're afraid. That's when we need to stand the tallest. That's what my parents taught me. That's why my new family helped me remember. Stand up together. Because that's when we're strongest- as one!"_

The message was then abruptly ended, and the three of us looked at each other, unsure of what to think. Mara however, wasn't as unsure, not yet seeing the bigger picture.

"Wow..." Mara said, a small smile forming on her face. "That's a very inspirational message! So many people had to have heard that!"

"Yeah... a lot," I agreed, still unsure., sharing a knowing look with Ahsoka. Then R5 beeped at us, his voice sounding a little more grim than normal. I widened my eyes in alarm.

"Kanan's been captured?" I asked.

"What?! How?" Mara exclaimed in surprise. R5 beeped again, and Ahsoka scowled.

"Tarkin," she muttered.

"Oh I hate that guy," I said in full agreement.

"Who's Tarkin?" Mara asked.

"Some, arrogant, no-good snobbish sleemo," Ahsoka replied with a sarcastic wave of her hand.

"So, the usual Imperial punk then?" she says.

I shrugged. "He definitely is arrogant, but that doesn't make him a pushover, just more tough of an opponent. He's ruthless, and will go to great lengths in order to get what he wants," I told her.

"Well that sounds splendid," Mara deadpanned.

"He's cruel, but despite hating him, you have to admit that he can actually get things done, unlike most Imperials," Ahsoka admits with a sigh, shifting so that a hand was on her hip. I nodded in agreement.

"How long ago did this happen?" Ahsoka asks me.

"Umm..." I turn around and quickly pull up the date for when the message was originally sent. Since Ahch-To is so far out in space, messages that are broadcasted publicly on an Imperial Tower take a while to reach us, unless I'm actively searching with a signal amplifier. "A little over a day ago," I informed them.

"Alright..." Mara starts. "Kanan's been captured for a day, Ezra sent out an inspiring message, and now the team is most likely trying to rescue him... so what's next?" she questions, unsure of the answer. Me and Ahsoka both share a worried glance.

"We'll have to make a call," I answered.

* * *

The three of us were all sitting at the table inside of our communications hut with Ahsoka in the middle, and R5 standing in front of us. He was broadcasting a hologram of Hera, sending the cloaked Fulcrum image to her end. Through the hologram, we could tell fairly easily how frustrated she was from what Ahsoka was telling her.

"Kanan knew the risks, accepted them. I'm sorry, but you must focus on your next objective." Ahsoka said.

 _"But, Fulcrum, Kanan is our objective. We can still find him!"_ Hera replied determinedly.

"At what cost? You? Your unit? The overall mission?" Ahsoka sighed. "There's something else, Hera. The transmission Ezra was able to beam out has attracted attention, not just from civilians, but from the highest levels of the Empire."

 _"It was Kanan's plan. I guess it worked,"_ she admitted, turning around.

"Your mission was to be unseen, unnoticed, and now-"

 _"Kanan wanted to inspire people. He wanted to give them hope."_ Hera interrupted.

"Well, he was successful. But if you are caught, if Ezra is caught, that hope will die. To protect your unit, to protect Ezra, you must stop your search for Kanan and go into hiding." Ahsoka replied regretfully. Hera looked down sadly, and the transmission ended a few moments later. She leaned forwards, her elbow on the table and propping her head on her hand.

"So we're just going to leave him mom? I don't get it!" Mara spoke up, disbelief running through her voice.

"We aren't leaving him," I replied.

"But that's you you guys said," she argued.

"I said they need to call off their search for Kanan. It's too dangerous for them, especially with the Empire's higher levels turning their eyes towards them now, including Vader." Ahsoka reminded her. "I never said anything about us."

Mara stopped for a moment. "Ohh... so we're gonna rescue him?"

"I am. You two will be backup at a moments notice," I spoke up.

"Why can't I go with you?" Mara demanded with a frown.

"Because it involves Tarkin, and most likely an Inquisitor, or several. I'm going to be infiltrating a Star Destroyer," I told her. "I just checked a minute ago, and Kanan is imprisoned on the Sovereign, Tarkin's personal ship. You aren't ready for something of this level yet."

"I'm sure I am! So what if its a Star Destroyer? You know how to navigate those," she argued back.

"How about we compromise?" Ahsoka offered, drawing our attention to her. "Hera may listen to my message, but I highly doubt the others will, and will try to continue their rescue op whether we like it or not."

"Good point," I agreed.

"So, instead of infiltrating the Star Destroyer Mara, you can go with the crew, make sure they don't get into too much trouble," she says.

Mara shifts uncomfortably. "But... Sabine doesn't really like me."

"Doesn't matter. She won't go as far as too attack you," I told her. "Besides, even if she tries, the others will be there to stop her."

Mara considers the idea, and I can tell she really wants to go with me instead. Luckily, she agrees to Ahsoka's plan with a sigh.

"Good. Now let's get ourselves ready," Ahsoka says.

* * *

 ** _Mustafar - Atravis Sector_**

 **3rd person POV…**

"You have heard by now of the rebel cell stationed around Lothal?" Thrawn asks.

"What relevance do they have with Shan?" Vader responds with an unseeing frown.

"After I first encountered Jarik Shan a few years ago in the Brema Sector, I took it upon myself to study him immensely, for weaknesses, battle strategies, and how he thinks." Thrawn told him, recounting the various cases he had analyzed.

"Then you would be no doubt aware that he is exceptional in the art of slicing," Vader states. "It is that and his training that allows him to remain hidden so well from the Empire."

Thrawn nods his head.

"I agree. However, even he is not infallible," he replies. "While undercover as the smuggler, Aven Ikorria I was able to see how he operated, leaving no trace, yet gathering near perfect intel despite our efforts."

Vader listens intently as Thrawn continues.

"Using those cases, I have found similarities in how they operate compared to the rebels on Lothal. Many of their heists, while encountering setbacks, have shown to be successful in bypassing Imperial security, which leads me to believe they have an informer, an agent of some kind, who supplies their missions," he explains. "Whether they know who it is or not I am unsure. But it is my belief that this agent of their's is the very same Jarik Shan. My belief was strengthened when the Grand Inquisitor reported Mara Jade working alongside those rebels as well."

"And Mara Jade was rescued by Jarik Shan..." Vader mused, the gears in his head ticking. "If that is true, then you have my attention Admiral."

Thrawn nods again, pleased.

"And considering the recent capturing of their leader, Kanan Jarrus, I am certain that Shan will be involved one way or another in his inevitable rescue attempt," he reasons.

"Your perceptiveness is to be admired Thrawn," Vader said, a rare moment of praise from the Sith Lord. "But if this turns out to be wrong, and Jarik Shan is not involved with these rebels whatsoever, there will be... consequences, for wasting my time."

Thrawn nods his head.

"I understand Lord Vader. Rest assured, I am certain that Shan will unveil himself soon," he says confidently.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

"You sure you're ready to go through with this?" Ahsoka asks me.

I nod my head.

"I am. Kanan's a good kid... well, was the last time I saw him," I remark.

"How much have you two interacted?" she questions, crossing her arms.

"Well, it was only brief, so he probably won't remember. First time he accidentally bumped into me in the way to one of his classes, and then another time he was the messenger to me from Yoda," I admit.

"And you can tell he's a good kid from that?" she asks with a raised eyebrow. I smirk at her charmingly, brushing my hair aside.

"I happen to be a rather good judge of character!" I proclaim proudly, and she scoffs in amusement, shaking her head. "Besides, he had a spark of innocence to him."

"If you say so," she replies with a small smile, before growing serious. "Jarik... I know that you know where the Sovereign is headed right now."

My face falls equally grim. "Yeah. Mustafar."

Memories from years ago resurface, ones that I've shared to Ahsoka about my duel with Barriss there. I thought that she should know about what happened to our best friend after the war. And there was also the rumor, which I am certain is true, that it's where Vader's personal castle is set up. A wave of guilt suddenly hit me; how can I say she deserved to know Barriss' fate... when I haven't told her of what happened to Anakin yet?

"If Vader is there, he may very well know you are as well the moment you exit hyperspace," she warned me.

"I know. Especially because of how much he hates me," I add glumly.

She sidles closer, placing a hand gently on my arm for comfort.

"One day I hope you'll be able to tell me what it is that you did to get on his bad side..." she says slowly, and I flinch slightly. "But until then, just stay safe for me will you?"

"I will Sweetie Horns, I promise," I replied sincerely.

She smiles in return, and we both wrap our arms around each other, sharing a tight hug as I rested my chin on her shoulder, while she buried her face in my cloak. It may seem like one of 'those' goodbyes, but we both like to share our feelings as much as possible. This is still a very dangerous galaxy after all, and who knows what could happen?

* * *

 _Oh Jarik, still don't have to courage to tell her. He's gotta get over that soon..._

 _Next chapter will cover the events of Fire Across the Galaxy, the season one finale of Rebels. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I also hope the Vader and Thrawn exchange was done well. I want Vader to still be intimidating and obviously the guy in charge while also taking Thrawn's insight into consideration._

 _Thanks for supporting this series so much, and there is... way more to go. We still have all of the Empire Era to get through!_

 _Also if you've seen the new Clone Wars trailer you'll get that easter egg. ;)_


	54. Ch 53 - Fire Across the Galaxy

**_Author's Note:_** _Wow... this was a long chapter. so much stuff that had to be put in, made it three times as long as my usual word limit. Oh well, more for you to enjoy I suppose!_

* * *

 ** _Shipyard; Lothal - Lothal Sector_**

 **3rd person POV...**

The shipyard on Lothal was proceeding on schedule as usual, with a Gozanti cruiser parked for refueling. A pair of stormtroopers patrolled along the TIE Fighters before a girl's voice called out to them.

"Miss me, bucketheads?"

The Stormtroopers turned around to find Sabine standing before them, hand on her hip and a paint sprayer in the other. She let out a small puff of pink spray paint, and they immediately raised their blasters.

"It's her!" one exclaims

They opened fire, and Sabine quickly ducked out of the way before jumping up a wall. She easily pulled herself forwards and ran along the top of the wall, the stormtroopers attempting to shoot her down. She ducked down the side for a moment, and they stopped shooting.

"Yep, you definitely missed me!" Sabine exclaimed, popping back up and waving her arms tauntingly.

They fired at her again, and she leaped down onto a lower crate, rolling out of sight. One of the troopers raised a hand to his helmet, activating his comlink.

"We have an intruder on the north side, Sector 9. The artist is back," the trooper reports grimly. "Sound the alarm."

The Stormtroopers took off after Sabine, and once they were gone, Ezra and Zeb peeked around the corner, grins on their faces.

"Sabine's distraction is working," Ezra said, and they quickly rushed across the yard in the direction of the Gozanti cruiser.

Unbeknownst to them, a small, but shadowy figure with red hair leaped off of a tall crate, and quietly stalked after them, keeping out of sight. Nearby, more stormtroopers had gathered to shoot down the Mandalorian teenager, but she easily evaded every of their shots without a sweat, flipping onto various crates and pulling herself up walls. Ezra and Zeb entered the lift to the Gozanti cruiser, which closed after them. The two rushed into the cockpit and Ezra stretched his arms, cracking his knuckles and sitting down in the pilot's seat. Pressing a few buttons, the ship turned on, and he gave Zeb a thumbs up as they achieved liftoff.

Sabine ducked from another blast before peeking her head out again, a grin underneath her helmet.

"You got a little better!" she admitted.

She then jumped off of the wall and rolled across the ground, jumping up again. Using a stormtrooper as a launch pad, she jumped onto the TIE Fighter platform, then climbed to the top of the fighter.

"But I got a lot better!" she added smugly.

The Gozanti cruiser rose up behind her, and the stormtroopers looked up in alarm.

"That's not one of us!" one exclaimed, and they focused their fire on the ship.

Sabine then ran along the tops of the TIE Fighters and jumped onto the extended platform, waving down at them.

"Bye-bye, bucketheads!" she called out

The Stormtroopers continued to fire at the slowly retreating ship before the sound of a primed detonator got one's attention.

"Not again. Everyone, evacuate!" he exclaimed, rushing for cover.

Moments later the entire shipyard erupted into a series of explosions, courtesy of Sabine, laying waste to the facility.

As the Gozanti cruiser retreated, a shadowy figure crawled along the top of the ship, seeing the ground rapidly getting further. Knowing she didn't have much more time, she speedily rushed towards one of the emergency exits and used the Force to pull the lever inside. The door slammed open, and she quickly jumped in, closing it behind her.

* * *

 ** _Space - Lothal Sector_**

The Gozanti cruiser was docked with the Ghost, which flew through space at a calm speed. In the main cabin of the ship, the Crew was sitting around the holotable, which had a projection of Mustafar on it.

"The transport you stole will get us close to the fleet over Mustafar. We know they have Kanan on Tarkin's Star Destroyer," Hera said, a hologram of the Sovereign appearing.

"And it's surrounded by a bunch of other Star Destroyers." Zeb pointed out.

"Uh, lots more," she replied in agreement. "We'll need a distraction to cover our entry. Sabine?"

"Engine room's here- all the power for the ship. If we could get inside the docking bay, I could rig something, black 'em out. But our transport ship's not gonna fit in there." Sabine told them.

"We need something small enough to get into that hangar bay," Hera decided, sighing I frustration as the holotable turned off, bringing the lights back on.

"How about a TIE Fighter?" a girls voice asked.

The crew all yelped in surprise, whipping their heads around, and Sabine pulled out her blaster pistol. Their eyes all widened in shock to see Mara sitting on a bench, leaning against the side of the wall with her legs on the bench. She was picking at her hands casually, and looked over innocently. Sabine's face contorted into one of anger, and she didn't lower her blasters.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Sabine-" Hera started to say before being interrupted by Zeb.

"Forget that! How'd she get on board?!" he demanded.

"I snuck on while you stole that Gozanti. Nice distraction by the way," Mara said, winking at Sabine, who glanced at her in slight surprise and hesitancy, before glaring again.

"Thanks..." she answered slowly.

"So, you guys are planning to rescue Kanan huh?" Mara said, standing up.

They all glanced at each other hesitantly before Hera stepped forwards. "We are. Does Fulcrum know about this?"

"Duh. Why do you think I'm here?" she replied.

"Wait, what?" Ezra asked in confusion.

Mara rolled her eyes. "Fulcrum already knew you would go to rescue Kanan whether we liked it or not. So, Fulcrum sent us to help you!"

They all shared a glance of confusion, looking inquisitively at the young Jedi.

"Us?" Sabine questioned.

Mara stared at her warily, hesitating to answer before replying. "My dad."

Sabine widened her eyes in shock and fury, but Mara quickly cut her off before she could say anything.

"Look Sabine, I know you hate my dad and by extension; me. But we're doing this to help you rescue Kanan, alright? Besides, he isn't even going to be here with us, and you won't have to see him at all during this mission!" she reasoned

Sabine opened and closed her mouth a few times, attempting to formulate an angry response, but eventually gave up with a frustrated sigh, lowering her blasters.

"Fine," she replied angrily. Mara nodded in appreciation.

"So you're saying that your father, Jarik Shan, is going to help us rescue Kanan?" Hera asked, a hint of excitement showing.

"Yep," Mara replied.

"Well, how?!" Ezra asked eagerly.

Mara frowned thoughtfully, shrugging. "I don't know. He wouldn't tell me."

They all gaped at her in disbelief.

"What do you mean you don't know?!" Sabine exclaimed.

"Hey, all I know is that he and Tarkin have a history with each other, and he just told me that a few hours ago." Mara retorted defensively. "Besides, your plan is already sounding pretty good. So you said you needed a small enough ship?"

Hera nodded.

"A TIE Fighter would be a good start. If only we didn't blow up the ones back at that base," she said glumly.

Ezra perked up slightly, although extremely nervous, causing Mara to glance at him curiously. Just what was he up to?

"Well... there is one left! But, it's not at the base," he said.

Mara crossed her arms with a small grin, eager to hear this story. _'This should be good,'_ she thought to herself.

* * *

 ** _Mustafar - Atravis Sector_**

 **Jarik POV...**

The Knight Hawk was moments away from exiting hyperspace, with Ahsoka and R5 in the cockpit. I was standing in front of the docking clamp doors, and the second emergency door behind me was closed. I was wearing an EVA suit underneath my Jedi cloak and armor, and the helmet over my head. This plan was crazy, but good, and R5 had already done the calculations to time it right.

...

Yeah that's worrisome, but when it comes to life and death he doesn't mess up, so I should be good.

 _"You ready over there?"_ Ahsoka asked over the comlink.

"Ready!" I replied, holding my arms together in front of me.

I could hear R5's beeping over the com, signaling that we were about to exit hyperspace.

 _"Exiting hyperspace in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... now,"_ Ahsoka said, and I felt the slight lurch as the ship came to a stop, exiting hyperspace.

A moment later, the docking clamp door opened in a flash, and the vacuum of space immediately sucked me out at a very high velocity, sending me hurtling forwards. I glance behind me to see the ship turn and re-enter hyperspace, and looked forwards again. I was headed straight for the Sovereign, passing by his fleet of Star Destroyers on the way, Mustafar's glowing red surface bringing back memories.

I shoved those memories down and concentrated on flying straight, staying in a streamline position as Tarkin's ship got closer and closer. Narrowing my eyes, I quickly searched the ship for the proper place of entry, and then reached out an arm, using the ship as an anchor to help change my direction. I slowly aimed myself for an area on the lower bridge tower. Once I was close enough, I reached out both arms and used the Force to slow down, cushioning my landing against its surface, grasping onto a near ledge. If the Destroyer was in a planet's atmosphere, I would be standing horizontally, but luckily this was space.

Walking along the tower, I kept a tight hold on the ledge with my left arm and then placed my right hand against the surface, closing my eyes. I felt along the ship's surface for a proper opening, feeling with the Force. Eventually I found the right area, a small room that wouldn't alert or affect any other parts of the ship, and pulled out my lightsaber. I activated the blue blade and jammed it into the surface, cutting a small circular opening. Once I had cut all the way through, I quickly pulled myself out of the way as the covering was sucked off in an instant, two stormtroopers following with terrified screams.

Placing my saber back on my belt, I pulled myself into the small maintenance room, now inside of the Star Destroyer. looking around, I spotted a flat metal sheet larger then the opening I cut, and bounded over to it. Lifting it up easily in the vacuum, I carefully placed it over the open hole and pushed. Holding it in place, I then used the Force to open the door to the next room behind me. Air immediately flooded into the room, threatening to throw me against the wall.

Once the room was flooded, I carefully let go of the metal sheet, which to my relief, stayed on the wall. Just like I thought, the vacuum behind it was constantly pulling the heavy metal, but since it wasn't small enough it was stuck there. I grinned to myself and then pulled off the helmet, having no real need for it anymore and shook my hair free.

"Worked like a charm," I muttered, before stopping suddenly, a look of fear crossing over my face.

I could feel him... Vader was on the planet right now.

And he could sense me here too.

* * *

 **Vader POV...**

I looked out the window at the fiery landscape that caused me so much pain, watching the lava flow by, a constant sight all day. Behind me stood Admiral Thrawn and his Lieutenant Vanto at a respectful distance. The latter was fearful of me, something I could sense easily, but I paid him no mind. It was rare for an Imperial Officer to not feel fear in my presence, and Thrawn was one of those few. Today the atmosphere was unusually clear, not free of smoke but enough for me to spot Tarkin's fleet of ships just in orbit, where the Grand Inquisitor informed me that he was transporting a Jedi for interrogation.

I could sense him the moment he entered the system... Jarik Shan.

The thought of him made my blood boil in anger, in how he assisted in the great pains caused to me by Kenobi, as well as conspiring with Yoda against the former Galactic Republic. Like Kenobi, he betrayed my trust, and helped make me into this state of constant torture, forced to wear a heavy and painful suit with life support just to breathe and survive.

There was also someone else with him... but it was too brief. They left only moments after entering with him. But no matter, for Shan is the true prize.

"It seems you were correct Admiral. Shan has just arrived in the system," I said, my breaths echoing through the room.

"Just as I predicted, Lord Vader," he replied, with an incline of his head. "I assume you wish to bring him into Imperial custody?"

I didn't answer, thinking it over. While it would be my dream to fly up to Tarkin's cruiser right now and face Shan head on, he would sense my arrival and exit the ship, if he hasn't already. No, confronting him now would only end in failure, and he came here with a plan to rescue Kanan Jarrus. I didn't care for the second Jed, and whether he died or escape was of no concern to me. So for the time being, I have to play it right, and catch Shan off guard when he least expects it. Our confrontation, while inevitable, must occur on my terms, and mine alone.

"No. For now, we shall allow him to continue with the rescue of the Jedi," I finally say, much to their surprise. "We shall catch up to Shan soon enough, on my terms."

I could sense confusion from the Lieutenant, and curiosity from the Admiral, but they did not question my decision, bowing their heads.

"As you wish Lord Vader," Thrawn said calmly.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

As I made my way through the ship's corridors, I continued to mull over the plan in my head. Kanan was being held down in the detention level in cell block 32A, which I learned after taking over a computer terminal. It was a fair distance away from here taking the stealthy way, but I don't want to get spotted. At least through the conventional means.

No doubt the Grand Inquisitor was here, because he was the one to capture Kanan, and the two of them have a rivalry with each other. Tarkin would also have squads of deathtroopers at his disposal, who were not something to be taken lightly. Add that to the possibility that Second Sister was also here, and who knows if there were any other Inquisitor's present. So this definitely was going to be a really tough challenge.

The biggest concern of all was Vader. He knew I was here, that's for certain, so why hasn't the ship been put on alert yet? He's just... watching me through the Force, nothing else. And he wasn't exactly hiding his presence from me either, so both of us knew the other was watching us. The fact that he's doing nothing is more frightening then him putting the ship on high alert, or even coming here himself. It means he has a plan in place, something that I'm not sure any of us are going to like.

Halfway to my destination, the Force suddenly flowed strongly, a powerful presence nearby on Mustafar's surface, but it wasn't Vader. This was something older... and far more powerful. I focused in on it, shielding this action from Vader, and stopped in order to get any senses from it. And then to my surprise I actually... recognize it. Maybe not having sensed it myself before, but someone else showed me this.

 _Perhaps I could offer you, something the Jedi will not. Something they believe to lead to ruin, yet brings great strength to those who know of it..._

Snoke's words came back to me, from way back at the end of the Clone Wars, when I encountered him in the World Between Worlds. He talked about this great power, and I the time I thought he was being ridiculous. Was I, wrong to think that?

 _~Flashback~_

 _"Alright," I concede. "What could you have to offer me if you know so much?"_

 _He smiled pleasantly, and waved his hand. The image of him shifted to show a fiery landscape of lava, on some sort of planet. Then the image moves underground, and I'm standing in a dark cave, with a boulder in the center. A dim, barely visible purple glow comes from the rock, and Snoke's voice speaks again._

"An object that has existed for eons... something of great power. We can use it to bring balance back to the Force, and to end all wars across the galaxy," _he said, and the image sprang back to him, watching me expectantly._

 _"And that object is...?" I ask with a raised eyebrow._

 _He smiles, and leans forwards to answer..._

 _~Flashback Ends~_

"Hey, you!"

I pulled out of my memory to see a trio of Stormtroopers standing nearby down the hall, raising their blasters. I silently cursed myself for going into a memory at such a ridiculous time, spurred on by what I was sensing on the planet. There was a time, and a place, and this was not the place!

The Stormtroopers opened fire, and I quickly evaded the shots and leaped forwards, rushing for them. One broke off in an attempt to escape and warn the others, and I narrowed my eyes. Rolling across the ground, I pushed upwards with a punch, catching the squad leader in the jaw with my metal fist before spinning around and kicking the second into the wall, knocking both unconscious.

The last trooper raised a hand to his helmet, but before he could activate his comlink I reached out with the Force and yanked him towards me, much to his shock. He flew through the air, and I swung my metal fist again, catching him straight in the helmet, where he was instantly knocked out upon hitting the ground. I glanced back and down the hall, sensing for anymore Stormtroopers before looking back at the knocked out ones. There wasn't enough time to hide them, so I just had to get to the detention level as fast as I could before anyone else found these three.

I quickly rushed down the hallways, making sure to remain out of sight from any Imperials. I was about three quarters of the way there when the ship suddenly shuddered violently, causing me to stumble. I looked down the hallway to see more Stormtroopers also stumbling, looking up to see me, much to their surprise. Before anything else could happen, a blue field of electric currents suddenly shot through the hallway and covered everything, probably across the whole ship, and the power was knocked out along the way.

The Stormtroopers screamed in pain as their electric components in their helmets were fried, falling unconscious. When the wave hit me, I groaned in pain, holding tightly onto my left arm, which was sparking and messing up, covered in blue electricity. The wave must have messed up the circuits in my arm, but luckily unlike the Stormtroopers, the damage would be fixed in a matter of minutes. This was Sabine Wren's handiwork.

I guess the Spectres were here... and Mara. I sighed in exasperation at the realization.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

Our ship came out of hyperspace before the fleet of Star Destroyer's Mustafar glowing in the background. Despite knowing I could handle this mission, I couldn't help but give a brief glance of nervousness at the sight, shivering slightly upon feeling a trace of the dark side nearby. Hera flew us in at a steady pace towards Tarkin's Star Destroyer at the back.

"I'll send in our transporter code as soon as we know Kanan is there. Ezra?" Hera asks.

"Well, here goes nothin,'" Ezra says nervously, and I nudge him, giving him a confident smile.

He closes his eyes and then opens himself to the Force, our transport moving closer to the destroyer.

"So, anything?" Zeb asked.

"Give him a minute!" Sabine scolded, shoving him slightly.

"We don't really have a minute! Why can't Mara do this?" he complains, and I rolled my eyes with a sigh.

"Because he knows him better?" I shot back with a raised eyebrow.

"Ezra, is he there?" Hera asked with growing alarm, the ship drifting by another Star Destroyer's bridge.

Ezra continued to focus intensely on the Force, struggling to find Kanan. I laid a hand on his shoulder and leaned closer.

"Relax, and try to feel for a 'light' through the Force," I suggest.

He relaxes slightly, and moments later I sense him connecting with something or someone else, and he opens his eyes.

"He's there. He's alive!" he exclaims excitedly.

"Sending codes," Hera says, quickly punching in the message.

 _"Transport Ship 63378 cleared for decking. We have 10 TIEs inbound with reinforcements. Open Bay 5,"_ an officer's voice says over the com.

"They bought it. Chop, send in Sabine's present." Hera says.

Chopped beeped in confirmation and rolled over to the astromech port, plugging in. A moment later the TIE Fighter detached from the transport and headed over the the Star Destroyer without interference. We waited, and then Sabine raised her arm up and pressed the detonator. From outside, we could volts of electricity shooting across the whole ship, and all of the ship's power shut off until it was dead in space. Hera flew us in and docked onto the side of the ship, which was our sign to get ready.

I headed towards the back with Ezra, the rest of the group following after Hera gave a command to Chopper.

Me and Ezra both activated our lightsabers and began cutting through the wall, forming a circle. Once we had finished cutting, I raised a hand and used the Force to push the wall away. Ezra then crawled through, quickly pulling his hand back upon touching the metal surface, and I followed after him, the rest of the crew following after us. In the hallways we could see plenty of Stormtroopers laying slumped against the walls, unconscious.

"These guys will wake up soon," Sabine says.

"How soon?" Ezra asks.

"Too soon I reckon," Zeb comments.

"Come on, this way," Ezra says.

We began following Ezra down the hallways at a run, passing unconscious or groaning stormtroopers along the way. Hera's comlink then beeps, and she pulls it out, receiving a message from Chopper.

"Reinforcements already? That was fast," she says in concern.

"Dad did say Tarkin was efficient," I recall.

"Don't worry. On a ship this big, it'll take 'em a while to find us." Sabine says confidently.

We rounded a corner before stopping in surprise, coming face to face with a patrol of new stormtroopers down the hall, who raised their blasters at us, ready to fire.

"Drop your weapons! hands up!" the squad leader order.

"You were saying?" I deadpanned.

"Do not start with me!" Sabine threatened angrily.

Ezra let off a shot from his lightsaber-blaster thingy, hitting the squad leader full in the chest, and he toppled over with a pained cry. We turned around the corner we came from, but another group of stormtroopers approached.

"It's the rebels! This way!" one exclaimed.

We ran down the hall, and I stayed in the back of the group with my lightsaber activated, deflecting the shots they sent our way. A few moments later, Hera closed the door, and Ezra stepped forwards.

"Stand back!" he said.

He shoved his lightsaber into the door, and I deactivated mine as he continued to twist the blade through the metal, fusing the doors together.

"Pretty clever, kid. So what's next? Sabine asked.

Ezra puled his lightsaber out, a worried expression on his face.

"Kanan is down that hall. I just cut off only way to get to him," he told us.

"Might be our only way, but it's not yours," Hera said, looking up. We followed her gaze to see a ventilation shaft on the roof. Zeb opened the vent, and Ezra jumped up, looking back down at us.

"You coming Mara?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Kanan's your master Ezra. Besides, the Inquisitor is on the ship somewhere, so its probably best I stay with them in case we run into him."

Sabine took offense to that.

"You saying we can't handle ourselves?" she demanded.

"Against an Inquisitor?" I challenged with a raised eyebrow, and she growled in irritation, but conceded to my point.

Nodding in understanding, Ezra closed the vent and began crawling through, while Hera turned to the rest of us.

"Let's go. Let's go," she says, and we took off down the hall.

* * *

 ** _Space - Atravis Sector_**

 **Ahsoka POV...**

I sat in the pilot's seat of the ship with R5, waiting for a signal from JArik to let us know when to pick him up. Just then, R5 beeped, saying he had an incoming message from Mustafar.

"That must be Jarik," I concluded. "Accept the transmission."

R5 complied, and his holo-transmitter activated. However, the figure in the hologram wasn't Jarik, and was instead a droid, much to my confusion. Luckily, our messages were designed to only transmit with the Fulcrum image, so my identity was still safe.

"This is Fulcrum. Who is this?" I asked.

The droid replied with an urgent message, and I widened my eyes at what he had to say, although not at all surprised all things considered.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

After the electromagnetic pulse, my arm was back to normal a few minutes later, and I ran down the halls, closing in on the detention level. A group of stormtroopers were in my pathway, probably Tarkin's reinforcements, and they whirled around upon hearing my approach.

"An intruder! Blast him!" one ordered.

They opened fire, and red laser bolts flew past me as I ducked and weaved around them, continuing towards them at a run. I then activated my lightsaber much to their shock, and blocked their fire, jumping over them with a few flips while slashing with my lightsaber. The blue blade sliced through their heads, and they fell to the floor dead as I landed, deactivating my blade and continuing onwards.

Eventually I reached the detention level, and used the Force to weaken the metal on the door, before slamming into it with my left shoulder. the door flew apart from the Force enhanced damage done to it, and two technicians inside the entry room stared at me in shock. I waved an arm, throwing them into the wall where they collapsed unconscious, before continuing onwards. Quickly glancing at the cell tags, I eventually found the proper cell and stopped by it, opening the door.

I widened my eyes and then sighed in frustration upon finding it empty. Either Kanan already escaped, or my information was wrong, which is surprising. I then sensed something amiss through the Force and turned around with narrowed eyes. I realized it was Kanan, and the Inquisitor.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

The door to the reactor room opened up, and Ezra walked through, supporting Kanan, who was still a little bit weak from the torture. Before they could go any further, they stopped in surprise and dread to see the Grand Inquisitor standing in the middle of the open walkway, waiting for them. He reached behind his back and pulled out his crimson lightsaber, activating it with a grin. The blade hummed as both sides stared each other down, and Kanan moved forwards, pulling Ezra's lightsaber off of his belt.

"Let me borrow that," he said, activating the smaller lightsaber.

"Yeah, no problem." Ezra quickly said, knowing that Kanan was still much better of a choice to fight even in his current state.

Kanan stared the Inquisitor down, and then charged at him with the saber raised. Grand Inquisitor smirked in anticipation, before Kanan suddenly deactivated the lightsaber and started shooting at him. Caught off guard, the Inquisitor waved his saber around to deflect the shots aimed for him, and then Kanan slammed his lightsaber down.

The two exchanged in a quick duel with each other, Kanan slashing overhead. the Inquisitor caught his blade and forced him back with a scowl, charging at him this time. He spun around, kicking his foot out twice, but Kanan backpedaled away from his blows. The Inquisitor charged, and Kanan back flipped through the air to gain distance and then started shooting again, forcing the Inquisitor to stop and block the blaster fire.

Ezra watched in awe. "I never thought of that!"

The Inquisitor jabbed his lightsaber at Kanan, who dodged the attack and swung his own blade. Inquisitor blocked the attacked and slashed at him a few times, before jumping over a jab made by Kanan, swinging his lightsaber wildly. Kanan ducked out of the way and spun around, the two separating briefly while Ezra inched closer. With a wild grin, the Inquisitor spun his lightsaber threateningly and dashed forwards, delivering quick and powerful blows that left Kanan staggering slightly. the two then entered a blade lock, and Kanan grimaced, being shoved backwards by the blades while the Inquisitor smirked at him triumphantly.

Seeing this, Ezra narrowed his eyes, spotting Kanan's lightsaber on the Inquisitor's belt. Reaching out a hand, he called on the Force and pulled the lightsaber to him, catching it in his hand and activating it. The Inquisitor glanced back and then shoved Kanan away, looking between the two Jedi.

"At last. A fight, that might be worthy of my time," the Inquisitor said eagerly, activating his second lightsaber blade.

Kanan and Ezra looked at each other with a nod, before charging forwards to the Inquisitor. Kanan reached him first, slashing his lightsaber, but was shoved back briefly by the Inquisitor. Ezra blocked a jab, and the Inquisitor focused on Kanan again, twirling around and occasionaly using his saberstaffs spin feature to keep Kanan on the defensive. He blocked and parried between the two Jedi, dealing with Ezra quite easily, and entered a blade locked with Kanan. He then reached an arm out and threw Ezra back with a Force push.

The Inquisitor then broke his blade lock with Kanan and then leaped up, kicking him quickly in the chest numerous times. Kanan staggered backwards with a pained grunt. He looked back up at the Inquisitor, who then raised an arm, lifting Kanan up in the air with the Force before throwing him overhead, slamming onto the floor painfully beside Ezra. He turned towards the bruised and beaten Jedi pair with disappointment in his eyes.

"Even with two, you still fail," he stated, and Kanan glared at him. "Now, to end Master and Padawan once in for all."

With those words, two figures suddenly leaped down from above to stand behind the Grand Inquisitor on either side of him. Kanan and Ezra stared in horror as both activated a crimson blade of similar style, revealing the mask of the Second Sister and a new Inquisitor they hadn't seen before. Grand Inquisitor smirked in satisfaction, beginning his approach.

"I was hoping you'd put up a better fight," he admitted.

"If you want a better fight..." a voice called out from above.

All five combatants looked up in surprise to see a new figure leap down from the walkway above them, landing in front of Kanan and Ezra. He then stood to his full height and pulled out a blue lightsaber, then a second green blade in the other, holding them by his side in challenge.

"...then I'll give it too you," he finished with a grin.

Kanan and Ezra widened their eyes in shock, the former realizing who this was instantly while the Inquisitor's scowled. Raising their own lightsabers in challenge.

"Jarik Shan. You've finally decided to reveal yourself for a friend, once again," Grand Inquisitor stated.

"You would know," he replied, getting into a ready Jar'Kai stance.

Kanan and Ezra got up behind him, the latter with a slightly awed expression, and held their lightsabers in preparation.

Grand Inquisitor, while the Second Sister snarled angrily.

"Oh I definitely would Shan," she hissed dangerously.

He smirked at her in reply, and moments later, both parties charged for each other. Jarik and the Grand Inquisitor reached each other first, and they clashed their lightsabers. Second Sister came flying in next, and he moved one of his blades to block her, while the third Inquisitor jumped over the two of them, entering a duel with Kanan and Ezra.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

We followed Hera down the hall towards and elevator shaft, guarding her as she got it open. Then to her surprise, the door popped open to reveal four Stormtroopers inside, equally shocked. She recovered first, blasting three of them before taking off, and I shot the last one with my own blaster.

"I hope Ezra's found Kanan by now!" Sabine exclaimed as we rushed down the hall, followed by a large patrol of Stormtroopers.

"Maybe even my dad!" I offered.

"On the day I die!" she yelled back angrily, twisting around the blast one of the stormtroopers chasing us before taking off again.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

Jarik shoved both Inquisitors back and then spun forwards, swiping at their feet. Grand Inquisitor jumped away from the strike, and Second Sister blocked it, activating her second blade to catch his green one. Jarik twisted his lightsaber so that it angled hers toward the ground, and vaulted over her, slashing out towards the Grand Inquisitor. He deflected the strike, slashing upwards with his second blade, and Jarik backpedaled out of the way, when Second Sister brought her lightsaber down on him. He raised his blades over his head, and twirled around, catching both Second Sister and the Grand Inquisitor in a blade lock.

Nearby, Kanan swung his lightsaber at the third Inquisitor, who flipped out of the way quite nimbly, kicking Ezra in the chest in the process. Ezra stumbled back, but managed to raise his blade to block the Inquisitor, who broke away to strike at Kanan. Kanan blocked the attacked and shared a quick bout with the Inquisitor, slashing upwards. However the Inquisitor was ready, and ducked out of the way of his strike, using the Force to push him back. The Inquisitor stood over him, blade raised.

"Prepare to meet your fate from the Third Brother!" he proclaimed, swinging downwards.

Luckily, Ezra had charged forwards just in time, blocking the strike before it could connect with Kanan. The Third Brother growled angrily and spun his saberstaff at him, forcing Ezra to stumble back. Before he could go further, Kanan leaped back to his feet and kicked the Inquisitor away, moving forwards to stand by Ezra. They held their blades at the ready as the Third Brother whipped around and dashed for them again.

Jarik slashed and parried with both lightsabers, both Inquisitors in front of him. Second Sister swung her lightsaber in a wide arc, just barely missing his head before slashing downwards. Jarik sidestepped out of the way, only to get kicked in the chest by the Grand Inquisitor, and both stalked forwards. He rolled backwards and popped back up, twirling through the air to bat the Second Sister's blade to the side. Grand Inquisitor engaged with a series of quick jabs and slashes, which Jarik managed to deflect or evade before going into the offensive. Grand Inquisitor backpedaled, allowing Second Sister to rush forwards and slam her lightsaber into Jarik's green blade.

The Third Brother jumped into the air and swung his lightsaber into the ground, and Kanan and Ezra separated onto either side of him. Kanan shot his blaster feature, forcing the Third Brother to deflect his shots, and Ezra charged forwards. Unfortunately, Third Brother managed to spot this and spun around, roundhouse kicking Ezra so that he flew backwards several feet. He then jumped into the air again, over Kanan, switching places with the Grand Inquisitor.

The Grand Inquisitor separated from Jarik and Second Sister, maneuvering around him with a slash of his blade. Third Brother leaped over him and slammed his lightsaber onto Jarik, who blocked it before shoving him back. Meanwhile, the Grand Inquisitor rushed towards Kanan, swinging his lightsaber ferociously and catching the Jedi off guard. Kanan backpedaled before twisting around with a wide swing. However the Grand Inquisitor ducked underneath his strike and kicked Kanan in the back, sending him to the ground.

He then turned around to see Ezra getting up and activated the spinning feature of his lightsaber, throwing it at the Jedi Padawan. Ezra widened his eyes in terror and brought up his lightsaber. He managed to deflect it, but the force of the blow knocked him off of his feet, and he dropped the lightsaber, falling off the ledge with a cry.

"NO!" Kanan yelled in horror.

Second Sister and Third Brother both shoved Jarik away after a blade lock, back towards Kanan. He glanced over his shoulder with wide eyes to see Ezra far below them on another catwalk, not moving. He couldn't tell if he was still alive, but Kanan was devastated.

Kanan looked down, closing his eyes slowly in failure while the Grand Inquisitor smirked victoriously at him. Second Sister and Third Brother raised their lightsabers, the latter giving off a quiet but amused chuckle.

"Not even you can save everyone Shan," Second Sister hissed venomously.

Jarik put away his green lightsaber and laid a hand on Kanan's shoulder. The younger Jedi looked up at him, seeing the look of sympathy, sorrow, and understanding within his eyes, but also getting the message that there was still more to do. taking a deep breath, Kanan cleared his mind and then reopened his eyes, looking back at the Grand Inquisitor as he stood up, while Jarik faced the opposite way at the two other Inquisitors.

"That was a mistake," Kanan spoke warningly.

"Why? Because you have no one left, to die for you?" Grand Inquisitor asked mockingly.

In response, Kanan lifted an arm and used the Force to call his lightsaber back to him, now holding both blades in his hand with confidence, activating them.

"No. Because now I have nothing left, to fear!" Kanan declared.

Grand Inquisitor frowned at him, and the other two growled behind their masks while Jarik reactivated Ahsoka's green lightsaber, readying himself for battle once again with a confident smirk. Jarik got into a Makashi opening stance, followed by the Grand Inquisitor, and Kanan copied him, swiping with his blades.

Jarik then charged for the Second Sister and Third Brother, while Kanan charged for the Grand Inquisitor. All three Inquisitors rushed forwards with their own lightsabers, and the two sides connected with a clash.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

Hera ducked behind a few walls as we followed, and then peeked around a corridor. A moment later she pulls her head back, looking at us in alarm. "They're waking up!" she whispers harshly.

"That puts twice as many between us and Chopper," Zeb groans.

"I think I have an alternate plan!" Sabine declares happily.

"All right," Hera replied, and Sabine pulls out a detonators.

"Here's part one," she says, stepping out into the hallway and throwing the bomb at the stormtroopers.

Moments later, smoke began to spray out of it, blocking their vision as we run past, firing at them with their blasters.

"Part two, we go to Bay 5!" Sabine adds.

"I like this plan!" I state, and Hera nods.

"Huh. Where your masterpiece is," she realizes.

"That's got nothing to do with it!" Sabine says defensively.

"Hey, that thing is pretty! We're saving it!" I exclaim, leaving no room for argument.

"Wait, you're serious?" Sabine asks in genuine surprise.

"Duh! What kinda girl doesn't appreciate art?" I retort.

"Finally something we can agree on!" Sabine replies, and I throw her a grin.

Hera then pulls out her comlink in the middle of our run to Bay 5. "Ezra, we're finding another way out. Ezra? Can you hear me? Ezra. Can you hear me? Ezra!"

However there was no response, much to our worry.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

While Kanan fought the Grand Inquisitor, and Jarik battled the Sister and Brother on the long walkway, Ezra lay unconscious on the walkway far beneath them. He shifted slightly, hearing a cacophony of voices saying his name, which then shifted into Hera's voice. He raised a hand, brushing along the side of his face, which stung from new marks. Drowsily, he sat up and pulled out his own comlink, listening to Hera.

"I'm here," he said slowly.

 _"Do you have Kanan? Is he okay?"_ Hera asked in concern.

Ezra looked up at the walkway to see Kanan battling the Grand Inquisitor. He slashed and swung at him before backpedaling, the Grand Inquisitor charging after him. He went into a backflip and then started shooting Ezra's lightsaber, bring him to a dead stop as Kanan charged again, second blade at the ready.

"Yeah... he's better than okay," Ezra stated a small smile on his face.

He then looked over at the sound of more lightsabers clashing, and widened his eyes in awe and wonder. Another Jedi fought off the Second Sister and the Third Brother, blocking their strikes with ease before lashing out with his own, spinning between the two.

Jarik swung around, lashing out with his green lightsaber and batting the Second sister's blade away while catching the Third Brother in the face with a kick. The Brother went down as he turned his attention towards the Sister, who activated the spinning feature of her lightsaber. She swung her lightsaber at him several times, and he evaded her strikes, jumping over a swing aimed at his feet. However she used that to her advantage and lashed out with her foot, kicking him to the ground. He slid across the ground, and the Third Brother rushed up to him, slamming his lightsaber down, but Jarik evaded the blow, pushing himself back to his feet. He then used the Force to throw back the Second Sister, turning his attention to the Third Brother.

Kanan and the Grand Inquisitor dueled at one of the computer terminals, with Kanan heavy on the offensive, slowly pushing the Grand Inquisitor back. He waved around his two lightsabers, and the Inquisitor ducked underneath them before retaliating with a swipe. Kanan flipped over the attack, slashing the console in the process and pulling out the blaster, firing at the Grand Inquisitor, who backed away quickly. His lightsabers spinning feature was activated to block the shots, and in the midst of backing up, he almost tipped over the edge of the walkway. He managed to recover, and swung at Kanan again, who ducked easily underneath the red blade, standing back up to face him. The Grand Inquisitor had a scowl on his face, angered by Kanan's new ferocity as he faced him.

"You were right, I was a coward. But now I know there's something stronger than fear. Far stronger; the Force!" Kanan declared.

The Grand Inquisitor widened his eyes in anger and held his lightsaber in front of him, activating his spinning feature with a scowl.

"Let me show you how strong it is," Kanan said with a grin, sticking both of his lightsabers through the small gap of his own saberstaff.

The Inquisitor widened his eyes in horror in realizing his mistake, and then Kanan slashed upwards, slicing the saberstaff apart with ease. The destruction of his lightsaber caused the Inquisitor to stumble off the ledge and grasp onto it desperately, his two crimson lightsabers falling beneath him.

The lightsaber blades plunged directly into the ship's reactor, creating a chain reaction that caused a massive explosion to surge through the reactor core, shaking the entire ship. Jarik and the other Inquisitors stumbled, the former catching a glimpse of Kanan and the Grand Inquisitor's position, as well the state of the core. Deactivating his own lightsabers, he thrust his arms out and blew the Sister and Brother far back down the walkway, the two slipping over the side and just barely grabbing onto the edge. He then rushed over to where Kanan was standing.

Kanan walked towards the ledge, the Inquisitor glaring up at him in rage, beaten. He crossed his lightsabers over his neck just as Jarik reached the two of them, staring down at the beaten Grand Inquisitor as well with an impassive look.

"You have no idea what you've unleashed here today," Grand Inquisitor said threateningly, and Jarik narrowed his eyes while Kanan drew his sabers back, deactivating them with contempt.

"There are things far more frightening than death," he continued, staring at Jarik knowingly.

Kanan was slightly confused, but Jarik knew with dread exactly who he was talking about. _He_ was still on Mustafar's surface.

"He will never stop hunting you," the Grand Inquistor declared, his final words to them.

Then to their surprise and bewilderment, he just let go of the ledge in a suicidal move, falling to his death into the fiery explosion below.

Kanan knelt down to stare at his falling form in shock, while Jarik stared at the exploding core with worry, then realizing that two Inquisitors were still there. He turned around, pulling out his lightsaber hilts to see the Second Sister and Third Brother watching him from the far side of the reactor room, steaming with hate. However he could sense that they knew they were beaten, outmatched by the two Jedi in the room, and took off through another door, moving to escape the ship.

"Kanan?" Ezra said, and he jerked in surprise, looking up to see him standing at the terminal.

"I thought I lost you," Kanan replied in relief, walking over to his apprentice.

"I know the feeling. Let's go home," Ezra said with a smile.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

I smiled at the Master and Padawan pair, arms crossed as I watched their full reunion. They then turned to me, mixtures of awe and wonder in their faces.

"Thank you... for coming here Master Shan," Kanan said.

"Master?" I asked in bewilderment. "What made you call me that?"

"Are you not? I mean... you're a hero," he said.

I moved to respond, but the ship shuddered again, another wave of explosive energy flowing through the reactor core.

"How about we discuss this after we escape?" I offered, and they both nodded in agreement.

We rushed out of the reactor room, heading through the hallways towards the hanger bay. Along the way, Ezra's comlink beeped, and he pulled it out, Hera's voice coming through.

 _"Ezra, we're in the TIE. Where are you?"_ she demanded.

"On my way. Go!" Ezra replied.

 _"We're not leaving without you and Kanan,"_ she said, leaving no room for argument.

"Better answer," I suggested to Kanan, who leaned over to take the comlink from Ezra. "Will you just listen to the kid? Don't worry. I've got him."

"You mean, I've got you!" Ezra replied cheekily.

Kanan rolled his eyes in exasperation while I chuckled in amusement. "You take care of Zeb and Sabine. I'll get him out of here. Trust me."

"By the way, is Mara there?" I said into the comlink, having snatched it from him.

 _"Who's this?!"_ Hera demanded.

 _"Hi dad!"_ she replied cheerfully.

 _"DAD?!"_ the other three exclaimed in shock over the comlink.

"You are so grounded!" I yelled back.

 _"Oh come o-"_ she began to protest before her voice was cut off, courtesy of me shutting the comlink off.

Ezra snickered lightly and Kanan gave me a weird glance but shrugged it off. Soon enough, we entered the hanger to see two final TIE Fighters leaving the hanger, leaving the Grand Inquisitor's TIE Fighter and one other spare one remaining.

"The Inquisitor's TIE!" Kanan said.

"Well, we know he's not gonna use it," Ezra remarked with a grin.

"You know what, kid? You worry me sometimes." Kanan replied.

"Doesn't hurt when it's true!" I said cheerfully, heading towards the other TIE Fighter. "I've got your back!"

I jumped on top of the ship and opened up the hatch, closing it behind me as I sat down in the pilot's seat. I powered it up as Kanan and Ezra began to take off in the other one, the hanger beginning to groan around me. Kanan and Ezra exited the hanger, and I gunned the engines, flying after them and exiting just as the hanger exploded.

The TIE took off at lightning speed, and I followed after Kanan and Ezra, spotting a painted TIE Fighter fleeing from a squad of other ships.

"Why is it painted?!" I asked myself in bewilderment before sighing. "Nevermind."

The two of us in our ships opened fire, destroying the TIEs that were pursuing the painted one, and flew up alongside it.

 _"We got your back,"_ Ezra said over the comlink.

 _"Thanks. But without Chopper's transport, we're going nowhere fast."_ Sabine replied.

My comlink beeped a certain frequency, courtesy of Ahsoka, and I grinned.

"Don't worry about it," I said.

 _"What do you mean don't worry you sicko?!"_ Sabine yelled back angrily, and I flinched slightly.

 _"Now's not the time Sabine! We got TIEs closing in,"_ Hera interrupted.

I glanced back and at the scanners to see a whole swarm of about several dozen TIE Fighters flying straight for us, all firing their laser cannons. I widened my eyes in alarm and looked ahead again. Maybe there should be a reason to worry.

 _"We're in a bit of a tight spot!"_ Zeb stated worriedly.

 _"Yeah? Well, these things weren't built for four people Zeb!"_ Mara replied snarkily.

 _"I meant out there, not in here!"_ Zeb yelled irritably, and I rolled my eyes.

 _"Trying to concentrate!"_ Hera exclaimed in annoyance.

"If this is how you guys have handled the missions sent to you, it's a wonder you're still alive!" I replied over the comlink, weaving around a few incoming blaster bolts.

 _"Better than you could! You're already infuriating!"_ Sabine yelled.

 _"Hey!"_ Mara exclaimed angrily.

"Hey Hera, want to add a new flight move to your arsenal?" I asked, completely ignoring Sabine's comment. "Check this out!"

Putting on a boost of speed, I suddenly yanked on the steering and cut the power to the engines, turning myself around to face the swarm of TIE Fighters, my velocity allowing me to continue moving through space at the same speed. I opened fire on them, scoring a few direct hits due to their surprise at my maneuver before they began moving out of my line of sight. I quickly turned the ship back around, restarting the power to the engines and blasting off, quickly catching up to the others.

 _"That was awesome!"_ Mara yelled happily.

 _"Yeah, but there's still a lot of TIEs on us,"_ Hera reminded us.

 _"I just want to say it was really nice getting to know all of you!"_ Ezra said.

Just then, a Gozanti cruiser appeared out of hyperspace before us.

" _Chopper! He came back!"_ Zeb exclaimed happily.

Right after, the Ghost exited hyperspace, as well as the Knight Hawk, followed by three CR90 Corvette cruisers, courtesy of Bail Organa. I grinned in amazement, sensing Ahsoka to be piloting the Ghost.

 _"Jarik, I know neither of us like Tarkin, but did you actually blow up his ship?!"_ Ahsoka demanded over our bond in amusement.

 _"Wasn't my handiwork, but I'll take credit for it!"_ I replied cheekily. _"Oh and by the way, Mara is in the painted TIE Fighter."_

 _"Go figure,"_ she replied sarcastically.

The rebel squadron opened fire on the pursuing TIE Fighter's, with Ahsoka and R5 scoring direct hits on several of them. They all surrounded us, providing cover fire while we docked with the ships. I headed towards the Knight Hawk while Kanan and Hera piloted their fighters towards the Gozanti. Once we were all docked, our ships all entered lightspeed, ensuring our escape from the system. I let out a sigh of relief.

Our mission to Mustafar was finally over.

* * *

Later on, the Knight Hawk and the stolen Gozanti cruiser were both docked on either side of the Ghost. I was currently stationed in front of the ladder in the middle of the Ghost with my arms crossed, R5 staying with the Knight Hawk for the time being. Ahsoka was going to come down in a moment, but she had to take care of some things first. The door to my left then opened and I glanced over to see Chopper come rolling through, as well as the rest of the Ghost Crew nearby. They all saw me instantly.

"Hey dad!" Mara exclaimed, rushing up to give me a hug. I hugged her back with a smile on my face.

"Hey kiddo. How's the crew treating you?"

"They're alright. Although there is, one problem..." she said nervously, pointing at Sabine.

I looked over to see her standing there, fists clenched as she glared at me with a truly hateful expression. I sighed in exasperation, shaking my head.

"Ah yes... the Mandalorian," I say with a hint of sarcasm, sighing.

"Uh oh, Sabine's mad," Ezra whispered to Zeb, who nodded in agreement.

Sabine growled and stepped forwards, about to say something before I interrupted her, raising a hand.

"Look. I know, the full reason why your people hate me so much. And some other time, I'll give you full permission to scream, yell, punch, whatever it is to me in order to cool yourself down, but not right now. Ok?" I tell her.

Sabine stopped, and slowly closed her mouth, considering.

"I want to be friends with you, I do," I said honestly. "But can we work it out later? After this message that Chopper has to share?"

"Fine," she mutters with an angry sigh. "But don't expect us to ever be friends."

"Fair enough," I said with a nod, glancing at Chopper.

He got the hint and portrayed a hologram of Bail, who smiled upon seeing the Ghost Crew.

 _"Hello, my friend. It is good to see you again,"_ he said kindly.

"I don't understand." Kanan replied in confusion. "I met you once for a few moments. I don't even know your name!"

"His name is Senator Bail Organa." Hera answered for him, moving to stand on the other side of the hologram.

"And the crews of the blockade runners?" Kanan asked.

"Members of other rebel cells," Bail replied honestly.

"There are other cells..." Sabine muttered in wonder.

"We're a cell?" Ezra asked in surprise, leaning in to whipser to Zeb. "Wait. Did you know we were a cell?"

"Um, no," Zeb replied, just as bewildered.

"You weren't supposed to meet," I answered in reply. "That way, if captured, none of you or anyone else could reveal the other rebels to the Empire. That was the protocol, as you know."

I direct the last part to Hera, who nods her head in understanding.

"And as you know Jarik, the protocol has changed," Ahsoka spoke up.

She climbs down the ladder as Chopper ended the hologram of Senator Organa. Hera widened her eyes in surprise.

"Fulcrum," she said in wonder.

"Fulcrum is actually both of us," she replied, standing beside me and Mara with a smile. "He uncovers the intel, and I send it to various cells. As for me... Ahsoka. My name is Ahsoka Tano."

The crew all stares between the three of us and shock and wonder, before Kanan steps forwards. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was awed at being in the presence of two well known Jedi and Clone War veterans. We were basically his and many other younglings heroes back then.

"Why did you come here?" he asks.

"Because of you and your apprentice, many in this system and beyond have heard your message. You gave them hope in their darkest times," Ahsoka replied, kneeling down to pat Chopper's dome.

"We didn't want that hope to die," I added.

"So.. what happens now?" Ezra asked curiously.

"I don't know. One chapter has closed for you, Ezra Bridger. This is a new day. A new beginning," Ahsoka announced.

The Spectres all gave each other happy smiles, proud of the achievements they had made. I looked down at Mara, giving her a proud smile that she returned, and sharing a casual one armed hug with Ahsoka.

* * *

 ** _Capital City, Imperial Complex; Lothal - Lothal Sector_**

 **3rd person POV...**

A single Imperial shuttle flew across the lake towards Lothal's Imperial Complex, a trio of Star Destroyers hovering over the city. The shuttle landed in one of the hanger bay's where Agent Kallus walked up to greet its passenger. As the ship touched down, the ramp was lowered, and Tarkin strode slowly down the ramp. Kallus stood at attention, the Grand Moff stopping to listen to his report.

"We are getting reports of unrest all over Lothal. There are whispers from Mustafar. Some people see the Empire... as weak, vulnerable," Kallus said in concern.

Tarkin stared forwards with a hard glare.

"Not to worry, Agent Kallus. The Emperor has sent an alternative solution," he states coldly.

Kallus gave him a glance of confusion, wondering what he meant until a heavy, mechanical breathing sound came from inside the ship. He looked up in surprise as a dark figure marched out of the ship, clad in black armor and a cape, with a terrifying mask. Tarkin walked forwards again, followed by the Dark Lord.

Darth Vader strode across the hanger, his mechanical breathing continuing to fill the air. With Jarik Shan having revealed himself once again to the Empire on Mustafar, he was ready to respond. It was time to get his revenge on the Jedi Knight, followed by the location of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Vader was prepared to do whatever it took to get what he and his master desired, and nobody would stop him.

* * *

 _There's the end of Star Wars Rebels season one! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I wasn't expecting it to be nearly this long. It's probably the longest chapter I've ever written, which is why took so long to write._

 _Darth Vader is ready for Jarik's blood._


	55. Ch 54 - Catching Up

**Jarik POV...**

I strode through the corridor's of the Ghost slowly, heading in the direction that Hera gave me to Sabine's room. Find the correct door, I raised a hand and knocked on it.

"Who is it?" Sabine's voice asked from inside.

I hesitated a moment before responding. "Jarik Shan."

There was silence for a several moments, and I could sense Sabine's anger spike increasingly within moments. She then opened the door, one of her blaster pistols held by her side, glaring at me.

"What do you want?!" she demands coldly.

"To talk," I simply answered in reply.

"I don't want to talk to you," she stated.

I shrugged. "That's true. You'd much rather scream at me."

Sabine's eyes flashed with a brief hint of rage. "If you're just gonna joke around, and don't have anything important to say, then you can leave the Ghost right now!" she exclaimed.

I pinched my nose in frustration, shaking my head with a sigh. "Look, Sabine, I understand why Mandalore hates me, and I'm not going to argue with your reasons why, considering the pride Mandalorians hold for their culture, specifically the warrior parts."

She scoffed, crossing her arms. "What of it?"

"Just give me a chance to have a conversation with you, ease the tension between us. Whether you like it or not, things are changing, and we're going to be working together more in the future." I told her. "Just don't let your hatred of my family get in the way of fighting the Empire."

Sabine glared angrily at the wall, kicking it lightly to express her annoyance, but she was at least listening, which was a good sign. Finally she sighed, and gave a quick jerk of her head, moving out of the way to let me enter. "Fine. We'll talk."

I smiled gratefully at her, and entered the room. She walked past me, sitting down on her bed while I took a glance around, astounded by the art. The whole room was essentially a giant graffiti fest, not many places left clear of art on the walls. I saw a few paintings of the crew, loth-cats, other animals, and a few anti-stormtrooper signs, along with other people. Then I noticed two certain drawings that caught my attention.

"Is that Cad Bane?" I asked curiously.

She looked at me in confusion, turning her gaze towards the picture on the wall, which had a picture of a Duros head wearing a large hat, puffed up on smoke. "Yeah, it is. You've met him before?" she asked warily.

I scoffed. "Met him? I kicked him in the face once. The guy is irritating."

She eyed me, still very suspicious and angry, but also a hint of curiosity in her gaze. "Huh," she said simply.

"Really nice art by the way, I'm not nearly as good," I comment, gazing around the room again.

"Are you trying to flatter me so that I'll treat you nicer?" she demands in irritation.

"Yes I am," I said bluntly, much to her surprise. "Doesn't mean it isn't true."

She stares at me, not expecting that response before nodding slowly. "Thanks..."

"Of course, the real reason I'm here," I said seriously, leaning against the wall and looking at her. "Your hatred of my family."

Sabine's gaze darkened as she glared up at me. "The fact that I'm even considering having to _atiniir_ you is sickening," she says angrily.

I rolled my eyes, clasping my hands forwards casually. "Well. _Ba'gadet'ye_ then."

Her expression changed to one of slight surprise. "What? I know a little bit of Mando'a," I say defensively.

"Ugh," she groaned.

"Anyways, moving on!" I said. "The real reason why you and every other Mandalorian hates me so much is because of the Battle of Malachor V, correct?"

"Of course that's why!" Sabine exploded angrily. "Revan, humiliated us! Killed so many of us, and then didn't have the decency of allowing us to recover, and stealing Mandalore's mask like some _chakaar_!"

"Mandalore and the Republic were at war at the time," I pointed out.

"But his actions were unforgivable!" Sabine retorted. "He nearly wiped us out, leaving us to scramble to survive without ever showing any sympathy, unless it was to further his own gain! Ever since that day, Mandalore was left weak against the galaxy. For thousands of years, our planet has been nothing but a barren wasteland!"

I watched her continue on her rant with saddened eyes. I was sympathetic and sorry for her and the other Mandalorian's, truly I was. But this all happened so long ago, and they can't keep living in the past.

"The Shan's to us are nothing but annihilator's of what it means to be a Mandalorian. Respect for our strength was lost at such a defeat, and as we slunk back in humiliation, we might as well have been _hu'tuun's_!" Sabine exclaimed, angry tears in her eyes as she glared hatefully at me.

"I'm sorry for what happened to Mandalore Sabine, I really am." I told her, and she crossed her arms disbelievingly with a scoff.

"But what you just said... all of that chaos and destruction that Mandalore suffered through, was because of Revan. Not me," I told her, which got her attention. She looked up and glanced at me out of the side of her eyes.

"The Battle of Malachor V was around three and a half thousand years ago. My family suffered as well through a purge a thousand years ago due to a Sith Lord, but I'm not worried about that," I told her.

"What are you trying to tell me?" she demanded.

"I'm trying to tell you to let go of the past." I said. "I once heard of an old Mandalorian saying: _Gar taldin ni jaonyc; gar sa buir, ori'wadaas'la._ 'Nobody cares who your father was, only the father you'll be.' What happened at Malachor V was caused by Revan, not me. I never even knew I was related to him until I was a little over your age."

"There's also another saying: _Mando'ad draar digu._ 'A Mandalorian never forgets,'" she challenges. "And we never have, or ever will forget the crimes against Mandalore."

"I'm not asking you to forget that," I said. "I'm asking you to try and understand that I was never there. Why hate me for something I never committed?" I asked rhetorically.

She looks down at the ground, wanting to continue hating me, but I could sense she was conflicted.

"I'll leave you to think about that," I said quietly, exiting the room and leaving the teenager to her thoughts.

* * *

I walked back towards the main room of the Ghost, where Mara and Ahsoka were sitting on the couch next to the holotable. They both looked up at me anxiously. "Well? How'd it go?" Ahsoka asked.

"A lot better than I expected, that's for sure," I admitted happily.

"I thought she was gonna shoot you," Mara deadpanned.

"Almost, almost. I could sense she considered it while holding the blaster in her hand." I remarked with a shrug.

Ahsoka shook her head in amusement. "The things you do to upset people Jarik," she said.

"Hey, it's not my fault my ancestor angered half the universe!" I said defensively.

Just then, Kanan and Ezra both walked into the room, in a heated discussion before taking notice of us in surprise, stopping in their tracks.

"Oh, sorry. We didn't expect to see you still here," Kanan admitted.

I waved a hand. "Eh, you're fine. I just had a chat with Sabine."

They glanced at each other worriedly. "...Did it go well? For some reason she really hates you, I don't know why." Kanan said.

"Apparently it went fine." Ahsoka answered. "As for why she hates him, its more of the fact that every Mandalorian has a strong hatred towards Jarik and his family."

"It's starting to get annoying," I commented.

"Uh, why, does she and so many people hate you? I thought you were a war hero for the Republic." Ezra asked in confusion.

I pursed my lips slightly, considering how to answer. "Well... it's complicated. Sabine can tell you the specifics later, if she's willing too."

"I thinks it is both funny, and stupid." Mara deadpanned.

We sat or stood there in comfortable silence for a few moments, and I took the opportunity to study Kanan, seeing how he changed. He was a lot older now, although still a few years younger than me and Ahsoka, sporting a beard and ponytail. His lightsaber hung from his belt in two separate pieces to help better keep it secret, and his clothing was similar to a smugglers outfit, although with a Jedi 'flare' to its design.

"Well you've grown a lot," I observed.

Kanan looked at me in surprise. "Have we... have we met before?" he asks.

"A couple of times," I reply with a shrug. "Only briefly, so it's not surprising that you don't remember. You ran into me and Master Kenobi on the way to one of your classes."

Kanan frowns, trying to remember before widening his eyes in realization. "You're right... I did!"

A small tint to his face shows his embarrassment at that meeting, remembering how childish he seemed back then. How drastically things could change. I grin at him in amusement.

"No doubt he likes to think of you as that little Caleb Dume back at the temple," Ahsoka says with the same smirk. Ezra and Mara both chuckle in amusement while Kanan continues to look more embarrassed.

"So what inspired the name cha-?" I start to ask before stopping, eyes wide as the Force converged on me. Ahsoka immediately takes notice and gives me a worried look.

"Jarik?" she asks in concern.

I glance around the room at all of them hesitantly. "I- I need to go," I said quickly, immediately exiting the room and heading towards the docking tube.

"Jarik, wait!" Ahsoka called out behind me, getting up from her seat.

I stormed through the ship, finding the docking tube back to the Knight Hawk and rushing through towards my room. I passed R5 quickly on the way, who beeped at me in confusion, before I slammed the door to my room shut. I stumbled over to the wall near the desk and leaned heavily against it, the Force just then pulling me into another vision.

 _Dark mist surrounded me, heavy whispers coming out of the shadows. I saw various shapes in the fog that I could not make out, however darkness radiated off of them. Then I could see a strange rocky planet with a fleet of Star Destroyers approaching... and then they are a broken graveyard in space. Voices sound around me, a few words I could make out._

 _"If the end of the world is coming, I will understand why. On my center eye I swear it. I will understand."_

 _"Hear me... You may think... universal scales..."_

 _"Where is..._ _your lord, your princely god, your godly prince? Tell me no lies!"_

 _A planet is overtaken by strange creatures, the natives trying to fight them off, to no avail._

 _Then out of the darkness comes a massive figure, three green eyes glowing like starlight, holding a sword in hand. A deep rumbling laugh echos all around me, and the feeling of a great and unbelievably powerful force sucking me in... trying to destroy me. this creatures booming, growling voice speaks my name._

 _"Jarik Shan... Jarik... Jarik... J-"_

"-arik!" Ahsoka yelled, shaking me furiously. I yelped in terror, jumping up and grabbing my green lightsaber, swing it wildly. The blade catches on a white one, inches from Ahsoka's face. I realize what I almost did and stare at her in horror.

"Jarik! It's me!" she exclaims, before moving over to the bond. _"It's me Jarik... you're alright,"_ she said soothingly, sending waves of calm to me over the bond.

I quickly deactivate my lightsaber and drop it on the ground, leaning against the wall with my head in my hands. Ahsoka put her lightsaber away as well and gently approached me, laying a hand on my shoulder in comfort.

"What did you see?" she asks quietly.

"It... it was terrifying," I said quietly with a shudder. "Some... creature out there, holds a darkness unlike anything I've ever felt..."

She gently leads me over to the bed and sits us both down, wrapping an arm around my shoulders comfortingly.

"It tried to... I don't know. But it was overwhelming," I spoke, truly terrified of what I felt. "Evil is growing... not just with the Sith..."

"You're fine now Jarik," she said soothingly. "There's no evil like that here now. Just me, okay?" she asked.

"I suppose..." I reply quietly.

She pulled me into a tight hug. "I don't know who or what you keep seeing, but we don't know when any of this will happen. It could be centuries from now even. Just think only about the current moment," she advises.

* * *

 _That's some tough things to put up with. Wonder if foresight is more a burden than a gift...? I've been teasing this future enounter so much it can be concluded by some people, but all you need to know from me is an official reveal will be coming soon in the story, around mid-way through season two of rebels._

 _ **Translations:**_

 _atiniir - endure, to put up with, to *take it*_

 _Ba'gadet'ye - you're welcome_

 _chakaar - corpse robber, thief, petty criminal - general term of abuse_

 _hu'tuun - coward (worst possible insult)_

 _Gar taldin ni jaonyc; gar sa buir, ori'wadaas'la - *Nobody cares who your father was, only the father you'll be.* (Lit: Bloodline is not important, but you as a father are the most valuable thing.) Mando saying emphasising the importance of a father's role, and that a man is judged more by that than his lineage._

 _Mando'ad draar digu - A Mandalorian never forgets._


	56. Ch 55 - Dealing With It

**_Four days later:_**

 ** _Temple Island; Ahch-To_**

 **Jarik POV...**

 _Pale green and white flames were the only source of light in the shadowy world, sometimes mixing in with an occasional purple flame as well. Beyond that was complete darkness, and then a dim glow of purple from the boulder, underneath Vader's castle._

 _"Death follows him like a shadow..." a feminine voice whispers._

 _Zooming past the boulder and into the unknown, three pale, starlight eyes open, followed by the gleam of a leering smile. Then the figure lunges forwards..._

I open my eyes, looking up at the stone ceiling of the hut above me. A small amount of light streams through the small window, signaling the rising suns at dawn. I glance over beside me to see Ahsoka shift slightly in her sleep, and then slowly sit up. Lowering my feet over the side of the bed, I flinch slightly as my feet touch the cold ground, and stand up, quickly moving over to my night shoes and slipping them on. I then grab my Jedi cloak from the wall and wrap it around myself, opening the door to step outside, closing it quickly again.

The frigid air of Ahch-To's winter season hits me, a dramatic change from approximately three weeks ago after the defeat of the Red Death. Winter on this planet always came quickly and without warning, sometimes leaving even the Vikings unprepared. My cloak bollowed against the soft breeze passing by, and I looked out towards the rising suns, colored a vibrant orange, lighting up the icy and snowy ground.

Walking down the steps to the small courtyard in the middle of the ring of huts, I sat down in the middle of the stone sitting area on the edge of the cliff. A small flock of Terrible Terrors flew by, headed for the upper areas of the island. None of the Porgs were anywhere to be found, having already been in hibernation from the winter. I let off a quiet sigh, enjoying the peaceful environment, but trouble by what I kept seeing.

Ever since the Action at Mustafar, which is what everyone has begun to call it, I've been getting more intense visions of this dark being. I still don't know what to make of it, but the Force is definitely warning me about something coming, yet when I am unsure. All I know is every time I have one of these visions, it is there, watching me, maybe even in reality as well. And that's a concept to terrifying to imagine.

* * *

 ** _Isle of Berk; Ahch-To_**

 **Hiccup POV...**

I laid down in bed, looking up at the ceiling longingly, finding myself actually missing the sound of Toothless banging on the roof every morning. Ever since the dragons left without any warning the village has been depressed. A month ago if somebody told us that we would ever miss dragons any one of us would have laughed in their faces and sent them out to see. Now, it's the complete opposite, and we can't imagine a life without dragons by our side.

Especially me.

When it comes to dragons and how to train them, and their behaviors, I've always known the answer. There wasn't a problem any of the villagers had that I couldn't at least have an idea to solve. But this is a first, and I had no idea what to do. If Jarik or Ahsoka were here they might have an answer, using the Force or whatever, but they aren't. All three of them had to leave almost two weeks ago to continue fighting against the Empire. Besides missing Toothless, I also missed Mara. The two of them were my first friends I ever had.

I sigh sadly and roll over onto my side on the wooden bed in an attempt to go back to sleep. Just then a low pounding sound against the roof gets me attention, and I widen my eyes slightly, listening again. Sure enough, a loud banging sound against the roof causes it to shake slightly and I spring up from my bed, an exhilarated grin on my face.

"Toothless!" I exclaimed, throwing off the blanket. I quickly rushed down the stairs and ran out the door, running across the snow to the back of the house where Toothless was. "I knew you'd come out- WOAH, AGH!"

I was cut off as my foot slipped on the ice, slamming my back into the ground painfully. I laid there for a moment, the breath knocked out of me and glanced up at the roof. Instead of Toothless jumping on the roof however, it was just my dad, banging away at a few loose shingles with a hammer. Hearing the noise I made, he turns over to look at me, a wide grin on his face.

"Morning son!" he exclaims happily.

Despite my dad being happy to see me, I couldn't help but feel disappointment at the realization that it wasn't Toothless. "Oh, hey, Dad..." I say in exasperation, getting back up. I eyed my prosthetic foot in annoyance, kicking the ice with it slightly. I guess I can't complain too much though, since it could've been much worse. I could have turned out like Gobber, and I don't want a peg leg, not in a million years.

 **"** Glad you're up! I was looking for your helmet!" Dad says, coming down from the ladder.

I stop nervously look up at him with wide eyes, remembering what happened to it earlier... If Dad finds out I lost it then my fate is worse than the Kill Ring incident... oh gods. "My- My helmet?" I stuttered nervously.

"Odin needs a place to put your goodies!" he says.

I look down sadly, turning away with a disgruntled expression and start walking to the village. "Yeah, right... I- I'll get on that. Great..."

Stepping off of the ladder, Dad looks at me in confusion and worry, shaking his head. "Hold on!" he says.

I stop walking and turn around as he approaches me with a concerned expression. "Hold on. Alright... Come on. What's on your mind? Out with it," he says.

I let out a sigh, however I'm glad he's trying to notice now how I'm feeling and coming to see what's wrong. He's definitely changed for the better. "Oh, it's been three days, Dad. I just thought Toothless would be back by now."

"I'm sure he is with the other dragons," he says reassuringly.

"Yeah? I wish I can be that sure. And I would also have liked to spend the holiday with Mara as well," I replied.

He sighs, giving me a sympathetic and understanding look. "Ah, listen... I know what it's like to miss someone you love this time of year. But what do we do, when they can't be here for the holiday? We celebrate them! And I imagine that is exactly what Toothless and Mara would want you to do. Right?" he asks, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"You're right."

"Good!" he says, tapping me on the shoulder with enough force to make me stumble in pain. "Then go get that helmet! We've had enough disappointment around here!" he jokes lightly.

I roll my shoulder, staring at him incredulously in exasperation, before smiling slightly. He truly does care.

* * *

Later that day I was headed towards the docks to deliver a pair of oars, the village a flurry of every-day activity. I was about to turn around the corner when I suddenly bumped into Fishlegs, who was moving rather quickly. He looked at me in surprise and held his breath fearfully, glancing around nervously. I look at what he's carrying to see a large basket filled to the brim with fish.

"Oh, Fishlegs, you hungry? There's enough fish there to feed a dragon!

"Hahaha... Oh, a dragon? That's..." he laughs nervously, suddenly rushing away.I stare at him in confusion before following, suspicious of how he's acting. Fishlegs is the easiest out of all of us to scare, but right now there's no reason for him to be nervous... unless he's hiding something.

I follow him to a large barn, watching as he slams the door closed with his basket of fish. Moments later, he peeks out again, glancing around and I hide around a pillar. Fishlegs tiptoes out of sight with a pleased giggle, and once he was a few feet away I quietly stalk up to the barn, setting my oars aside. Glancing at him again suspiciously, I open the doors and look inside to see the most insane thing.

A Gronckle immediately charges at me, and I yell in shock as he crashes without pause, leaving me no choice but to hold onto his face for dear life. Picking my head up, I get a better look at the dragon who was flying away with me.

"MEATLUG?!" I yell incredulously. Meatlug glances up at me in recognition, but otherwise doesn't stop flying. Along the way we swoop by Astrid, who ducks with a startled yelp.

"Hiccup? Where are you going?!" she exclaims.

"I HAVE NO IDEAAA!" I yell back, the village getting further and further away every second.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

I was sitting down on the stone bench in the middle of the courtyard, datapad in hand. The sensor array at the top of the mountain continued to provide a connection to the rest of the galaxy, allowing me to continue without any problems. The rising suns began to brighten, hiding behind the white and gray cloud cover.

Scrolling through the latest intelligence I had managed to intercept, a particular part got my attention, which I read through intently. Apparently the Emperor had just commissioned the Seventh Fleet beyond known space and into the Unknown Regions, where his many other expeditions sent have gone. What's special about this intel is that the Seventh Fleet is lead by none other than Admiral Thrawn, the Chiss Imperial officer. I didn't know much about the Chiss, as they were a very secret society regarded by most as a legend, but I do know that they are intelligent, honorable, and show respect, even to their enemies.

What Darth Sidious could be looking for I still have no idea, and probably won't have unless I confront the Sith Lord himself. However, near the bottom of the page there is a reference to something they might be looking for. I don't know if it's a who or a what, as the information is so heavily encrypted that it would take months for even me to break, but there is one word that I can see. It refers to a... 'Vong.'

 _The Force thrusts an image of the three eyed beast on me again, laughing sinisterly._

I pull out of the quick vision with a grimace, looking at the page again. Then someone sits by my side, also wrapped in a whiter Jedi cloak. "Having trouble sleeping?" Ahsoka asks.

"With the Force being a total jerk, yes," I said.

"Well, nothing you can do about what the Force wants," she says with a shrug. "So, best not to think too hard about it."

"That makes me feel so much better," I replied sarcastically, leaning against the hard rocky backrest.

We sit in silence for a moment before Ahsoka speaks again. "Before we left Berk, Stoick said that he invited us to their holiday celebration, which is today. Maybe that could help take your mind off of these visions."

I consider the idea, shrugging. "Already, I'm down for it. What's the name of the holiday?"

She started snickering, and I looked at her oddly. "Snoggletog," she answers between laughs.

I gape at her in bewilderment. Snoggletog?! Who in their right mind would choose such a stupid name for their holiday?! "What kinda kriffing crap is that for a name?" I exclaim.

"They don't even know!" she replies with a giggle. Our laughs slowly die down as we look out over the ocean again, admiring the view. Ahsoka slings an arm around my shoulders. "It's cold out. You should put on something warmer."

"I have my cloak on," I say defensively.

"And underneath the cloak?" she asks, raising an eyebrow at me.

I look away sheepishly. "Just... my nightclothes," I mumble.

"Exactly," she says in satisfaction. "If you don't then I'll just have to make sure you get warmed up a different way," she says slyly.

I throw my hands in the air mockingly in exasperation with a small laugh. "Oh Force Ahsoka, why are you so smooth like that?!" I demand.

She laughs in amusement. "Because it's funny to see your reactions! Besides, I am a grown woman who can do whatever she likes!"

"How amusing," I deadpanned.

In response, she hops herself into my lap, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck. "Oh hush, you know you love me. Now carry me inside it's cold out here," she demands. "Then get yourself some warmer clothes!"

"Yes ma'am," I reply with a roll of my eyes. A small smile on my face as I get up, holding Ahsoka in my arms. "How would you feel if I pulled an Obi-Wan and dropped you?"

"Like how he dropped Satine that one time?" she asks. I nod my head. "I'd kick your butt."

* * *

 _ **The Rookery; Ahch-To**_

 **3rd person POV...**

The rookery island was teeming with all of Berk's dragons, spending the time there in order to lay their eggs and raise their hatchlings. Dragons walked around, left and right, with the hatchlings squawking and chasing each other, their parents keeping a close watch on them.

Nearby, Stormfly pushed her four dragon eggs into the hot water pool, where they all sunk to the bottom. Once down there, the eggs exploded one by one, releasing the baby Nadders which swam to the surface. Three of them all climbed out of the pool with their little legs, flopping across the ground and chirping curiously, then in excitement as Stormfly approached them happily. there were two turquoise colored Nadders, and one with a light blue-purple. She then did a quick head count, realizing one was missing and squawked in alarm, glancing around.

The final Nadder then burst out of the water, rolling across the ground and then stretching with a yawn. Stormfly chirped in relief and greeted the final hatchling, this one different from the rest. Instead of the normal Nadder colors, this one was actually colored a dark gray, with a light purple underbelly. It's claws and spikes were a pale silver, although the eyes were the usual yellow. It looked up at Stormfly, chirping happily at its mother.

Then it squinted heavily, opening its mouth and letting off a small sneeze, some dust having gotten into its nose. Along with the sneeze came a small burst of purple flame, and it flopped onto the ground from the force of it. Getting up, it moved over to its siblings and began to play around with them, Stormfly watching the hatchlings under her care happily.

* * *

 _Ooohhh, a new dragon! Of course this is obviously during the Gift of the Night Fury special. And what is the Seventh Fleet going to be doing...?_


	57. Ch 56 - The Gift of Love

**Astrid POV...**

"I can't believe him!"

"You can't believe him?! You kidnapped your dragon!"

"Well, that makes it sound so mean."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing as I gaped at Fishlegs incredulously. This whole time Meatlug was chained up inside of his barn, desperate to escape while Fishlegs secretly hid him from the rest of the village. It was selfish! And now Meatlug had stormed off, carrying Hiccup with him!

"Hey guys..." Tuffnut said, but I ignored him.

"He flew away the second he was unleashed!" I exclaimed.

"I'm seventy-two percent sure he wanted to stay," he defended himself.

I glare at him in irritation, fed up with his stupid argument. It was so obvious that Meatlug wanted to leave if he had him chained up, especially since he flew off at the first opportunity!

"GUYS!" Tuffnut yelled, and we all turned our attention to the twins, noticing them sifting through the hay pile.

"Whoa... Meatlug barfed up a pile of rocks." Fishlegs said.

I kneeled down by the pile, examining the 'rocks' and picked one up. Didn't feel like a rock...

"You're such an idiot! Those aren't rocks. Your dragon laid eggs!" Ruffnut exclaimed.

I widened my eyes in realization. "Hey, wait! I bet that's why the dragons left! To lay their eggs!" I said with a smile.

"But, boy dragons don't lay eggs." Fishlegs says in confusion.

"Yeah, your _boy_ dragon, is a _girl_ dragon." Ruffnut stated.

Fishlegs widened his eyes. "Okay, that actually explains a few things!"

Before he could continue, something I really didn't want to hear, I popped up with a grin, an idea popping into my head. "Hey! Everyone's missing their Dragons, right?"

"Oh, here it comes," Snotlout groans, but I ignore him, to excited to bother. I'm sure the Yaknog was good enough for him anyways. I reach out and grab a red bow from the shelf, tying it around the egg like a present.

"I've got an idea! It'll be another new Snoggletog tradition!" I said, showing them the egg. They all stared at each other, coming to an agreement with one of my ideas for once, and soon enough, we had gotten a red ribbon for each of the eggs. We all snuck out of the barn quietly, carrying two eggs each with grins on our faces.

"Oh, this is gonna be so good!" I said eagerly.

As we all scattered to various houses, I quietly snuck into one house, walking up to the fireplace and placing an egg in the the small decorative pot hanging nearby. I then snuck into another house with a barely contained grin of excitement, and placed the egg in a helmet, next to all the other decorations.

* * *

 **Hiccup POV...**

Meatlug was currently traveling through some thick mist, courtesy of dragon island, and I narrowed my eyes while holding on in an attempt to see better. Out of nowhere, a stone pillar appeared directly in front of us, and we narrowly avoided crashing while I gave a startled yelp.

"Meatlug, where are you taking me?" I asked, although I wasn't expecting an answer.

Then the masthead of one of our longboats shifted into view, and I gave a cry of surprise, pulling up on Meatlug's ears and forcing him above it. Meatlug continued higher, wobbling slightly, and I glanced back to see the masthead belonging to one of the ships that was destroyed by the Red Death.

It felt like hours as we continued to fly above the clouds, a sea of white surrounding us everywhere. Eventually, the clouds parted to reveal an island below us, round in shape with a few small rocky hills, and a perfectly round, clear blue lake in the center. The biggest surprise of all was that it was littered with all of our dragons! I widened my eyes in realization, figuring out that this is where they all went.

Meatlug then drifted along the water, coming to a rough stop on the ground. I quickly got off, and he started trotting off somewhere, a satisfied look on his face. I looked around in awe at all of the dragons, immediately feeling how much warmer this island was then Berk, steam drifting from many different pools of water. Then I quickly realized something else: the babies! Everywhere I looked, there were adult dragons sitting by smaller dragons, their babies, caring for them and feeding them. I couldn't believe it!

"You guys come here to have babies!" I breathed out in awe.

I watched as a Deadly Nadder walked over to her nest of four hatchlings, which began to chirp and chatter excitedly. The Nadder then hacked up some food for them, and I recognized it as something Toothless liked to do for me.

"Woah," I said quietly, before frowning. Toothless liked to hack up fish for me every so often... did he see me as his own hatchling?! I grimaced at the idea, unsure but also finding it cute at how much he cares for me. I then heard a Gronckle shifting nearby, and looked down to see one rolling her eggs towards a small pool of water. I stared curiously, and skidded down the hill over to her.

I nearly walked over a baby Nadder and Gronckle as they ran by, stopping myself in surprise before I could, and the Nadder chirped at me as it went by. I smiled after it, and then turned to watch the Gronckle. She rolled her eggs up and into the pool, where they all sank to the bottom, much to my curiosity. I wonder why they did that? I didn't stop to think for very long, as a few bubbles breached the surface moments later, followed by an adorable, newly hatched Gronckle baby.

"Aww, wow!" I cooed in wonder, and the three Gronckle babies fluttered and rolled over to their mother, who stared down at them fondly. I then glanced over to the side and saw another egg laying nearby, shaking. Looked like it was about to hatch!

"Hey, look over here you missed one!" I told the Gronckle as I strode over to it. However when the Gronckle saw the egg hatching it yelped in alarm and scrambled away as fast as it could, much to my confusion. Not a second later the egg actually exploded, knocking me back several feet to lay flat on my back!

"WOAH!" I yelled in shock.

Egg pieces landed all around me and I looked up with wide eyes, shocked as I watched the baby Gronckle fall out of the air and hit the ground. It shook itself and then stretched with a yawn, looking around and wandering over to its mother like nothing happened. Maybe that's why they roll them into the water...

"Man it's a good thing those don't hatch on Berk!" I said in relief.

Little did I know...

* * *

 **Astrid POV...**

I placed the last egg inside a boot, rushing out of the house and closing the door behind me, and met up with the rest of the teens.

"Wasn't this a great idea?!" I asked excitedly.

"Uh huh! Everyone's gonna be so surprised!" Fishlegs squealed giddily.

A moment later, the house I just left suddenly exploded, and a small orange colored object came flying out, smacking into Fishlegs' face.

"Ow!" he cried out, falling to the ground.

"Surprise!" Snotlout jeered.

The object then fell onto his stomach, and he jerked slightly in pain, the breathe being knocked out of him. That object, to our shock was a baby Gronckle, which let out a big yawn and then looked at us with wide, curious eyes.

"Aww!" Tuffnut, Ruffnut, and Snotlout all cooed. However, I was absolutely horrified.

"The eggs, explode?" I asked in shock.

All around us, various houses that we had placed the eggs into as gifts began to explode violently, destroying roofs and setting everything on fire.

"THE EGGS EXPLODE!" I yelled in horror, scrambling around in a panic, although there was nothing I could do. The eggs were already hatching, and it was too late to pull them back out. Someone ran out of their house in terror as it exploded, the horns of their helmet on fire!

"Sorry!" I tried to apologize, but it was useles. "I'm sorry..."

The baby Gronckles were shot everywhere as many of the houses exploded, rolling across the ground and then looking up at the chaos in wonder. Then, to make things worse, the tree that we had spent so long setting up was shot by another baby Gronckle, and flames began to cover the wood.

"The tree's on fire!" someone yelled.

All I could do was hold my head in terror as the tree began to burn, two more Gronckle's shooting through it. the houses continued to explode all around us, and only Fishlegs could share in my horror, the others to amused and awed by the sight.

"Wow!" Tuffnut exclaimed.

"Awesome..." Ruffnut said in awe.

"This is your best idea yet!" Snotlout told me with a grin. Normally I would pound him to a pulp, but I was too horrified to do anything, and all of this damage was my fault! Why do my ideas suck!?

"This could so be like one of those war stories Mara's family keeps talking about!" Ruffnut said, and the other two snickered in amusement. I grimaced even harder.

The tree was now completely burning in a massive fire, villagers all around gathering around to stare in shock and bewilderment, confused and terrified at having no idea what was happening. Worse yet, Stoick strode forwards, staring at the tree before turning to us, eye twitching in rage.

"What in Thor's name is going on?!" he bellowed angrily.

I had never felt so small in my entire life, and I hand was over my mouth in horror. "The eggs explode," I said quietly, widening my eyes as another house behind me exploded. All I could do was offer a sheepish smile, completely ashamed of myself as Stoick glared daggers at us.

* * *

 **Hiccup POV...**

"Toothless! Toothless?" I called out, walking along the island in search of my best friend. I had been looking for him for several minutes now, but there was absolutely no sign of him. "Ah, Toothless, where are you?" I sighed sadly.

I came across a small rise in the rock, and at the edge of it looked down to see another nesting area full of dragons. However to my pleasant surprise, I recognized a few of them, and the Nightmare did as well, perking up in surprise and excitement.

"Hookfang!" I exclaimed happily. I slid down the hill and approached Hookfang, giving his snout a quick hug. he nuzzled me in return with a happy purr. Who knew that the Nightmare trying to kill me several weeks ago now adores me? next to Hookfang was also Stormfly, who also perked up in recognition.

"Stormfly!" I greeted, approaching her with a smile. "Oh, you have no idea how happy I am to see you guys!" I said, giving her snout a hug. I then looked down to spot four Nadder babies, all chirping excitedly. "And you have... babies?"

I kneeled down to greet the babies, who all rushed forwards eagerly for attention. "Oh, look at you guys! All happy, together!" I said, scratching one Nadder on the side of its head, its scale a purplish tint. I then noticed one of the Nadder babies looked different from the others. Instead of the usual color scheme, this Nadder actually had... dark grey scales, almost black, with a purple colored underbelly. The claws and spikes were also different, having a silvery color, although the eyes were normal.

"Well look at you. Never seen a Nadder like you before," I said curiously. Said Nadder approached me curiously, chirping and pushing its sibling out of the way. I realized it was a baby girl, and it certainly looked adorable, sniffing my hand curiously and staring intently at me with its eyes.

For a moment I thought I saw them flash a bright violet color before changing back to normal, although I couldn't be sure. At the same time as that flash of color however, I also felt some strange thing in my head, and flinched slightly, memories of the Hssiss dragons returning before going away. She then squawked happily, rubbing against me and demanding attention, and I realized with a start what must have happened.

"Are you... Force sensitive?" I asked in shock, rubbing her jaw. "Wow..."

The babies all chirped and shoved each other playfully, and the baby girl turned away from me and rushed into the fray, playing with her siblings. "Who knew you are leaving to celebrate your own sort of... holiday," I said, trailing off upon realizing I wasn't on Berk.

I then stood up determinedly. "I should get back to my holiday," I said, before turning to Hookfang. "So what do you say there, Hookfang? Think, you could give me a ride back home?" I ask him.

He shifts slightly with a confirming growl, and lowers his head to let me climb on his back. Once I do so, he spreads his wings and takes flight into the air, hovering over the rest of the dragons for a moment to prepare himself for the flight.

"I'll see you all back on Berk when you're good and ready, okay, gang?" I call out.

Just as Hookfang was about to head off, Stormfly ascends into the air as well, followed by the rest of the dragons, all following their lead and taking flight. I widen my eyes in alarm.

"Oh... Nono nonono!" I call out, but it was useless at this point. "I think I just started the return migration," I said worriedly to myself, unsure if that was a bad thing or not.

The babies all squawk at the adults, who roar back encouragingly, and the babies all move forwards. "Well, if you insist!" I called out.

Stormfly's Force sensitive hatchling then chirps at all of the others, and starts running forwards, the rest of them following. they all leap off the cliff, copying how their parents did it and furiously flap their wings in an attempt to gain altitude.

"Come on! Come on!" I say encouragingly.

They all flap their wings, struggling to gain momentum, but they are still to young, and the wind currents are proving too strong for them to be able to fly properly. They all are blown back by the wind onto the cliff, and the Force sensitive Nadder squawks in frustration.

"Ah, boy, this is never gonna work," I say in disappointment, watching their progress with a frown. I then remember the ship me and Meatlug passed earlier, and an idea pops into my head. "Oh, hold on, I've got just the thing!" I say, patting Hookfang on the side, leading him off in the ship's direction with a few other dragons.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

"Snoggletog!" Mara laughed, unable to contain herself as we passed through the two statues in Berk's harbor, driving our newly bought- I mean stolen, Imperial speeder. I rolled my eyes in exasperation.

"Yes yes, we get it Mara," I replied in amusement.

"But... Snoggletog?!" she says, not needing to explain any further. Ahsoka and I can't resist a small chuckle at that. As I continue steering us over to the docks, I feel in my pocket for the small container that holds the kyber crystal ring. If there was any good time for attempting this, and this was the time.

"Eh, it could be worse I suppose." Ahsoka remarks.

"How? How could it be named worse?" Mara asks incredulously.

"Mara," I say seriously, which surprises her. "If the Vikings can name a holiday Snoggletog, then they can come up with much worse names than that."

She stares at me for a moment before all three of us burst out laughing at the way I said it so seriously.

"You're right," she admits with a grin.

We then pull up alongside the docks, and immediately notice something wrong about the village. "Uh... why is the village smoking?" Mara asks worriedly.

"Not sure," Ahsoka says with a frown. "However everyone seems completely fine from what I can sense."

"Same," I add. "Probably a fire accident... somehow," I mutter at the end in exasperation.

I park the speeder and we get out, heading up towards the village to see Vikings moving about in a glum and sour mood, carrying wood, tools, and various things to repair many houses, which are completely demolished. I raise an eyebrow and share a glance with the others, who shrug in the same amount of confusion. Astrid is on a roof, hammering in some new boards furiously, and I can sense she feels ashamed... did she cause this somehow?

"Jarik?" Ahsoka says calmly.

"What?" I ask her.

She simply points over to the side, Mara and I following her line of sight. Huddled against the side of a house are about a dozen baby Gronckles, all sleeping and rolling across each other in empty barrels.

"What in the Force..." I mutter quietly.

"Aww, they're so cute!" Mara coos. I then realize something important.

"Wait a minute: where's the rest of the dragons?" I ask in confusion.

Mara and Ahsoka both look around in realization, finding no other dragons around except for the baby Gronckles.

"Ok seriously, what the kriff happened here?" Mara asks incredulously.

"Mara," Ahsoka sighs in exasperation.

"Sorry mom," she apologizes.

Nearby, Stoick and Gobber and walking through the crowd of villagers carrying repair material, and I wave an arm. "Hey, Stoick!" I call out. They both look over and widen their eyes upon seeing us, and come marching over.

"Oh hi, didn't realize you were here," he says, nodding to each of us in greeting.

"We just got here," Ahsoka informs him. "So what-"

"Why is everything destroyed and what happened to the dragons?!" Mara interrupts, and Ahsoka rolls her eyes.

Stoick sighs irritably with a glum look while Gobber just stares at us. "Dragon eggs explode," he deadpans.

I blink in surprise, not expecting that. "Dragon eggs... explode?" I ask.

"Apparently," Stoick grumbles, glancing at Astrid in irritation over his shoulder, who notices the look and grimaces in embarrassment, continuing with her task, which I now deduce to be a punishment.

I nod slowly, still trying to wrap my head around the idea. "Huh," I say dumbly. "Makes you wonder how evolution causes that," I remarked.

"Well, is everyone okay?" Ahsoka asks in concern.

"Yeah, everyone's fine, we just need to rebuild this..." Stoick sighs. "Ah who am I kidding Ahsoka, this is a disaster!" he exclaims, stalking off again. The four of us follow after him, looking around occasionally to see the villagers repairing the destroyed buildings.

"Ah, it's not so bad." Gobber says in an attempt to lighten the situation.

"Could be worse," I say with a nod of my head.

"Hmm hmm," Mara quickly agrees, nodding furiously.

"Oh, not that bad?" Stoick scoffs disbelievingly. "The village is destroyed! The dragons have gone and left us. Let's face it- this holiday is a complete- What are these people looking at?" he demands, shoving through the crowd, everyone of which is looking at the sky.

I then sense the presence of multiple beings approaching from the sky, and look up, Ahsoka and Mara following my gaze to see a lot of moving silhouettes. Stoick also follows our gaze and widens his eyes.

"What is that?" he asks.

The silhouettes get closer, allowing their shapes to become more visible, and the three of us smile, all sensing who and what it is. Beneath the cloud of dragons is a broken, wooden boat that they're carrying with ropes, and on that boat were hundreds of younger life signatures.

"It's Hiccup!" Stoick exclaims, and everyone begins cheering as Hiccup comes into view astride Hookfang, which is confusing, but I could worry about that later.

"And our dragons!" Astrid yells out excitedly.

The ship is set onto the ground, where it skids forwards, slicing through the ice and snow before coming to a stop, the dragons all releasing the ropes. Everyone waits anxiously, and moments later tiny dragon heads all peel out, the Vikings awing at the sight. Mara giggles, cooing at how adorable they are, and Ahsoka and I both share a smile.

Hookfang and the rest of the dragons then land, and Hiccup dismounts as everyone cheers, rushing forwards to greet their dragons. Astrid quickly jumps down from the roof and rushes over to Stormfly, and Meatluf disappears behind the house where the Gronckle babies are, Fishlegs quickly following.

"The dragons had babies? That's awesome!" Mara exclaims.

"It certainly is," Ahsoka states.

Hiccup then wanders up to us, slightly surprised to see us but not questioning it. "Hey guys," he greets.

"Hey Hiccup!" Mara replies, giving him a quick hug. "You certainly outdid yourself tonight."

He looks away sheepishly. "Eh, it- it was nothing," he says modestly.

"Nothing?" I ask with a raised eyebrow. "Hiccup, you just made a dramatic entrance that could even rival Obi-Wan's," I said with crossed arms. Ahsoka laughs in amusement.

He frowns for a moment before realizing. "Your... Jedi Master?" he asks, and I nod.

"That's the one," I say with a smile.

Stoick then walks up behind him and grabs Hiccup in a big hug. "Well done son!" he congratulates.

"Thanks dad!" Hiccup wheezes out, being crushed slightly from the bear hug.

"Everyone!" Stoick calls out. "Grab your dragons! To the Great Hall! We finally have something to celebrate!"

A small, baby Nadder colored black and purple then rushes over to us, Stormfly and Astrid quickly following after it, followed by three other babies, and starts squawking at me, Ahsoka and Mara excitedly, specifically Mara.

"Hey, hey!" Astrid greets, and Stormfly lowers her head towards her baby, nudging her gently in a scolding manner. The baby just chirps excitedly at Mara again, nuzzling her leg.

"Well she seems to like you," Ahsoka says in amusement.

"Oh Force, it's so cute!" Mara coos, squatting down and scratching the dragon's head. It chirps happily and practically jumps into Mara's lap, much to her surprise, while Stormfly rumbles in a mixture of exasperation and fondness.

"Oh yeah, that baby is certainly different," Hiccup says.

"Different how?" Astrid asks.

He scratches his neck while the four of us look at him, Mara now standing up fully and holding the baby in her arms, who refused to let go. "Well... I think she might be Force sensitive."

We all look at him in surprise.

"What?" Astrid exclaims in bewilderment, and the three of us with the Force focus on the dragon, finding it to be true, much to our surprise. Of course, it wasn't nearly as strong in the Force as Toothless was, but it still had some connection, which showed itself as it stared at Ahsoka and I when our minds touched it briefly.

"You're right, she does." Ahsoka says thoughtfully, and I stroke my chin.

"Well this is new. As far as I'm aware Satele's journal never said anything about Nadder's having the Force," I recall.

"How did you figure that out?" Ahsoka asks Hiccup, while Mara and Astrid eye the Nadder in awe, both cooing over it. The other three babies chirp and whine desperately for attention, so Astrid kneels down to their level to pet them.

Hiccup shrugged. "Just a feeling really. Earlier it looked at me, and for a brief moment I thought it's eyes flashed purple, and I felt something strange in my head before it disappeared again."

Me and Ahsoka shared a look. "Well that's interesting, although nothing to unusual for a Force sensitive dragon. Any dragon connected to the Force will almost always be able to sense the mind of another being," I told him.

"Certainly something to look at later, although right now I suppose we should make for the Great Hall," Ahsoka said, and we all nodded in agreement, following after the Vikings towards the Great Hall, where the main celebration was going to be.

* * *

For most of the party, the baby Nadder had refused to stray too far from Mara, having taken a liking to her, and also me and Ahsoka from time to time. Stormfly seemed fine with it, although she would occasionally look over at her baby, like any good mother should. Everyone was happy, spending time with not only their dragons, but the babies as well, while me and Ahsoka sat at one of the tables to watch, content with sitting in a room full of joy.

Joy and happiness is a rare emotion in the galaxy these days.

And it would seem that holds true with Hiccup, and I noticed that while he was walking around, happy for the others to have their dragons, Toothless was not with him. He sighed sadly.

Luckily for him, Astrid and Mara both approached, the baby Nadder still following her around, chirping happily every do often.

"Hiccup, I know this must be really hard for you seeing everyone with their dragons. But you really did a wonderful thing. Thank you." Astrid said gratefully, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"You are, and always will be one of the best, most kind-hearted people I've ever known," Mara adds.

"Thanks guys," Hiccup replied gratefully, and the two girls give him a tight hug. "Mara, Astrid... where did Toothless go?" he asks, sadness and longing leaking through his voice.

"I don't know..." Astrid replies, not sure how to respond.

 _"Wonder how he'll react once he realizes Toothless is just beyond the door,"_ Ahsoka tells me, and I nod in agreement with a small smile.

Moments later, the doors to the Great Hall are pushed open, and Toothless pokes his head through, something in his mouth, looking around curiously with wide eyes and stalks forwards, searching for Hiccup. I grin in amusement at the expression he makes when he spots him, perking up happily before trotting over. Mara's baby dragon looks over at Toothless curiously, unconsciously reaching out with the Force and chirping excitedly. Mara and Astrid both take notice of Toothless and share a mischievous look with each other.

"Oh boy," Ahsoka sighs, standing up alongside me.

"We certainly raised her well," I deadpanned, with a small hint of amusement.

"Wow, man. Wouldn't wanna be you right now!" Astrid exclaims as she and Mara separate from Hiccup. "I mean you brought back everyone's dragon except yours!" she says. Hiccup frowns in annoyance.

"Even I have a dragon, and you don't!" Mara adds with a smirk, and he stares at them both in irritation.

"Yeah, you know, this is not helping, at all," he replies bitterly, moving to walk away from them.

They both grin eagerly, and before he can go far, Mara reaches a hand out and shoves him in Toothless' direction with the Force. The pair immediately lock gazes and Hiccup's expression goes from bitter, to amazed and excited in an instant as Toothless rushes forwards.

"Toothless! Hey bud!" Hiccup exclaims excitedly. The two stop before each other for a moment, and then embrace each other happily as everyone watches, smiles on their faces.

Nearby, Stoick laughs at something someone else said before Gobber gets his attention... with the most ridiculous outfit I had ever seen. "Stoick!" he whispers, and Stoick looks over to see Hiccup and Toothless' reunion.

Hiccup then pulls away and points a scolding finger at Toothless, who watches it curiously with wide eyes. "Bad dragon! Very bad dragon! You scared me to death. Don't ever stay away that long again, and what is in your mouth?" Hiccup says.

Without warning Toothless suddenly places his mouth over Hiccup's head, and everyone cringes in disgust, Ahsoka and myself included, although we aren't as verbal as the others. Toothless then pulls his head away to reveal Hiccup's viking helmet placed on his head, covered in slobber.

 _"Toothless cares a lot for him..."_ I tell Ahsoka quietly.

 _"He sure does,"_ she replies in agreement.

"Yeah, you found my helmet." Hiccup says, wiping the slobber away before stopping, realizing what he said. "What-hey! You found my helmet! That's where you've been? Buddy, thank you! You are amazing!" Hiccup says gratefully, and shares another hug with Toothless, who sits there in content. Stoick and Gobber both laugh with each other, and I sling and arm around Ahsoka's shoulders as Astrid strides forwards.

"Happy Snoggletog!" she exclaims.

I then remember what I had brought with me, and decide to reveal it now. I don't know if we'll ever get another moment this happy in our lives.

 _"Ahsoka, come_ _here, I wanna show you something"_ I tell her, gently grabbing her hand and walking towards the door. I want this to be private, just between us, although I never noticed that Mara had spotted us.

 _"Why? What is it?"_ she asks in confusion.

 _"You'll see,"_ I tell her.

I open the door and then close it behind her, leaving us out at the top of the steps leading to the Great Hall. the area is lit up by the massive torches on the columns, as well as the light from the full moon, the sky completely clear tonight, showing off the wonders of the stars. I lead her to the very edge of the top of the staircase and then face her.

"What is it Jarik?" she asks curiously.

I shift nervously, unsure of how this is going to play out, but there's no going back now.

"Ahsoka... I'm not sure how to say this," I start to see, and she remains quiet, eyeing me intently, sensing something serious. "For a long time now as I'm sure you know, I've really liked you, and you've felt the same way."

Her eyes narrow slightly, slowing widening in understanding, and I reach into my cloak, pulling out the ring's container.

"I made it out of the kyber down in the caves underneath our island... and I just wanted to ask..." I say nervously, getting down onto one knee before her and opening the small box, revealing the kyber crystal ring, which glows dimly in the night. she holds a hand to her mouth with a quiet gasp, eyes welling up.

"...Ahsoka Tano... will you marry me?" I ask her.

She stares at the ring, and slowly lowers her hand, looking at me with tears in her eyes, a small smile on her face. "Yes Jarik... I will."

I gasp lightly, smiling myself, and we quickly envelop each other in a tight hug, both lightly shedding tears of joy.

 _"I love you Jarik!"_ she declares.

 _"I love you too,"_ I reply, holding her even tighter.

* * *

A few minutes later, we headed back into the Great Hall after spending some time with each other, ready to observe the celebration of Snoggletog again. Upon opening the door however, we noticed how everyone inside were all looking at us with wide smiles, including Mara and Hiccup. Even Toothless and a few of the dragons were also watching us.

"What?" I asked.

"Congratulations on your engagement you two!" Stoick says proudly, a wide smile on his face. The Vikings all cheer happily, clapping hands and shouting words of encouragement, all the while the two of us are stunned.

"Wh- How did you know?!" Ahsoka asks in bewilderment.

"I let them know a few weeks ago, and we waited forever for you to finally get engaged!" Mara says happily.

I would be mad at her for snooping on me, as I hadn't told anyone about the ring, and neither of us had ever openly stated it, but at the moment I'm just too happy to really care.

"Come on, dance! Let's play a song for this!" Gobber yells out, and shouts of approval rang out from the Vikings, while Toothless roared happily. A band of Vikings all got together with various instruments that I didn't know, and started up a classic, jolly Viking song, although it was more slow paced.

"Come on you guys!" Mara called out to us.

Me and Ahsoka shared a look, considering before smiling with a shrug of our shoulders. Why the kriff not? She held my left hand, and I laid my right hand on her waist as she placed her left hand on my shoulder, and we started dancing as best as we could to the beat of the music, other villagers soon following our example. Neither of us knew how to dance very well because of our upbringing, but I couldn't care less.

As I spun Ahsoka around with her laughing, all I could think about was how this was the best moment of my life, ever.

* * *

 _And so it happened! I'm sure you have all been waiting for this moment for a long time! Say hello to the Shan family!_

 _Jarik Shan, Ahsoka Tano Shan, and Mara Jade Shan!_

 _:DDDDDD_


	58. Ch 57 - The Wedding

**Jarik POV...**

I lay in the bed, continuing to stare up at the ceiling, unable to stop thinking about my premonitions, which have continuously made themselves known to me since Mustafar. Whatever is under Vader's castle... it must have triggered something, it had to. Which means it is powerful, and dangerous.

Ahsoka shifted in her sleep slightly, and I glanced down at her with a fond smile. I pulled her slightly closer and stroked her lekku softly, causing her to smile lightly in her sleep and snuggle closer. Speaking of Ahsoka, last night after the Snoggletog party, Stoick had... heavily insisted that we throw a wedding, despite our protests and denying.

Naturally this resolved into a small argument, with his stubbornness equally matching ours, before we eventually came to a compromise. We agreed to have a wedding, in the late evening, with today luckily being Friday, which is their day for holding weddings because of their goddess Frigga. However it would be simple, and quick. No crazy parties, no intense preparation, and considering our obvious lack of wardrobe, no fanciness either.

A quiet cry of a Terror from far away reached my ears, and I glanced up to see a tiny bit of dim orange light shining into the house. Must've been awake for an hour thinking about these stupid premonitions. They're really annoying. Then to my confusion and bewilderment, the front door starts to open with a loud creak. I stare intently at it, and while I can sense someone entering, no one seems to step through the door.

Then a small chirping sound gets my attention and I realize it was simply a dragon, wonderful. Looking down, I widened my eyes slightly upon seeing it was the baby Force sensitive Nadder, who immediately looked up at me curiously. She chirped softly and then looked around, her chirps growing into squawks and warbles. She was looking for something.

"Shh, quiet!" I whispered, sitting up slightly and calming the Nadder with the Force. She looked at me again, and I realized with a start that she was looking for Mara. I rolled my eyes with a sigh, and Ahsoka then stirred against me.

"Mmm... Jarik?" she mumbled tiredly, sitting up in bed slowly, and rubbing her eyes. "What's with the strange noise..."

She trailed off upon spotting the Nadder, who chirped at her curiously. "Oh boy," she sighed. I hummed in agreement.

"This dragon really likes Mara," I told her.

"And Mara I'm sure likes the dragon as well," she added. "But this might be a problem."

"Yeah," I replied. "How are we supposed to care for a dragon when we're constantly busy with the Empire?"

Just then, the sound of footsteps from the loft echoes through the house, and Mara slowly climbed down the ladder, slightly groggy. She touched the floor, and the baby dragon looked over happily with an excited chirp, rushing over to her. Mara glanced down in surprise, stumbling for a step when the dragon pushed against her feet, rubbing her leg happily with excited warbles.

"Oh gosh! Oh..." she said in slight confusion. "What're you doing here girl?"

The baby Nadder chirped at her again. "Looking for you it seems," I stated.

"But why me?" Mara asks in confusion.

"Because, she seems to have formed some sort of bond with you for some reason, and wants to follow you around," Ahsoka added.

"Like you two?" she replied snarkily, and I rolled my eyes in hidden amusement. Ahsoka however just smiled and draped her arms around my neck, placing her chin on my shoulder.

"Why not?" she said.

"Yeah sure, why not?" I added.

The Nadder continued to rub against her leg, occasionally nibbling with her mouth, and Mara picked her up again.

"Well in that case... can I keep her?" she asks.

"Keep her?" I question.

She nods her head. "Yeah. She obviously likes me, and I would enjoy having my own dragon friend like the others do."

"I'm not sure Mara," Ahsoka replied. "Emergencies can come up at any time, and we're a busy family, not permanently stationed here. Plus, I'm certain Stormfly would rather keep a close eye on her. She is only a few days old after all," she pointed out.

"I know, I know," Mara says reluctantly in agreement. "But we could get around it! Whenever we're gone, she can stay here on Berk with Stormfly and the others, and when we're here, I can take care of her!"

"Are you sure you can handle a baby dragon?" I ask her with a raised eyebrow.

"It can't be the worst thing right?" she asks rhetorically. I eye her dubiously and share a look with Ahsoka, considering our options. Eventually, we come to a decision.

"Alright, you can keep her," I tell her.

"Yes!" Mara exclaims happily, and the Nadder chirps happily.

"However," Ahsoka says, and she stops to look at us. "You have to take full responsibility of her. She has to stay here on Ahch-To, preferably with someone we know until she grows older. And, Stormfly has to be alright with this."

Mara frowns in confusion. "How am I supposed to tell this to Stormfly?"

The baby chirps again, and she glances at her, before looking at us, a small grin on my face. "Let her feel her intentions, and she may know. Dragon's are a good judge of character."

* * *

Later in the day, the whole village was in an uproar, everyone going around to get themselves prepared for the wedding, since they would only have until the evening to get ready for the event. I wasn't at all surprised to see them all passionately doing as much as they could to make it special, including the preparation of a feast. Vikings throw a feast for everything, and if they were happy to do it then it's not our place to deny them that happiness.

Although that old man called Mildew is certainly a character. His presence itself can just suck the happiness out of everyone, and nobody likes him so... I guess he's the exception.

Anyways, Ahsoka and I were with Stoick, up at Gothi's house to discuss how it would be handled, whether or not we would be doing it in their traditional way. Having learned for ourselves how to understand Gothi, the two of them told us about the ways they do marriage.

"Well, from what you're saying, your ceremonies require an exchange of swords and rings to each other, right?" I ask them.

Stoick nodded his head. "Yes. The ancestral sword is carried by the groom, who gifts it to the bride to show that he will cast aside his previous house to defend her. The bride gifts him a new sword, which he will use to defend their hearth until the day of his death."

"And, the rings? You said they were for an oath?" Ahsoka asks.

Gothi nods her head, and Stoick answers. "The groom and the bride will gift each other a ring, and swear oaths to face all challenges together and to have true love and honesty."

"Well, that might be a problem. We only have one ring," Ahsoka says with a shrug and small grin, holding up the container for the ring.

"And we don't have 'ancestral' or 'gift' swords, just the lightsabers we created ourselves," I added.

Stoick crossed his arms and frowns, slightly troubled and confused on how to proceed. Gothi thinks for a moment before writing in the sand. _'Will you be following our customs for marriage? Or your own?'_

Me and Ahsoka shared a sheepish smile, both knowing that we don't have any marriage customs since, well, Jedi didn't marry.

"Jedi were never supposed to form attachments in the past, so we don't have any marriage customs," I told them.

"No attachments?!" Stoick exclaimed in bewilderment. "Well what about your family, your parents?"

I stayed quiet, knowing very well what happened to my parents, which Ahsoka could sense. "Future Jedi were brought to the Temple to begin their training at an age no older than four," Ahsoka said. "They would never be able to interact with family members again. Wherever my family is right now, I'll probably never know."

"That's horrible!" Stoick said in disbelief.

"No kidding," I muttered sarcastically. "Although, since we don't have any of our own personal marriage customs, we may as well follow along with yours generally, although with some alterations to keep it simple."

 _'In what ways?'_ Gothi writes.

Me and Ahsoka both share a look, considering how we were going to go about doing this. Firstly, we don't have any fancy clothes, so no dress or suit. That leaves us to our usual attire, which would be our Jedi clothing. Of course we can't exactly wear battle armor for a wedding, but we do have our Jedi cloaks, which we can wear in a certain way for it to look nice. Ahsoka has a white-cream colored cloak that she rarely wears, due to her preference on quick movements and flexibility when in battle, and I have my cloak. Although I do also have a dark grey poncho/cape that I could wear, similar to the style that Obi-Wan says Master Qui-Gon wore. We would wear those cloaks, and remove our armor except for the boots, since they look good anyways.

So for our appearances, we're pretty much set.

Then comes the issue of how the wedding was going to proceed. We ran over what Gothi and Stoick told us was the normal proceeding and narrowed down the important parts. We took out parts of the proceedings that we simply could not do, like with the ring and sword gifting for example, although we altered some parts of it slightly in a way that could work. We thought through all of this and offered our feelings to each other on the ideas fairly quickly, and then looked back up at them.

"I think we have an idea for that," Ahsoka says.

* * *

 _ **Hours later...**_

The twin suns bathed the skyline in a brilliant orange, making the calm seas shimmer and casting a luminescent glow on the buildings and trees. At the foot or along the lower half of the large stone staircase leading to the Great Hall were all of Berk's villagers, dressed in their usual attire, although slightly nicer looking. Hair was brushed, and they had all managed to clean themselves up as best as they could. Stoick was dressed with his fur cape, and his belt was switched to the ceremonial gold one.

I was garbed in my robed poncho, which combined with my shoulder length hair makes me feel kind of like Qui-Gon Jinn when he was on Tatooine, from what I've seen. However my poncho is colored a dark grey, and I wore a glove on my left arm to keep my metal hand covered, and my hair was pulled back into a ponytail, which fell to between my shoulder blades loosely.

Halfway up the stairs was a small flat platform, which is where I was standing, alongside Stoick, Hiccup and Gobber, all wearing nicer, cleaner clothing. The blacksmith had actually decided to willingly take a bath for this occasion, which surprised the whole village, especially Stoick. I though it was really nice of him to think of that just to make this better for us. Ahsoka was inside the Hall with Mara, Astrid and Gothi, getting herself ready. She would be walking down the stairs to meet us when it was time.

Some dragons were around as well, although those like Toothless, Stormfly and her hatchling were really the only ones actively paying attention to what was going on, which I'm not too surprised at, since dragons can't be expected to understand things like marriage, although they weren't being rowdy either.

"This is a big moment," Stoick said, and I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, and a nerve-racking one as well," I admitted.

He laughed in response. "Aye, I felt the same way too when I was married. I was so paranoid that something would go wrong!" he recalled fondly.

"That you were Stoick," Gobber agreed with a chuckle.

"You always seem paranoid," Hiccup deadpanned, and he shrugged.

"Well, when you live through dragon raids your whole life, you tend to expect the worst," he told him.

Hiccup nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I guess that's true."

Just then the doors to the Great Hall opened, and everyone shushed themselves. Gothi stepped out, and carefully but quickly descended the steps to come stand by Stoick, a smile on her face. Not a moment later, Ahsoka also stepped out of the door, and I looked up to her, nervous beyond reason but composing myself. We smiled at each other, and she began to slowly descend the steps, hands clasped in front of her. The Vikings all took off their helmets, and I found myself mesmerized by the beauty and grace Ahsoka was exuding.

She wasn't too different from how she normally looked, but the way she held herself when descending the steps was just purely graceful beyond measure. She was wearing her simple, gray dress and V neck that she usually wore underneath her battle armor, only this time it was without the belt and armor pieces. She also wore her headdress with a central diamond on it, and her shiny armored boots. Over all of that was her creamy white colored cloak, which covered her arms up to her wrists and trailed behind her. It was as if Ahsoka was shining like Morai did.

Behind her came Mara and Astrid, the former wearing the usual black attire, her fur cape over her left shoulder, red hair trailing down her right shoulder in soft waves. Astrid has replaced her skull head skirt with a simple dark blue colored skirt, and had removed her shoulder armor pieces, replacing it with a short, ceremonial cape. Her hair was brushed our of her eyes completely, and her blonde hair was tied in a loose ponytail falling down her shoulder.

The Vikings all removed their helmets respectfully as she approached, and I probably had a small amount of tears welling in my eyes, which I quickly blinked away. I could also see the small amount of happy tears welling up in Ahsoka's eyes, but we both kept our composure. She eventually reached the flat halfway mark of the stairs and we stood before each other, both smiling. Mara for sure had to have the biggest crap-eating grin on her face, although I could care less. Stoick then came forwards and stood before us, facing towards the crowd. He would be the one acting as our officiate.

"Today, we gather together as a tribe in the sight of the gods and our sacred ancestors not to forge a bond, but to make holy a bond that has already been formed!" Stoick announces. "Before us stand our allies, our friends, Jedi Knights Jarik Shan, and Ahsoka Tano!" he continues.

"For many years now, they have watched out for our village, helping to steer us on the right path towards peace, and will always continue to fight for that which is right! With them, they carry honor, courage, bravery, compassion, and wisdom. They have fought in battles to preserve their peace, they have fought for each other, and have fought to strike their sword through the heart of all evil! And today, they ask to be bound together in marriage, a marriage formed through love and great strength."

Gothi steps forwards and lightly taps her staff with a nod of her head, allowing Stoick to continue to the next part. The whole time, Ahsoka and I never break our gaze.

"By the authority given to me on this day, I mark this sacred space! I name it Frithstead, and let all who gather herein be peace holy. Mighty Thor, defender of the folk and proud warrior of Asgard, make sacred this space and protect all who gather herein. Odin Allfather, let all vows made herein be heard by the gods and our sacred ancestors! Mother Frigga, great Disir, guardian of our lines, let those who would join their lines together in this place know your blessing. Great Norns, weavers of fate, let those who entwine their lives, and join these two great houses know only joy and good fortune so long as they cleave together," he says.

Gothi taps her staff again, signaling that the prayer made by Stoick to their gods was right, and allowing him to continue with the ceremony. He nods his head slightly and then turns to me.

"Master Jarik Shan. Do you love this woman before all others, with your whole heart, and without reservation?" he asks me.

I nod my head without a doubt. "I do."

He smiles, and then turns to Ahsoka.

"Lady Ahsoka Tano. Do you love this man before all others, with your whole heart and without reservations?"

"I do," she answers without hesitation, a smile on her face.

"Then give to them the Bride Geld, a gift in return for the strong defender you seek to win from them," he tells her.

Ahsoka pulls out her original, green lightsaber from underneath her cloak and offers it to me. I take it from her hands and feel the Force from the crystal flowing from within the hilt. It reacts to the feelings flowing across the bond between us, and pulses warmly. I smile and hold up the hilt, activating the vibrant green blade, which comes to life with a quiet hiss, humming gently.

"I accept your gift to me, and promise to uphold your trust in me and my house until the end of my days," I say happily. With those words, I deactivate the lightsaber and then place it on my belt, Ahsoka holding back tears.

Stoick then turns to Gothi, who pulls out the small container that holds the kyber crystal ring. She opens it, and offers it to me with a smile. I take the ring gently from the box and hold it in my hands as Stoick continues.

"Perfect in form, the circle is without end, as is the strength of the bond between Shan and Tano, shown today!" Stoick announces. Ahsoka holds out her left hand, and I gently take it with one hand and slip the ring onto her ring finger, where the crystal shines in the light of the setting suns.

"Jarik Shan, and Ahsoka Tano!" Stoick says, and we step closer to each other. "Today, I pronounce thee, husband and wife! You may now kiss, your bride."

I cup my right hand on Ahsoka's cheek while she wraps her arms around my shoulder, and the two of us share a kiss full of love and passion, while the rest of the Vikings all let out happy cheers and roars of approval. Mara, Hiccup and Astrid were all clapping and hugging each other in joy, and their dragons even let off roars of joy, other dragons soon following. Ahsoka and I separated, tears of joy and happiness falling down our faces, the moment too wonderful to describe properly.

 _"I'll always love you, no matter what,"_ I tell her across the bond sincerely.

 _"I know,"_ she replies softly.

We both sense a presence in the Force that is familiar to us, and glance up towards the top of the stairs. Standing there, all with smiles on their faces are Morai, in her human form, Revan and Bastila, Satele, and then most shockingly... Padmé. By the lack of reactions from everyone else, we were the only ones who could see them. However Mara did glance up in their direction for a moment in confusion, before shrugging and turning away.

Padmé stood there, clad in a flowing white wedding dress, which I had a small suspicion was what she wore when marrying Anakin. Her eyes shined in joy, smile as genuine and warm as we remembered. Satele, Revan and Bastila all nodded their heads in approval, and Morai had a small smile on her face. We smiled back at them, and then they faded away, returning to the nether world of the Force.

Ahsoka and I then turned to look at each other, no words needed, and shared another kiss. The completion of our bond surged outwards through the Force, filled with light, love, and happiness.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

 _ **Dagobah System...**_

Self-exiled Jedi Master Yoda meditated on his log, a small smile on his face as he sensed the Force revolve around Jarik and Ahsoka, secretly his favorite two Padawans that he knew within the last decade before the Empire. He hadn't felt them ever since the Order fell, and to know they still lived, and with such happiness, brought peace to his heart. The old ways of the Jedi Order were wrong, he knew that now, and it had brought about their downfall. But these two were the key to the future of the Force.

Luke Skywalker may be the one who will restore the Jedi bring an end to the reign of the Sith, but the purpose Jarik and Ahsoka hold, is so much more...

 _ **Tatooine, Tatoo System...**_

Exiled Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi sat astride his dewback, staring at the moisture farm of Owen and Beru Lars intently. He kept watch over them, feeling young Luke and his eagerness for adventure before the Force surged over him. He looked up at the sky, in the direction of the setting suns and allowed himself a small smile at what he felt. His former Padawan's love for Ahsoka was something that he had suspected for some time during the Clone Wars, which proved true towards the end after Ahsoka's expulsion.

The way the Force surged around a joining between the two of them, only proved how the light side was always meant to be. The old Order was wrong about love. It leads to greater happiness and light than the Jedi ever could have.

Satisfied, Obi-Wan gave the moisture farm one last look before turning his dewback around, heading back towards his home.

* * *

 _Hey guys, sorry for the late update! I just had some writers block when doing this chapter, and struggled with writing the whole marriage ceremony properly. I also just got a new laptop as well, so that's something. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!_

 _Also for those of you wondering about Padmé, no she is not a Force ghost like the others. In this instance, I'm having it so that the Force allowed her to gain a form at this particular event because of her closeness with the two, especially Ahsoka. Morai's presence would have also helped as well!_


	59. Ch 58 - What Lies Beyond

_**One day later...**_

 **Mara POV...**

"She really seems to like you a lot," Astrid observed.

"I know," I deadpan. "I'm starting to think she likes me more than Stormfly."

Stormfly's baby Nadder trotted along beside me, always looking up at me every few seconds with a happy chirp. I'd respond with a small smile and then she'd rub her head against my leg. Hiccup looked down at her thoughtfully, and Toothless sniffed her curiously every few moments.

"Well, beats me. Especially if she's Force sensitive. Have your parents offered any advice about it?" Hiccup asked.

I shrugged. "Apparently she formed some sort of bond with me, from what they can figure out."

"Any particular reason why?" he asked.

"No, but if I want to keep her as my dragon whenever we're not out fighting the Empire, then they want me to seek Stormfly's approval." I told them.

"Seek Stormfly's approval?" Astrid asks with a raised eyebrow. "That's a kind of odd way to put it."

"Well, she is her baby." Hiccup admitted.

"I know that, but how are you going to ask for Stormfly's approval?" Astrid asks.

"...With the Force?" I offer sheepishly.

"You know what, don't answer. I'm not going to understand it that much anyways," Astrid said in exasperation.

"Yeah, it confuses me too," I admitted.

Eventually, we reached Astrid's house, and walked to the side where Stormfly's stable was. Inside was Stormfly, sitting against the wall and watching her hatchlings play around with each other. Once we arrived, they all looked up and gave excited squawks, rushing over to their violet sibling, who joined in on the playing happily. Toothless warbled at Stormfly, who squawked in return before turning her gaze back onto the excited baby dragons. We watched them mess around before I thought over how to do this.

"Umm... any advice Astrid?" I ask her.

"Why are you asking me?" she asks in confusion.

"You do know Stormfly better," I tell her.

She frowns thoughtfully and looks at Stormfly before shrugging. "Well, she's not in a bad mood, which is a good start. Probably best to get her attention... Hey Stormfly!" she calls out.

Stormfly perks up and looks over at Astrid.

"You remember Mara?" she says, nudging me, and I step forward, a sheepish smile on my face. Stormfly shifts her gaze over to me and chirps in recognition. The baby Nadder also stops playing with her siblings and wanders back over to me, glancing between the two of us curiously.

"Hey Stormfly," I say. "I uhh... oh I'll just show you," I mutter at the end. I step forwards and raise a hand, placing it on the side on Stormfly's jaw when she moves forwards and close my eyes. I do my best to do what mom and dad told me, and attempt to send the message I had and my desires about her Nadder with the Force. I can feel her react to the feelings I was sending her and reopen my eyes, lowering my hand.

Stormfly chirps quietly before glancing towards her hatchling, letting out a small squawk. The baby responds with another few chirps, the mother and daughter having a small conversation between each other. The baby then trills happily and rushes towards Stormfly, and the two nuzzle each other before she glances at me, and then returns to watching her other three hatchlings. The baby Nadder trots over to me and then happily rubs against my leg.

"I.. guess I'll take that as a yes," I finally say.

"Well that wasn't too hard," Hiccup comments.

"What're you gonna name her?" Astrid asks me.

I pick up the baby in my arms, who snuggles up in my hold with another few happy chirps and think of a name. Eventually, I give a small smile as I come up with a name.

"Zenna. I'll name her Zenna," I say.

Newly named 'Zenna' gives a squawk of approval.

"You know what, I like that name. I think it suits her," Astrid said in agreement.

Toothless moves closer to me and curiously sniffs Zenna. She responds with a playful nip and small burst of purple flame, making Toothless yelp in surprise before growling quietly at her, a pouting expression on his face. Hiccup laughs in amusement while Zenna trills in victory,

"Aw what's the matter Toothless?" he teases.

Toothless snorts in response, holding his head up and looking away, much to our amusement. We all let out small chuckles and start walking into the street again, headed in no real direction. "So, what next?" Hiccup asks.

"HEY GUYS!" Tuffnut yells, and we all jump in surprise when Tuffnut suddenly appears next to us, yelling as loudly as he can. Zenna squawks in alarm before staring at him with narrowed eyes, while Ruffnut appears behind her twin. Both start laughing, and Astrid grumbles in annoyance.

"Ugh, what is your deal Tuffnut?" she demands.

"Aw, lighten up Astrid, we were just joking around!" Ruffnut exclaims with a grin.

"Joking around? More like... 'Loki'ing around!" Tuffnut says, and they two crack up into laughs again. I roll my eyes in exasperation while Hiccup grumbles to himself. Zenna huffs a small puff of smoke before shooting out a tiny purple flame, which catches onto Tuffnut's vest. He yelps in alarm and starts slapping it to put out the fire, while Ruffnut continues to laugh, this time at him. The rest of us all watch in amusement too, Zenna chirping happily.

"Not cool Z! Not cool!" Tuffnut says with a frown, and I raise an eyebrow at him.

"Z?" I ask.

"I'm calling your dragon 'Z' now, cuz,' heh, you know, 'Zenna?' 'Z?'" he replies.

"Yes, we know what Zenna's name is Tuff," Hiccup deadpans.

"Speaking of which!" Ruffnut suddenly exclaims, standing at attention. "We have a question for you!"

Tuffnut nods his head vigorously. "Yes we do! It is very important!"

"Alright, shoot," I say with a sigh.

"Will we now have to call you Mara Shan, or is it still, Mara Jade? Or is it, uh, Jade Shan? Shan Jade? Jadey?" Tuffnut spouts off, and Ruffnut slaps him upside the head.

"Not that one you idiot!" she scolds, before looking at me in interest while Tuffnut rubs his head. "But... seriously what do we call you?"

"That's your question?" I ask disbelievingly, and Hiccup and Astrid both sigh.

"Muttonheads," she mutters.

"Well?" they both ask.

I roll my eyes again. "Well, technically it's now 'Mara Jade Shan,' but you can just... stick to calling me Mara..." I tell them warily.

"Ok ok ok," Tuffnut rants. "Real question!" Ruffnut announces again. "If your name has Jade in it, why is it that you prefer purple?"

The three of us, and even Toothless and Zenna stare at her in confusion, as they continue on.

"A very important question, dear sister!" Tuffnut exclaims in agreement. "You see, Jade is an ornamental mineral, mostly known for its green varieties, which is featured prominently in ancient art. Yet you, dear Mara, do not live up to your name of green rocks! Your fire sword is purple, your favorite color is purple, and your dragon has purple fire and scales!"

"If your name was more accurate, then it should be changed to Mara, 'Amethyst' Shan!" Ruffnut adds. "Because amethyst, is a purple colored stone!:

All of us give them a blank stare, not believing they could fall to this level of stupid, and eventually I exhale with a shake of my head in bewilderment.

"That is just... the dumbest thing I have ever heard," I deadpanned.

"Dumbest?!" they both exclaimed in disbelief, ironically.

"Really though, with your logic that's like saying I should be a fish for having Haddock in my name!" Hiccup says, and we nod in agreement.

"Wait, you're not a fishbone?" Tuffnut asks in confusion. Hiccup just facepalmed.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

I lay in bed and flipped the page of Satele's journal, reading through the next entry that she had listed down.

 _'Near the end of the Cold War, I came into contact with a strange, intelligent mechanical being. Despite appearing as a large machine over a dozen feet tall, the living Force surrounded him, proving his sentience and real life. He could not speak, but he went by the name of Bumblebee.'_

I frowned thoughtfully, the description she was giving, being somewhat familiar. I then remembered that in the old Jedi texts stored at the Temple, the Prime Jedi spoke of similar beings as well, who were also large and mechanical. Could this be the same? I read through the page and saw a simple sketch of the being she had encountered. Just like the page described, the simple drawing showed a robotic creature, with yellow paint and baby blue eyes. At his side stood Satele... geez. The difference in size was shocking! He wasn't just large, he was huge! At least twenty feet!

 _'Bumblebee originated from the planet Cybertron in a neighboring galaxy. His home world was destroyed through eons of civil war, between his faction the Autobots, and their enemies the Decepticons.'_

Things were really getting interesting now. Beings from another galaxy... does Palpatine know about this, and he is attempting to find it? Or is it still for something else?

 _'The leader of the Autobots is Optimus Prime, the last of his lineage, and near surrogate father to Bumblebee. His brother-in-arms turned enemy is Megatron, leader of the Decepticons. The Autobots fought for freedom, while the Decepticons dreamt of tyranny, destroying all who defied them._

Great. Another faction out there who seeks to rule everyone with a cruel fist, yet these Decepticons might be worse. The fact that their species grow to massive sizes is definitely a big factor.

 _'My son Theron and I, became good friends with Bumblebee, and on a mission together to the planet Malachor, we discovered a Sith Temple, as well as something within. A swirling... ever changing force... of infinite destruction. A great power the Sith have guarded for ages.'_

I narrowed my eyes at that paragraph, finding a worrying connection between that and something else... Something else told to me by Snoke.

 _~Flashback~_

 _"So this all powerful relic you are looking for is on the lava planet Mustafar?" I asked sarcastically._

 _"Beneath the ruins of an ancient Sith Temple, undisturbed for many years," Snoke replied with a confirming nod and wicked grin. "Malachor also holds a similar power of great interest..."_

 _I narrowed my eyes at him, suddenly suspicious. I've heard plenty about Malachor, especially now that I just learned I'm related to Revan and Bastila, key figures in the Old Republic during that time._

 _"Malachor is off limits. No one goes there," I stated seriously._

 _His grin turns into a smirk, and his eyes glint eagerly as he leans forwards. "You wonder why, nobody returned alive?" he asks._

 _I don't answer, unsure of what to say about that._

 _~Flashback Ends~_

The more I learn through these old books, the more worried I get, especially from what Snoke told me all those years ago in the World Between Worlds. I've never revealed that portion of the conversation to anyone, not even Yoda, because I thought it was stupid. But now... I'm almost afraid too. What sources of power out there could be so strong that even Vader himself cannot penetrate with even a scratch? What is Snoke looking for, and how much did he not tell me?

I'm starting to release the simple answer to this. If I wish to know the truth... then at some point, I have to infiltrate Vader's castle. The very idea itself is completely ridiculous and impossible, but there's no other way to know what I'm really dealing with. Forget Palpatine, Vader, and the Empire for a moment, what Snoke is searching for is growing out to be something far more deadly than I could have ever imagined. Maybe Master Yoda will know... he has to know something about what Snoke wants.

"You're worried."

I glance up in surprise to see Ahsoka sitting on the bed next to me, a look of concern on her face. There was no hiding anything from her.

I let out a sigh, closing Satele's journal and setting it aside. "It's hard not too," I admit.

"I'm getting the feeling that this doesn't have anything to do with Sidious or Vader," she assumes, and I nod my head.

"No... it does not," I say in reply.

She puts a hand on my shoulder and slowly massages it. "Then what is it?"

"The more I read Satele's journal, or the Jedi texts in the Temple, the more I start to realize how dangerous the universe is," I tell her. "And I don't mean our own galaxy."

She moves closer in interest. "So there is more outside of our galaxy," she realizes.

"Apparently. Including giant metal beings that followed an energon, or kyber comet here. They came from a planet called Cybertron," I recalled.

"I remember that from the Prime Jedi's notes," she recalls with a nod of her head. "Satele met them as well?"

"Became friends with one of them," I told her.

"Well in any case, what comes from beyond will have to have our attention later, especially now," Ahsoka says. "Vader will respond to the Action at Mustafar, and there are still two Inquisitor's out there that we know of."

"Yeah. Third Brother came out of nowhere," I admitted.

"How many Inquisitor's have we met already?" Ahsoka asks with a frown. "Grand Inquisitor, Second Sister, Third Brother... Sixth Brother. I know of them."

"When I was looking for you after Order 66 I met a 'Fourth Sister.'" I told her.

"You did say you had run-in's with them before, including the Grand Inquisitor," she recalled.

I nodded my head. "But then there's at least one unaccounted for," I realized.

"Fifth Brother. Or Fifth Sister," Ahsoka said in agreement.

"And who knows who many more..." I replied grimly.

We sat in silence for a few moments, no words needing to be said to understand the situation we were in. Two Inquisitors so far as we know have been killed, but for all the good that does there could be dozens of them, and we might never know the full number of their ranks. It was scary to think about.

"Well, I'm depressed enough to last a life time," I chimed in with annoyance.

Ahsoka gave a small laugh of amusement and leaned against me, laying her head on my shoulder. "We make a habit of letting ourselves get depressed a lot. It isn't good," she said with a small smile.

"Greatest and happiest moment yesterday. You'd never even know," I said jokingly.

"Maybe," she said, wrapping her arms around me as we lay down on the pillows. "But no amount of depression will ever let me leave you," she said sincerely.

I grimaced slightly, but chose not to express it to her. This is supposed to be a happy moment, and I refuse to let my guilt for Anakin ruin it right now. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her closer as we got settled for the night.

"You're the wife I never deserved," I said quietly with a small smile.

"But you're the husband I always needed, and wanted," she replied, the same smile on her face.

We fell asleep for the night in each other's embrace, arms wrapped around each other. Ahsoka had her face buried in the crook of my neck, and I lay my chin on her head in between her montral's, while she had a leg wrapped around me.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

 _ **Hidden location; Unknown Regions**_

On a large asteroid floating through space lay a small platform, a large invisible shield keeping air inside. On the platform, The Third Brother stepped out of his TIE Fighter and looked around warily. A mixture of emotions ran through him, mostly ranging from fear, dread, and trepidation, although there was also determination. He knew what would happen if he were discovered here by his superiors, but they were never truly his. Third Brother does not answer to Vader or the Emperor. He walked across the cold ground towards a set of steps taking him up towards a small meeting area with boulders and rocks, where his contact met with him.

"Are you sure you were not followed?" the figure's groveling voice asked.

"Nobody will even know I left when I return," Third Brother assured him.

The figure zoomed forwards in a flash, a scowl on his face as he stood before Third Brother who swallowed nervously, but otherwise didn't react, his wariness and fear hidden behind his mask. The Third Brother could get a better look at his contact, who wore pale blue armor of some type, and a very dark blue hood to cover his face. His mouth was blood red, teeth looking almost rotten.

"Your arrogance will cost you one day!" he warned him viciously. "Vader and Sidious are no fools, and you cannot fool them for long."

"I will be stronger than them!" Third Brother said angrily. "They're weaklings compared to what I shall one day hold!"

"You believe you are greater?" the creature snarled mockingly. "Need I remind you who it is that gave you your strength in the first place? Your position?!"

Third Brother scowled, but said nothing, as the creature stalked slowly around him. "Tell me. Where is the power we seek?"

"It is below Vader's own castle on Mustafar," he replied slowly. "Whenever he gets the chance, he seeks to retrieve it, yet has failed to do so."

"Vader cannot be allowed to retrieve that stone! Neither can our enemy Snoke! They would try to wield its power... but _HE_ knows it workings like Sith never will," the creature states.

"If so... then why won't he take it himself?" Third Brother challenges.

The creature whips around to glare at him. "You question HIM? The one who brought you from the brink of death, and gave you purpose? You think yourself greater than him?!" he shouts furiously.

Third Brother backs up in alarm, suddenly afraid again, while the creature grins in dark amusement. "Yes... your ambition is full of a longing for power, one born of selfish greed," he says mockingly.

The creature circles him again while Third Brother looks at him, eyes flaring in yellow with rage from the dark side while the creature mocks him. "You will receive your conquest of the Emperor, Third Brother," he continues, before stalking closer. "But, if you fail... if this power within Vader's castle is not retrieved... there will be no place to go... no planet, no civilization, no barren world, where we can't find you!"

Third Brother shivers, knowing all to well the punishments for failing the missions given to him by this creature. A cold hand then slowly presses on his shoulder, and the creature whispers into his ear menacingly. "You believe you know what death feels like? _HE_ will make you long for something as sweet as death!"

Third Brother shook lightly in fear.


	60. Ch 59 - Returning to the Rebellion

**Jarik POV...**

"Commander Sato sent us a message. We have to get back to the Phoenix Squadron," I told Ahsoka.

"Are they beginning to start their raids against the Empire?" she asked me, and I nodded my head in reply. "Then Bail must be beginning to gather the rebel cells into an Alliance. You're right, we will have to go," she says in agreement.

"I've already sent them the first known shipment of shield generators," I replied.

* * *

The Knight Hawk was parked on one of the hills off to the side of the village, and the three of us were packing things up while Stoick, Gobber, Hiccup and the gang watched.

"So, how long will you guys be gone?" Hiccup asks us.

"We don't know Hiccup. But everything is getting serious now, and we'll be busy for a while." Ahsoka tells him.

"It sounds awesome. I want to come!" Tuffnut exclaims, and everyone groans in irritation.

"You aren't going anywhere Tuffnut," Gobber says with a glare.

"Muttonheads," Snotlout muttered.

"Hey, what's wrong with blowing up an oppressive Empire?" he challenged.

"Blowing up the Empire would take centuries if you tried Zippleback gas," I said. "Besides, we're not blowing it up, it doesn't work that way."

"Says who?" Ruffnut demands.

"Says me," Stoick states, voice booming. "And none of you are going with them!"

Tuffnut and Ruffnut both groan in annoyance, and Ahsoka takes the last of her things onto the ship.

"Kick some buckets for me will ya?" Astrid asks, Mara, who grins back in reply.

"Oh you bet," she responds eagerly, and I frown slightly.

"How the heck did you pick up on the nicknames for Stormtroopers?" I asked in confusion.

"Oh... we've talked," Mara admitted sheepishly. I rolled my eyes in response.

"Only you Mara," I said with a small smile.

Fishlegs raises a hand. "Uh, what does 'buckets' mean?"

"Stormtrooper armor is crap, their training is crap, and is fun to make fun of them," Mara tells him.

"Yeah, that," I add, before turning to Stoick and Gobber. "Until next time Stoick?" I ask him.

He smiles back in return. "Until then," he agrees, and we grasp each others arms firmly for a moment before I turn away, entering the ship with Mara. Once inside, the ramp door closes and Ahsoka activates the engines, lifting us off of the ground and into the air. We then fly away from Berk as they all watch, still in awe of the sight of a ship, and exit the atmosphere. Once out of Ahch-To's atmosphere, the hyperdrive comes online and we blast off through lightspeed in order to rendezvous with the rebel fleet.

* * *

An hour and a half later, we emerged from hyperspace to the rendezvous point. The command ship was there, as well as two other corvette's, but the rest of the fleet, including the Ghost wasn't most likely they were in the middle of raiding that Imperial convoy for their shield generators. The command ship then hailed us, and an officer's voice came over the coms.

 _"This is Enterprise-D to unknown vessel. Identify yourself!"_ he said.

Ahsoka replied. "This Fulcrum of the Knight Hawk, coming in to dock. Sending clearance codes."

I send them the proper codes, and let them review it for the procedure. Then after a few moments, he responds. _"Clearance codes check out. Welcome back Fulcrum,"_ he says.

"Thank you Enterprise-D," Ahsoka says, ending the transmission.

"That part is always so boring," Mara comments.

"Boring, but necessary," I remind her.

She giggles in reply. "Yeah, and funny. The amount of times we've brushed by the Empire with stolen codes is hilarious. You'd think they would have a better system."

"To them it's all about protocol," Ahsoka remarks.

Just then, the door to the cockpit opens and R5 comes rolling in squealing: with an unexpected guest. We widened our eyes in bewilderment to see Zenna wildly grasping onto the droid, squawking and chattering with her wings flapping, while R5 struggled to get her off.

"ZENNA?!" we all exclaimed in alarm.

Mara immediately lunged forwards and snatched up the baby dragon into her arms, who immediately chirped happily before sending a growl down at R5. The droid retaliated with an angry series of beeps, full of not-to-kind words.

"R5, just shut up!" I interrupted, and he looked up at me incredulously before I turned to Mara with a stern look. "What is Zenna doing here?"

Mara widened her eyes nervously. "I- I don't know! I didn't know she was on the ship!" she defended herself.

"You didn't know?" Ahsoka asked rather disbelievingly.

"Honestly!" she said loudly.

"Well she obviously followed you," I stated, crossing my arms with a frustrated sigh. "This is bloody brilliant."

"Mara, I don't care whether you brought her here on purpose or not, but Zenna is not leaving the Knight Hawk. Alright?" Ahsoka said sternly.

Mara nodded her head quickly. "Absolutely!" she said quickly.

"After the rest of Pheonix Squad gets back, I'm gonna have to fly back to Ahch-To and drop her off. We can't support a dragon out here, especially a baby at that," I tell them.

Mara sighs, a little bit sad but understanding completely. "I know," she says, before looking down at Zenna with an irritated expression. "I like you too, but why do you follow me around so much?"

Zenna merely squawks back up at her curiously, and Ahsoka guides the ship in too dock with the Enterprise-D. Mara and I exit the cockpit with Zenna, and R5 beeps after the dragon on our way out. Zenna hisses in response, and I roll my eyes at the knowledge that we now have not one, but two childish beings on board the ship. After turning a few corners, we reach Mara's room, and she opens the door, letting Zenna out inside.

"Zenna, you have to stay here," she says firmly.

Zenna only looks up at her in confusion.

"Zenna. You, stay in here," I tell her, using hand gestures to emphasize my point. She just squawks again, and I give another sigh of exasperation. "This is ridiculous."

Mara kneels down at her level, and when Zenna rushes forwards excitedly, she pushes her back, much to the baby dragon's confusion.

"No, stay." Mara says, pushing her back into the room. The baby dragon chirps in protest, but when Mara pushes her back again, she manages to get the point and lowers her head sadly in her own form of a pout. Mara sighs and stands back up before closing the door.

"Why is that so hard to do?" she complains.

"Because you don't want to make her upset," I reply simply. "Believe me, you were a handful when you were younger."

"Dad!" she exclaims irritably, and I merely chuckle in response.

Ahsoka then rounds the corner on her way to the docking tube, stopping to speak with us. "We're all clear," she says.

"Alright then," I reply. The three of us head to the docking tube and I press the button, opening the door. Once inside, I close it behind us and then we enter the command ship, walking into the brightly lit white halls common for CR90 corvettes. We make our way towards the bridge, a few rebels or technicians stopping to let us pass, some of them watching us in awe. Mara grins at some of them, much to our amusement. Once we reach the bridge, we look around for Commander Sato, but don't find him anywhere. Seeing this, I head over to one of the bridge officers and get his attention.

"Excuse me, but where's Commander Sato?" I ask him.

"He left a little while ago sir, along with half the fleet. They're currently raiding another convoy for shield generators, according to your intelligence report," he informs me. I nod my head in understanding. "Thank you."

With that said, I head back over to Ahsoka and Mara, standing around the holo-table. "Sato and the rest of Phoenix Squad are battling an Imperial convoy for the shield generators we told them about. I'm not sure when they'll get back," I told them.

"Well, hopefully it'll be soon," Mara comments.

"If our report was accurate anyways. The Empire is getting better at cracking down on those," she reminded us.

I nodded my head, knowing that could happen despite my efforts. "Yeah, they sure are."

* * *

 _ **Imperial Complex, Capital City, Lothal**_

 **3rd person POV...**

Minister Maketh Tua was becoming frustrated, stressed, and fearful as Kallus continued to pace in front of her desk. These past incursions by the rebels have continued to further damage the Empire, yet no matter what she does it is impossible for her to get anything on them.

"Agent Kallus, I've exhausted every resource to find information about the rebels, but there is nothing to be found! What does Governor Tarkin expect?!" she demands angrily.

"He expects Lothal to be punished, Minister Tua," he replies, turning to her quickly. "His own Star Destroyer was demolished by these rebels. He takes that somewhat, personally," he emphasizes with a hard glare.

"I've doubled patrols, set up checkpoints, established curfews, I honestly don't know what else to do!" she exclaims helplessly.

"Perhaps that is the problem," a deep, mechanical voice interjects. Minister Tua's eyes go wide in fear as she glances up to see none other than Darth Vader, right hand to the Emperor himself standing in the doorway to her office. His mechanical breathing echoes around the room, sending chills down her spine. "You lack imagination Minister, when it comes to producing results," he states coldly, striding forwards.

"Lord Vader, with all due respect, you and Governor Tarkin are asking for miracles!" she says nervously, terror filling her at his presence. "If the rebels have left Lothal already, then-"

"If the rebels have fled, then we must draw them back," he interrupts. "And if they are here, we must draw them out. We will squeeze Lothal until someone reveals the whereabouts of these traitors. And, the location of Jarik Shan," he says firmly.

"I am sorry, my lord. I am merely a public official. I have no such experiences with such brutal tactics. Dealing with criminals the likes of Jarik Shan are beyond me," she protests nervously.

"You can explain that to Governor Tarkin, when you visit him." Vader says.

Minister Tua gulps nervously, remembering what happened to the last Imperial officers who were called to visit him. "Visit, him?" she says, voice at a higher pitch.

Vader turns away, leaving the office. "He expects you tomorrow, to account for your failure. Jarik Shan must be found, to bring an end to these rebels," he says, leaving no room for argument.

"But I- I'm needed here! I- I couldn't possibly get away!" she sputters, terrified at the thought of meeting with Tarkin during such a time like this.

Agent Kallus stands at the doorway and looks back at her, hand on the button. "Not to worry, Minister. Lord Vader and I will manage in your absence," he says in an attempt to be reassuring, and then closes the door.

Tua collapses into her seat with her hands on her head, terrified and feeling so alone, afraid of what will happen to her.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

Eventually, the rest of Phoenix Squad had managed to return to the fleet, all of their ships docking. The Ghost crew entered the command ship after Commander Sato, where we waited to greet them.

"Commander Sato," Ahsoka greeted, and he nodded his head in return.

"Fulcrum. Welcome back," he states professionally.

"How was the convoy attack?" I asked him.

"The raid was a success, and we acquired valuable resources and fuel, thanks to the efforts of the Ghost crew," he informed us.

"They sure are good," I say in agreement.

"Mara?" Ezra's voice asked. We look over to see Ezra, Kanan, and the rest of the crew entering the bridge, taking notice of us with surprise. They all head in our direction, although I can still see the slight distain on Sabine's face when we make eye contact.

"Hey Ezra," she replied with a small grin.

"What are you guys doing here?" he asks pleasantly.

"To help you guys kick some buckets, what else?" Mara told him, making Zeb chuckle.

"Heh heh, I like this kid," he says.

Kanan and Hera move up to greet me and Ahsoka. "It's good to see the two of you again," Kanan greeted.

"You as well Caleb," I replied politely, and he stared at me before I realized what I said. "Oh, right. You changed your name, sorry about that," I apologized.

He waved a hand. "It's not that big of a deal. I'm more surprised that you remember that," he admits.

"Well, when a youngling crashes into you while dropping his books, you tend to remember those things," I recall with a small smile.

He rubs his neck nervously while Hera and Ahsoka both smile in amusement. "I guess..." he says, before looking at me in concern. "Are you ok? The last time we saw you it was... worrying," he said.

I realized what he was talking about, because that's when I had the vision about the dark being out in the universe from out of nowhere. "Yeah, I'm much better now, thanks for asking," I reassured him.

"So, how is it going for you guys?" Ahsoka asked.

"Doing work for Phoenix Squadron is... different, I'll admit," she says. "But it sure makes things easier."

"Always nice to have a team you can count on," I say in agreement.

"Yeah..." Kanan grimaces and glances away, which I take notice of. Most likely he's reliving bad memories of Order 66, which are still hard to get rid of.

"What about you two...?" Hera asks before trailing off, staring at Ahsoka's left hand with wide eyes. Kanan follows her gaze and widens his eyes as well. "Is that..." she asks.

"It is," Ahsoka tells them softly, so that others don't hear. "We're married now."

"But... how... what about...?" Kanan tries to say, looking between us in bewilderment, obviously conflicted by what we learned from the Jedi. I laid a hand on his shoulder gently.

"I know that the Jedi Order believes attachment is wrong, and to an extent it is," I tell him with understanding. "Believe me, I know. But to cut yourself off from emotion and love completely, doesn't help. Try to consider this," I say.

He looks back at me, obviously conflicted before sighing. "I'm not sure..." he says slowly.

"We don't expect you to agree or understand immediately Kanan, but try and see it from our point of view first before you decide," Ahsoka tells him, and he finally nods.

"Phoenix Leader," Commander Sato says, getting everyone's attention. "It's time for the meeting."

Hera nods in understanding. "Of course Commander. Let's go everyone," she says.

The rest of the Ghost crew all gather around the holo-table, and Mara stands between Ezra and Sabine, while Ahsoka and I stand back a little further. Kanan however is lounging off to the side of the meeting, and I can tell that the idea of working for a rebellion in a war doesn't suit him right now. Probably because of the Clone Wars.

"You and your crew have proven quite invaluable to our fleet, Captain Syndulla. The fuel acquired in your convoy attacks has helped keep us one step ahead of any Imperial patrols." Commander Sato says sincerely.

"Thank you, Commander Sato. I'm just sorry that our intel about the shield generators being on that shipment was wrong," she replies regretfully.

"Perhaps with your next attack, Hera," Ahsoka encourages, her arms crossed.

Just then, the door to the bridge opens and Chopper comes rolling through, beeping urgently with his arms flailing around. Commander Sato glares at the droid. "What is the meaning of this?" he demands.

"An incoming transmission. Who from, Chop? Ah, why don't you just play it?" Kanan says casually, and I raise an eyebrow, sharing a small grin with Ahsoka.

"Good one," I tell him, and he grins in response.

Hera clears her throat, obviously annoyed with him. Kanan just stares back with a smirk.

"Uh, Chop, cloak us with a one-way transmission," Hera says in annoyance.

Chopper complies and brings up a hologram showing a male Ithorian. He looks around in confusion, probably since he can't see us. Luckily, Ezra recognized him for us.

"Hey, it's Old Jho!" he says eagerly.

Having heard Exra's voice, Jho turns around in his direction with relief. _"I can't see you, but I can hear you my friends. Time is short, and there's someone here desperate to speak with you. I told her I couldn't find you, but she wouldn't take no for an answer. She says she needs your help,"_ he tells us.

"We're always ready to help someone in need," Kanan says instantly, standing up.

However, Jho rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. _"Yeah, well, this one's different."_

Old Jho moves out of the frame, and to our surprise, Minister Maketh Tua of Lothal steps into the hologram. "Minister Tua?" Hera says in shock.

"How in the world?" Mara asks in bewilderment.

"Aw, we can't trust her! She's an Imperial!" Zeb exclaims.

 _"Please, I beg you. Listen to my request!"_ she pleads, and I note the terror in her eyes.

"End transmission right now, Chop," Kanan says, but I raise a hand.

"Wait a minute," I tell him.

Hera nods her head in agreement. "Minister, what exactly do you want?" she demands.

 _"My life is in danger. I need you to give me safe passage off Lothal!"_ she says desperately.

"You're not really gonna be considering this?" Zeb protests.

"Quiet!" Hera snaps at him.

 _"I assure you, my intentions are quite sincere! And To prove it, I will trade, secret, Imperial information,"_ she says quickly.

"You're defecting from the Empire?" Sabine asks doubtfully. I raise a hand to my chin thoughtfully.

 _"Yes, I am,"_ Minister Tua sighs.

"She's telling the truth. I can sense her fear." Ezra comments.

"So can I," Mara says in agreement.

"Yeah, but of what?" Kanan asks rhetorically.

Ahsoka glances between them with narrowed eyes before looking at me, and I frown thoughtfully, worried about the possibility of what made her so afraid.

"So, what have you got to be trade?" Hera asks.

"A list! Of rebel sympathizers on Lothal... And other systems nearby," she reveals.

Commander Sato frowns. "How come these rebel sympathizers have not been arrested yet?" he asks suspiciously.

 _"Some have powerful friends in the Senate. Imperial command watches over them, but they can do nothing. I know you all need allies. Get me off Lothal, and I will give you the list!"_ she begs.

"Well isn't that convenient," Mara comments. Hera frowns thoughtfully and looks at us, shrugging at the possibility. It is a tempting proposal.

"We shouldn't even be considering this." Kanan says in frustration.

"It's obviously a trap." Sabine adds doubtfully.

 _"There's something else!"_ Tua adds quickly, afraid we'll close out of the deal. _"I've discovered the true reason the Empire came to Lothal."_

"We know that one. The Empire has a factory, and they're stripping the planet's resources to fuel it." Hera states sarcastically.

However, Minister Tua shakes her head. _"No. There is another reason, known only to a few and ordered by the Emperor himself._

Everyone widens their eyes in surprise, and I narrow my gaze, sharing a worried look with Ahsoka.

 _"Also... he's hunting Jarik Shan!"_ she adds nervously.

Everyone turns to look at me in surprise, while I continue to watch Tua's hologram with a narrowed gaze. That statement basically confirms what I was fearing.

"Why would they be hunting you specifically?" Ezra asks me.

I step closer toward the Minister's hologram. "Minister Tua..." I start to say, and her eyes go wide. "The one who is hunting me, is the reason you're terrified... isn't it," I say, more of a statement than a question.

She nods her head quickly. _"Y-yes! Please, you must help me!"_ she begs.

Everyone starts getting into heavy discussion, while Ahsoka shares a serious look with me.

 _"You believe it is Vader,"_ she guesses.

 _"It had to be. My stunt on Mustafar got his attention, and he's out for blood. The Emperor wants me gone as well,"_ I tell her.

 _"Then this makes it difficult. Do you believe it's worth the risk?"_ she asks me.

I don't answer for a little bit, unsure. If Vader is on Lothal right now, then he will be expecting something to happen soon. He wants to draw us out, and this provides him the perfect opportunity to do so. However, Minister Tua's intentions are also genuine...

 _"I'm afraid so,"_ I tell her in reply. She nods grimly in understanding.

Ezra then moves forwards, and we watch him go. Sensing the resolve in his mind, Ahsoka gives him a small smile and a nod.

"We have to do this!" he says firmly.

"I agree." Ahsoka adds.

"So do I." Kanan says.

"I'm in all the way," Mara says eagerly.

"All right, if Commander Sato approves the mission," Hera says.

Commander Sato thinks it over for a moment before giving us a nod. "I believe it could be worth the risk."

"Minister, we'll get you out. Send us your co-ordinates." Ezra says confidently.

Relief visibly passes over Minister Tua. "Thank you!" she says gratefully.

The transmission then ends, and we all watch Ezra move past us. "Well, I guess that means we're on our way back to Lothal," Hera states.

"I guess we are." Kanan says, and we watch him go, sensing some tension between him and Hera.

* * *

 _And so the Siege of Lothal begins... Darth Vader is making his move._


	61. Ch 60 - The Siege of Lothal

**Jarik POV...**

Ahsoka and I watched Kanan storm off, Hera quickly following after him. He was obviously not happy about something, and I had a good feeling what.

 _"Go talk to him, I'll have Mara get herself ready for any possible outcome,"_ Ahsoka advises.

I nod my head, not entirely happy with the idea of Mara being on Lothal right now, but if Vader really is there, then she has the best chance of assisting them without drawing attention from Vader. Having me go is suicide, and Ahsoka still can't let her presence known. I enter the long hallway, and see Hera push Kanan out of it into a side compartment, having a heated debate with him. As I approach, I can better hear their voices.

"You seem to be forgetting that these soldiers has helped saved your life," Hera scolded quietly.

"And I'm grateful. But that still doesn't mean I want to join their little army." Kanan replied. "When you and I started together, it was, 'rob from the Empire, give to the needy.' A noble cause. Now we're getting drawn into some kind of military thing! I don't like it."

"We are fighting a bigger fight, but it's still the right fight," she insisted. I can sense Ezra listening in on the other side, but put that off for later.

"I survived one war. I'm not ready for another one. I saw what it did," he said grimly.

"To the Jedi?" Hera asks quietly.

"To everyone," he adds. Hera sighs.

"I know how you feel Kanan," I said, causing them both to look at me in slight surprise. "The Clone Wars caused a lot, and I understand why you want to stay out of it. But if the galaxy is to be free of the Sith, war is inevitable, as unfortunate as it sounds."

Kanan glances away. "Maybe. That doesn't mean I have to join in on it," he says, still firm in his belief.

I can only watch him as he walks off, and Hera gives me a brief glance of apology before following after him. After a few moments, I start talking again, this time to Ezra.

"War isn't pretty, and it isn't an adventure Ezra," I say quietly, glancing at him out of the corner of my eyes. He stops in surprise. "Always cherish every moment you spend with family and friends. you never know when they could be taken away from you."

With that being said, I walk away, Ezra watching my back, a troubled look on his face.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

Mom laid her hands on my shoulders, giving me a firm look. "Be careful on this mission Mara. Lothal is very dangerous right now, and your father and I suspect the possibility of Vader himself being there?"

"You serious?" I ask her warily.

"I am. If there is any sign of him, then you have to get everyone out of there immediately, no matter what you're in the middle of. Got it?" she says sternly, and I nod my head, sensing how serious she was about this. I'm sure we'll be fine, but dad has always said that Vader is someone he doesn't want me to ever meet. Not even mom has met him.

She gives me a small smile, and we share a quick hug. "Good. Come back safely sweetie," she says softly.

"I will mom," I say in reply with a small grin, heading down the hallway and into the ship we were taking, which was a civilian shuttle. I sat down in the seat behind Ezra and watched as Sabine, Hera and Zeb came in. The latter two sat down while Sabine gave Chopper an uneasy look.

"So, we're not taking the Ghost, and we're just letting Chopper drive?" Sabine asks doubtfully.

"Well, After our little stunt on Mustafar, there's a good chance the Empire will be able to track it." Hera replied.

"Great mission so far." Zeb grumbled. Chopper beeped at him angrily.

"Why not just take the Knight Hawk? They don't usually fly around here," Sabine suggested.

"Actually that would be even worse," I spoke up. "According to my dad he's one of the Emperor's most wanted, and they know what his ship looks like."

"Are you serious?" Ezra asked in surprise, speaking for the others in the room. "What'd he do to make the Emperor himself want him so badly?"

"Well, he's a powerful fighter, very good at slicing and has fought Sith Lords before," I recalled.

"Alright, so that leaves his ship out of the question! No wonder he's not coming with us then." Kanan said in bewilderment. I simply shrugged in response before Chopper detaches the ship, and inputs the coordinates for Lothal, making the jump to hyperspace. Kanan twirls his blaster before looking around. "So what's the plan?"

"Okay, so Minister Tua is scheduled to visit Governor Tarkin tomorrow. She leaves Lothal via shuttle at 1800. We wait at the hangar, steal the shuttle and take her to safety." Ezra says confidently with a grin.

"Easy enough," I add.

"Ezra, I hope you're sure about this." Sabine says doubtfully.

"After all the trouble she's made for us, why should we help her?" Zeb demands.

Ezra looks at him with a frown. "Because that's what we do. Help those who can't help themselves," he says seriously. Hera gave him a small smile.

"My parents have said that not everyone working for the Empire are bad people. They both knew a few Separatists they became friends with once," I pointed out, and Kanan nodded thoughtfully, although I could tell he was still slightly doubtful.

We were silent for a few moments before Ezra grinned. "Plus, her list will help us out!" he adds. This eases Sabine and Zeb's concern, as they can't help but share a small smile.

* * *

Some time later, we came out of hyperspace above Lothal, slowly approaching the planet. In orbit were three Imperial Star Destroyers, which we all eyed warily. One of them contacted us over the coms as Chopper flew at a steady pace.

 _"Shuttle 593, this is Lothal control. You are cleared to land,"_ he states.

"Thank goodness," I muttered.

"I didn't think I'd miss it, but I-" Ezra starts to stay before stopping. I slowly sit up in my seat with narrowed eyes, sensing it as well. Maybe mom was right...

"What is it?" Kanan asks, noticing our reactions.

"Do you feel it? I feel so cold..." Ezra says uncomfortably. Kanan stares at the planet with a heavy frown, and I close my eyes, trying to feel along this cold presence. I had no idea what it was, and it was really weird. Then the strange cold suddenly shifted slightly, and I opened my eyes in fright with a quiet gasp, feeling the coldness focus in on me. Everyone looks at me in concern, but the presence then faded away to a point I couldn't feel it anymore.

"Mara?" Ezra asked worriedly.

"What did you feel?" Kanan questions.

I look at them both, sightly unsettled. The last time I felt a presence like that was in the kyber crystal cave... when I got my lightsaber. I know mom told me to get us out the moment I sensed something that could relate to Darth Vader, whoever he is... but we have to rescue the Minister too. "That same coldness... but it's gone now."

Ezra looks at Kanan. "What does it mean?"

He doesn't have an answer, and I stay quiet, not wanting any of them to panic. Whoever that was isn't watching us right now, so we should be fine.

* * *

 **Darth Vader POV...**

I stared out the window, gazing across the city skyline of Lothal. Just as I predicted, the rebels responded to the Minister's plea, and had arrived to rescue her. While it wasn't Shan himself... another strong presence came with them, beyond the two already reported in this cell. The door behind me opened, and Agent Kallus walked in.

"You summoned me Lord Vader?" he questions.

"The rebels have arrived. Provide Minister Tua with an escort to her... visit with Tarkin," I state.

He bows his head. "As you wish my Lord."

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

Chopper pilots the shuttle down towards one of the landing bays in Capital City, and once we land, Ezra exits first, looking up at the sky grimly. "I've never seen so many Star Destroyers here. It's gotten worse," he says.

I look up, and also see at least three Star Destroyers hovering over the city, and probably more out of view. He's right, this is really bad.

"All right, Zeb, Chopper, stay with the shuttle just in case we need a quick exit." Hera orders them.

Chopper beeps nervously while Zeb just crosses his arms. "Tua's leaving from Bay 23. Let's go," Kanan says, headed for the door. We follow after him and head through the city in direction of Bay 23. Eventually we come across a side street and carefully slink along the side, Kanan and Hera peeking out to get a look at the entrance.

"Huh. We'll need a distraction." Hera comments. They pull back, and Kanan gives another good look before turning to us.

"Well, I'm gonna go make a few friends!" he says cheerfully. "When Tua arrives, I'll keep 'em busy while you all drop into the hangar from above."

I grin in amusement, knowing what he was implying.

"Make a few friends?" Hera asks doubtfully.

"It'll be fun," he replies, crossing his arms with a smirk.

"Fun?"

"Don't worry, General Hera!" he says sarcastically with a salute. "Just be ready to move."

With that being said, he quickly dashes out of the street and heads for a Stormtrooper captain. The others watch him in worry, and Hera frowns in displeasure, but I smile eagerly. "Relax guys, my parents have pulled this maneuver, many times," I reassure them.

"How many exactly?" Sabine questions with raised eyebrow.

I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know, but it's fun to watch."

Kanan quickly jogs up to the Stormtrooper and slings an arm around his shoulder casually, and we can hear him speak. "Hey, didn't we meet in basic training? You look familiar!" he exclaims in mock surprise.

The Stormtrooper is too confused to prepare for what happens next, as Kanan quickly knocks him out with a few blows to the head. He then pulls him out of sight and around the corner while we watch, me with an eager grin while the others are in bewilderment. A few moments later, Kanan exits the alley and comes out clad in full Stormtrooper armor, helmet held in hand. He places it on his head and gives us a two fingered salute. I respond with a thumbs up, which I can feel his amusement at before he turns toward the landing bay.

"Kanan's gone bucket head." Sabine says in surprise.

"I don't believe it." Hera responds, crossing her arms.

"I'm kinda jealous. I only have the helmet," Ezra says with a smirk, and then turns to me. "You were right, that is fun to watch."

I simply grin in reply before looking behind us, and jump onto a few crates easily, headed for the roof. Sabine and Ezra both follow, Hera right after them as we spread out along the top of the roof. Once up top, we take cover behind small walls and watch as Kanan glances up at us, before heading towards the entrance to the landing bay. A landspeeder then approaches as I crouch beside Ezra, who looks through his binoculars.

"Here she comes. But she's got company," he reports.

"What kind of company?" Hera asks, hopping over to us.

Ezra focuses in on the speeder before responding. "Oh, fantastic. Agent Kallus," he says sarcastically.

The landspeeder stops as Kanan steps forwards, and the two exit the vehicle. They exchange words as they enter the landing bay, and we follow them to the other side of the roof. Sabine climbs to the ledge and makes her move, jumping down to cause her distraction.

"Hey!" she yells, pulling out her two pistols and firing.

"Minister, take cover!" I hear Kallus exclaim in response, firing his own pistol. We then watch Kanan suddenly make his move as well, closing the door and shooting the control panel. Kallus angrily fires at him as he rolls away, hiding behind a barrier. Ezra, Hera and I then jump down and land behind a few crates. Kallus takes notice and fires at us as well fall. Once we land, I pull out my lightsaber hilt. He rushes up behind the crates and opens fire at us, and I activate my lightsaber in response, blocking the shots headed our way as Hera and Ezra retreat towards Tua's position.

Kallus widens his eyes in surprise before glaring at me angrily. "Jedi!" he exclaims, firing at me.

I back up towards the rest of the group, blocking the laser blasts with my purple lightsaber as Kanan fires back with his own blaster.

"Minister, get to the shuttle! We'll be right behind you!" Ezra exclaims.

"Right!" she replies in a panic, not bothering to argue. She immediately bolts for the shuttle, and the four of us run after her. She scrambles inside, and we start running up the ramp before a massive explosion destroys the shuttle from within, sending us all flying. I land on my back with a painful grunt, and look at the shuttle, horrified by what I saw. It was smoking, the interior on fire and completely destroyed. There was no way she would have survived that.

"Minister Tua..." Ezra says slowly in shock.

I stare at the wreckage in disbelief and horror, having never seen anyone die since the death of my parents. It happened so suddenly... without warning... I couldn't believe it! And it was terrifying...

"You did this!" Kallus yells with anger in his voice. I look over to see him firing his blaster in our direction, a security probe droid by his side and filming. I quickly realize that they were the ones to blow her up, and now they're framing us, trying to make us seem like terrorists. And that made me furious.

We scrambled to our feet, and I quickly deflected the stray blaster bolts as we take cover behind a few crates, the hanger doors opening to allow the rest of the troopers to enter and attack. I deactivate my lightsaber and take cover behind the crates with the rebels, before that same coldness converges on me again.

I shiver violently and look up to where I could feel it coming... and there he was. Far above us, on a long walkway overlooking the hanger is a masked man in a black cape, and the cold I'm feeling oozes from him. It was Vader! He was too far away for me to see it properly, but I could just feel him lock eyes with me, making me freeze in terror. He then turns away and heads inside, leaving me staring up there, stunned and terrified to the core. I'd never felt anything like it before...

I'm pulled out of my thoughts by a bright light shining on us, and we look up to see the shuttle approaching, Zeb standing on the open ramp and waving his arm. "Come on!" he yells, firing his bow-rifle.

He takes out one Stormtrooper, and the rest of us all dash for the ship while Zeb provides cover fire. Once on board, Chopper rises the ship to the roof so that Sabine can jump in, and then guns it out of there. Before we could get to far though, a walker swivels around and fires at us, taking out the engines of the ship. We all stumbled with surprised cries as went down, crashing through the street. I was slammed into one of the seats rather painfully, but eventually we came to a stop. I rubbed my head with a grimace, and looked up as Sabine dashed towards the open door.

"Come on. Come on! Up, everybody! We're moving!" she exclaimed.

We all quickly followed her as a few civilians watched warily, fearful as we ran past them and down the street, leaving the smoking wreck that was our shuttle behind.

* * *

 _ **Isle of Berk; Ahch-To**_

 **Jarik POV...**

I landed the ship on the outskirts of the village, looking over at Zenna with an exasperated expression. She chirped at me innocently in reply, sniffing the control console curiously. I would have to move her away from it every few times because she would get to curious with a rather important button. R5 was miffed about the whole situation, and let his displeasure known through his angry beeps.

"Oh lay off R5 will you? We're here, she's getting off, end of story," I scolded.

He beeped back in relief, much to my amusement, and rolled out of the cockpit, Zenna hissing at him with narrowed eyes. I stood up from the pilot's seat and picked the baby dragon up in my arms, and she immediately returned to the innocent and happy hatchling.

"I swear you're already more trouble than your worth little one," I commented with a small grin, scratching her neck lightly. She purred at the touch, and I opened the boarding ramp, walking outside. Approaching fast were Hiccup, Toothless, Astrid and Stormfly. They landed with a small skid as I exited the ship and dismounted, staring at me in shock.

"Jarik, Zenna's gone miss-" Astrid started to say in a panic before both of them took notice of the dragon.

"THAT'S where Zenna has been?" Hiccup exclaimed.

"She snuck aboard the ship without us knowing," I deadpanned, rolling my eyes and setting her on the ground.

Stormfly squawked, quickly stomping over and picking up her hatchling by the scruff of her neck. Zenna yelped in protest, but Stormfly wasn't letting up, obviously flustered and in a panic. Toothless rumbled with laughter at the sight, and Zenna pouted at him.

"She was going insane when we realized she was gone," Astrid explained, but I could tell she was obviously relieved.

"Yeah, I just hope it won't happen again," I reply before stopping, narrowing my eyes slightly and glancing towards the sky. Even across the galaxy I could sense something was wrong with Mara... I had to get back quickly.

"Uhh Jarik? You alright?" Hiccup asks in concern.

I looked back at them. "Yeah, I'm fine. I've gotta go alright? Make sure Zenna doesn't follow us again!" I told them, quickly walking back inside the ship.

"I think Stormfly's got it covered," Astrid observed, the mother dragon still having not let go of Zenna.

"Good luck!" Hiccup called out, and the ramp slowly closed behind me.

* * *

 _ **Capital City; Lothal**_

 **Darth Vader POV...**

After Minister Tua's death, I now stood back in the office looking over Lothal's Capital City, mulling over these rebels. More specifically, the extra person with them. While Shan himself didn't come to this, as he would be a fool to attempt so, he decided to send his adopted daughter in his stead. Mara Jade. And that shall prove to be a fatal mistake.

 _"Everything has happened as you predicted, Lord Vader."_ Agent Kallus reports.

"Good, Now inform the populace that the rebel assassins hide in their midst," I respond, turning around to face him. "Lock down the spaceport, and make it known, any ships attempting to leave, will be destroyed," I tell him with an emphasizing fist.

"Right away," he says, ending the transmission.

Mara Jade will lead me straight to Shan. And then he will know the full amount of pain he has caused me.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

After the whole failed mission, Ezra led us back to his old house, where we were currently hiding out, away from the Empire. Hera activated a holonet broadcast, where a man was reporting the whole incident.

 _"A beloved citizen of Lothal, Minister Tua's life was cut short by this criminal band of rebels, and a_ Jedi," he says, showing a picture of us just after the explosion. _"If you see them, summon Imperial authorities immediately. Trooper corps have been mobilized in an extensive sea-"_

Hera quickly shut the broadcast off, hand on her forehead in frustration. "They did this just to turn Lothal against us. We can't do any more good here. We have to leave, for good," she says gravely.

"We can't just run! The people have to know the truth!" Ezra protests.

Sabine shakes her head sadly. "I don't think the Empire is giving us much choice."

"But we do have to leave now, or else we'll die," I say, in a tone that surprises everyone.

"You're saying that like the Imperial authorities aren't the problem," Kanan says suspiciously, brow raised.

"It's because they aren't," I reply. "I know now why there are so many Star Destroyers, so many troops, and why we felt the cold," I said, shivering slightly at remembering the feeling.

"Why? What's the reason?" Ezra asks.

I look up at them, especially Kanan. "The Emperor's Fist himself is here. Darth Vader."

Most of them don't know who Vader is or what the concept of Darth means, besides him being the Emperor's fist. He isn't exactly a publicly known figure, especially in his earlier years from what mom and dad told me, but he's basically second hand to Palpatine himself. However Kanan knows exactly what 'Darth' means, and he widens his eyes in alarm.

"I saw him watching us after Minister Tua's shuttle exploded," I told them.

"Who's Vader?" Zeb asked. Sabine shrugged.

Kanan and I were about to answer when Chopper beeps and the sound of a drill cutting through the door got our attention. A series of sounds followed, as well as the door being slammed shut, and Zeb and Ezra poked their heads up. "We're in big trouble!" Ezra exclaimed.

They quickly dropped down and Ezra ushered us to another secret exit. We ran out of there as fast as we could and came out on the top of the roof. Good thing too, because not a moment later the whole apartment was blown sky high. Luckily we were far enough away from the explosion that it didn't affect us.

"If they know about this hideout, they'll know about our others," Ezra said grimly.

"There's no more hiding. We need a ship. Maybe we can try one of the local Imperial airfields," Hera suggested.

Sabine pressed a button on her wrist com and Chopper activated a hologram. "They're all locked down. Besides, we'll never get outside the capital," she said.

"The Empire's looking everywhere for us." Zeb added.

I study the map and share a look with Kanan, who follows along my line of thinking. "Well..." I start to say.

"...not everywhere," he finishes, pointing towards the Imperial Complex.

"The Imperial Complex? Are you two crazy?" Hera demanded.

"Does anyone ever say yes to that question?" Kanan replied sarcastically.

"He's right. Deploying troops to block every city exit has spread the garrisons thin. It sounds crazy, but the area with the least troops will be... here, near the factories. There are more landing platforms outside these hangars. They're our best chance if we're ever gonna find a shuttle," Sabine explained.

"I'm already dressed for the part." Kanan replies, gesturing towards his armor.

"I like it, but the only concern I have for this is that it'll bring us closer to Vader," I point out, and Kanan frowns in worry.

"Will that be a problem? From what you're saying I'm going to guess he's another Inquisitor." Sabine suggested.

I shook my head in response. "No, he's no Inquisitor, but much worse. Even my dad is afraid of him."

The Spectre's share looks up surprise and concern with each other, and Kanan sighed. "I don't like it, but unfortunately this is our best chance to escape."

With that being said, we get up and head out towards the Imperial Complex, hoping for the best.

* * *

Some time later we had managed to get ourselves to just outside of the main hanger bays to the Complex. Ezra and I had smuggled some cadet uniforms to wear in disguise, with Kanan acting as our senior officer. There weren't nearly as many girl cadets employed as there were boys, so it took some time for me to find my own. Thankfully it all worked out, and I was walking between Ezra and Kanan as the former pushed along a crate carrying the rest of the crew inside.

The guard in front of the hanger then approaches us. "What's this?" he demands.

"Power cells in need of recharging for the rebel pursuit." Kanan informs him, and gestures to Ezra to start again. However, the guard quickly stops him.

"Hold it right there, Cadet," he orders, before turning to Kanan. "We have to check inside."

He moves to open the crate, but before me or Kanan could move forwards, Ezra rushed in front of him. "I got this," he says confidently, and then waves his hand in front of the troopers helmet. "No, you don't have to check inside..."

Unfortunately the mind trick doesn't work, and the trooper grabs Ezra by the shoulder roughly. "Did you just try to give me an order, Cadet?" he demands.

I then rush forwards as well. "No sir!" I exclaim cheerily. "He just said, 'You don't have to check inside.'" I told him, waving my hand in front of his head, focusing the Force on his mind.

"I don't have to check inside," he replies slowly, and I grin proudly underneath my helmet.

"Well, then, as you wish Trooper!" Kanan said with a salute. "Cadets, let's move. Hurry it up!" he tells us sternly, and we quickly walk past the guard.

"How'd you do that?" Ezra complained.

"You may be older than me, but I have a lot more training," I replied proudly, and he pouts in disappointment.

"I wish that worked from me," he mutters.

"I wish it worked on you." Kanan retorted.

We continue pushing the crates down the hallways, passing only a few lone Stormtroopers on the way, and enter a small armory out of the way of any big hallways. As soon as we're inside, the rest of the crew open the boxes and crawl out with groans, however Zeb slams his crate off with a yell.

"Zeb, will you be quiet?" Hera scolds.

"What? I need to breathe! Have you smelled me?" he exclaims incredulously.

Sabine quickly checks out the hallways, only to find nobody there. "Huh. Don't think it matters if you're noisy. There's nobody around. This was a good plan," she says.

"Of course it was a good plan. We came up with that." Kanan replies with a smirk.

"This way!" Ezra says, waving us forwards.

* * *

A few minutes later, Kanan, Ezra and I had changed back into our regular clothes and ran down the hallways, watching as Zeb knocked out two Stormtroopers by clanging their heads together. Chopper then opened the next door for us, and we ran out into a large airfield filled with TIE Fighters. We rushed through the landing field and stopped behind a large crate, where Kanan pointed out a ship for us.

"There's a shuttle. What'd I tell ya?" he said.

"You did good." Hera praises.

We quickly run for the shuttle, however Sabine and Hera stop upon noticing a few shield generators, the others quickly returning to them, leaving just me and Kanan. Being alone, if only briefly, he turns to me.

"Are you sure a Sith Lord is really here?" he asks in concern.

I frown uneasily and close my eyes, trying to sense Vader with the Force. I can feel the coldness, but I don't know where it's coming from. He's... shielding his presence from us completely. I can probably only sense it because he wants to throw me off, and because dad taught me how to recognize it.

"He's shielding his presence," I muttered, opening my eyes and looking back at him. "But he's here, I can still feel the cold."

He stares behind us worriedly, but then the rest of the crew runs by us towards the shuttle with the shield generators. Eager to leave the Complex behind, we both follow after them, the shuttle just a few feet away...

But then the cold turns into something more. I stop, eyes going wide in terror, and Kanan does so next, Ezra also feeling it. Right behind us, I can sense so much darkness, it was practically overwhelming. It was like a black hole, trying to suffocate the light from me, and there was so much anger... so much hate... it was terrifying.

"Do you feel that?" Ezra asks nervously.

"It's him..." I whisper in terror.

Kanan looks behind us with a sigh, and I follow his line of sight.

"The cold," Kanan says gravely.

Standing in the doorway behind us, where we were just moments ago is the Sith Lord himself, Darth Vader. He doesn't do anything except stare quietly at us, framed in shadow and mist. The sound of mechanical breathing echoes from the man, his mask looking like a skull. Then he activates a blood red lightsaber with a sharp, menacing hiss, holding it by his side.

I stare at him, fear overcoming me like never before at the sight of the Sith Lord, the others also watching in shock. Kanan is the only other person here who understands what a Sith Lord is truly capable of. Vader marches forwards, six Stormtroopers backing him up on both sides as he comes to a stop before me, Ezra and Kanan. The way he stands there, completely silent except for the breathing is more terrifying than anything he could ever say. And he was so tall... if I thought Stoick was big, Vader is probably taller!

The Stormtroopers break off from Vader and head towards the rest of the crew while he stares at us, and I shiver when I notice his gaze falls to me in particular. And dad says he fought this man before?!

Kanan activates his lightsaber with a scowl, afraid but determined, and I quickly follow, my violet blade springing to life, Ezra's coming on next. But the sight of three Jedi with lightsabers does not deter him in the slightest, and he marches forwards, as if he had all the time in the universe. Which he definitely had in this situation.

* * *

 _Oh no... this isn't good, not good at all! Darth Vader has arrived personally, and he means business, especially if this will lead him to Jarik Shan. Mara better watch out for herself, and Jarik needs to get back very quickly!_


	62. Ch 61 - The Apprentice Lives

Previously, on the Legacy of Jarik Shan...

* * *

 ** _Mara POV..._**

 _But then the cold turns into something more. I stop, eyes going wide in terror, and Kanan does so next, Ezra also feeling it. Right behind us, I can sense so much darkness, it was practically overwhelming. It was like a black hole, trying to suffocate the light from me, and there was so much anger... so much hate... it was terrifying._

 _"Do you feel that?" Ezra asks nervously._

 _"It's him..." I whisper in terror._

 _Kanan looks behind us with a sigh, and I follow his line of sight._

 _"The cold," Kanan says gravely._

 _Standing in the doorway behind us, where we were just moments ago is the Sith Lord himself, Darth Vader. He doesn't do anything except stare quietly at us, framed in shadow and mist. The sound of mechanical breathing echoes from the man, his mask looking like a skull. Then he activates a blood red lightsaber with a sharp, menacing hiss, holding it by his side._

 _I stare at him, fear overcoming me like never before at the sight of the Sith Lord, the others also watching in shock. Kanan is the only other person here who understands what a Sith Lord is truly capable of. Vader marches forwards, six Stormtroopers backing him up on both sides as he comes to a stop before me, Ezra and Kanan. The way he stands there, completely silent except for the breathing is more terrifying than anything he could ever say. And he was so tall... if I thought Stoick was big, Vader is probably taller!_

 _The Stormtroopers break off from Vader and head towards the rest of the crew while he stares at us, and I shiver when I notice his gaze falls to me in particular. And dad says he fought this man before?!_

 _Kanan activates his lightsaber with a scowl, afraid but determined, and I quickly follow, my violet blade springing to life, Ezra's coming on next. But the sight of three Jedi with lightsabers does not deter him in the slightest, and he marches forwards, as if he had all the time in the universe. Which he definitely had in this situation._

* * *

"Hera, go we'll cover you!" Kanan yells behind him as Vader approaches us. I hold my lightsaber in the Shien reverse grip, a fearful expression on my face, but I stood firm, not willing to back down for as long as necessary. Ezra stood further behind us, still not as experienced in lightsaber combat, especially against a Sith Lord.

"Kanan look out!" Hera shouted back in alarm.

In a flash, Vader was on us, and he swung his lightsaber with just a single arm. Kanan blocked the attack, but immediately struggled to hold onto his own from the strength behind Vader's attack, even with just one arm! Vader stood there silently, breathing at a normal pace while Kanan struggled to keep hold of his lightsaber. Seeing this, I jumped into action and swung my lightsaber at Vader's side, but he brushed Kanan away and stopped my attack. I might as well have tried attacking a metal wall with a stick.

I separated and slashed again vertically, which Vader blocked again horizontally, and then easily shifted his lightsaber to catch Kanan's own strike. Behind us, the Stormtroopers opened fire on the rest of the group while Hera and Chopper loaded the shield generators. Vader then shoved us back with his lightsaber and thrusted out a hand. Immediately, the three of us were blasted with the Force, and we flew back several feet away. The Force push wasn't that harmful, since me and Kanan managed to land on our feet, although Ezra hit the ground hard. I realized that meant he was merely taunting us, which was scary.

Kanan shook his head with a scowl and tried for an overhead lunge, which Vader batted away with ease. I then swooped in towards his right and slashed for his feet, however Vader just lowered his lightsaber to stop my strike, before shoving my blade away when Kanan charged again. He slashed with his saber in a wide arc, but Vader stopped it, redirecting his attention to me when I came at him with a quick flurry of attacks.

I tried using my size and speed to my advantage, dashing around behind him in an attempt to find an opening with Kanan in front, but it was useless. Despite staring at Kanan in front of him, Vader still was able to twist his arm and deflect my blows with his own blade in between Kanan's attacks, and then shoved him away. He then whipped around to face me and swung his lightsaber upwards with both hands this time. The power behind the attack caught me off guard, and despite blocking his strike, I was sent flying off my feet and into the air, where I landed a couple feet away.

Kanan then charged forwards with a jab, but Vader sidestepped him and grabbed his wrists with one hand. He widened his eyes in alarm before Vader easily hoisted him up with a tight grip, causing Kanan's hold on his lightsaber to loosen and make it deactivate. He then threw Kanan several feet like a ragdoll, and he rolled across the ground, slamming headfirst into a pile of crates, where he was knocked unconscious.

I leaped up from the ground and charged at Vader again, jumping up and swinging my lightsaber. However Vader raises his own blade and caught mine easily, shoving me back. I tried swinging again, but he followed my blade without effort, engaging in another blade-lock. I grimaced fearfully, finding myself being pushed back while he started to loom over me. In this position I felt so small, in a way that I had never felt before in my life.

"I would have words with you, Mara Jade," he suddenly spoke, and I widened my eyes in alarm with a small gasp.

Ezra then came charging in with a fierce scowl on his face, lightsaber raised overhead to strike at Vader's unprotected back. However the Sith Lord then shoved me away before kicking out with his foot, catching me in the chest. I went flying back to land on the ground with a pained gasp as Vader turned to Ezra, raising a hand towards him. Ezra was immediately launched from the ground and flew back against the leg of one of the walkers, held up in Vader's grasp. I struggled to get up, but it was painful, since that kick probably bruised my ribs or something.

"Your master has deceived you, into believing that you can become a Jedi," Vader boomed, gesturing with his hand.

Ezra's hand holding his lightsaber was lifted up, pushing the glowing blue blade towards his throat. Ezra grimaced and tried to resist it, but Vader pressed down harder, forcing the lightsaber inches from his throat, while Ezra groaned desperately, staring at his own blade in terror. I got to me knees and looked up in horror at the sight, being unable to reach Vader in time.

Luckily, Kanan leaped forwards and activated his lightsaber, swinging it fast at Vader's unprotected back. However Vader managed to sense this and whipped around, catching the lightsaber blade once again, before shoving it down and advancing on him. I pulled myself to my feet and held my torso slightly before activating my lightsaber. I dashed forwards and swung my lightsaber again while Vader was preoccupied with Kanan, but he managed to stop my lightsaber again. The two of us slashed and struck at the Sith Lord as best as we could in an attempt to get an opening, but he easily blocked and parried every one of our attacks without any effort at all.

Vader then sidestepped Kanan and shoved him away, causing him to stumble, barely falling to the ground. Ezra charged in, and I swung my lightsaber towards his helmet. Vader deflected my blade before catching Ezra's and shoving it to the ground, lashing out with his arm. He sent Ezra flying with a blow to the head, and then swung his lightsaber overhead against me. I raised my lightsaber, but was shoved down onto one knee from the force behind the blow. Kanan charged forwards again, and Vader twisted his lightsaber so that mine was dislodged from my grasp, and blocked Kanan's attack with one hand.

I reached out an arm and called my lightsaber back to my hand when Vader once again sidestepped Kanan, and whipped around, activating mine again as I slashed at Vader's side. Vader lowered his lightsaber to block my strike, and then raised it into a blade-lock with Kanan. I then used the Force to jump into the air and over Vader's head, lashing out with my blade at the same time. Unfortunately Vader simply raised his and Kanan's locked blades in order to deflect my strike, and then shoved Kanan away. When I landed back on the ground on the other side of him, he turned to face me, mask lit up in red from his lightsaber.

"How curious, that you use one of Shan's preferred tactics," he says, and I stifle a gasp of alarm.

He lashes out at me, and I roll away just as his lightsaber strikes the ground where I was. I pop up beside Kanan, but Vader was already on us, swinging downwards with his lightsaber. Kanan deflects the attack, and when I move forwards to strike again, Vader raises an arm and shoves me back with the Force beside Ezra. He then enters another blade-lock with Kanan, and I get up to stand beside Ezra, ready to move forwards once again.

Vader then pulled away, twisting his lightsaber to leave Kanan unbalanced, and slashed at his shoulder. Kanan was unable to react in time, and the red lightsaber struck him on the shoulder guard, leaving a large glowing mark. He cries out in surprise and pain, bringing a hand to his shoulder while crouching on the ground.

"Kanan!" I exclaimed in alarm.

The walkers beside us on the left suddenly explode, thanks to a few thermal detonators, but Vader doesn't flinch, just glances at them briefly in annoyance, his cape blowing. The start to topple over, and Kanan looks at me an Ezra.

"Now!" he exclaims, and we immediately get the idea, following his lead. All three of us shove our arms out, sending a combined Force burst into Vader, which sent him back a few feet, directly where the walkers were falling. He lands on the ground and looks back up at them, starting to gesture with his hand. The walkers then slam into the ground, and we're unable to see him any more.

Kanan and Ezra both sigh in relief and start walking back to the ship, but I don't. The coldness of Vader's presence is still here. The walkers then shift slightly and I widen my eyes in terror, turning around and running for the ship.

"Run!" I yell to them, waving my arms. They both look at me in confusion.

"What fo-" Ezra startsto say, before all of them widen their eyes in shock and disbelief. I look behind me, and see both destroyed walkers being lifted easily from the ground by Vader, who slowly shifts into a standing position, the anger now surging from him. He wasn't mad before, and he still kicked our butts, but now we just ticked him off. And he was only using one arm to lift the walkers!

"If that doesn't kill him what will?!" Ezra exclaims in alarm.

"Not us! Run!" Kanan said, shoving him towards the ship, the two following after me.

I could hear the walkers crash onto the ground with a tremendous clang.

"Go Chop!" Hera said.

"Come on! Come on!" Sabine yelled.

Moments later, an invisible force suddenly grabbed my ankle and tripped me onto the ground, and then started pulling me towards Vader, who had his lightsaber activated, and arm stretched out towards me. I widened my eyes in terror.

"Mara!" Ezra yelled, grabbing my left arm, and Kanan grabbed his arm too when he was also pulled along.

"Get off of me!" I yelled at Vader helplessly, but my pleas were fruitless, as he just continued to advance, getting closer to us. Looking around, I spotted a small pile of purple crates and stretched my arm towards them. I lifted one with the Force and desperately threw it at Vader, at the same time as a pair of shots coming from Sabine's pistol.

Vader had to let go of me in order to stop the crate from hitting him, tossing it to the side with the Force while I got to my feet and continued running towards the ship with Ezra and Kanan. The two pistol shots suddenly slammed back into Sabine, hitting her chest and helmet. She fell to the ground with a pained cry just as the ship started taking off. The three of us then jumped onto the ship, and I looked back to see Vader staring at us, not giving chase any further, although his presence was still intoxicating. Thankfully, the ramp door closed, and we were blasting off away from that monster.

* * *

As Chopper continued flying the ship away from Capital City, the rest of us were sitting in the seats, feeling beaten. Hera was checking over Sabine in concern, while Kanan sat slumped in his seat and holding his shoulder. I was sitting on his right side, Ezra on his left, breathing heavily. I couldn't believe that we had just fought _the_ Darth Vader, and I could tell why mom and dad didn't want me fighting him. He was every bit as terrifying as dad told me, and insanely powerful. He was just toying with us during that fight!

"Zeb, make sure they can't track us," Hera says.

"Consider it done," he replies with a nod, moving off.

"Kanan? What was that?! Another Inquisitor?!" Ezra demands, a fearful pitch to his voice.

Kanan sits up, a worried gleam in his eyes. "No. Something, worse," he replies gravely.

"What?" he asks again.

Kanan shares a look with me, and I answer for him. "A Sith Lord, by the name of Darth Vader. According to my parents, the Sith are the ancient enemy of the Jedi," I said.

"Well, how do we fight him?!" Ezra questions.

Kanan looks at him in astonishment. "Fight him? Ezra, we were lucky to survive!" he exclaims in response, and Hera looks at us in concern before Kanan turns to me. "Is there anything else Jarik or Ahsoka know about Vader?"

I recall most of what I know about Vader, mostly in warnings or brief conversations, which wasn't much. However, dad has told me one or two brief stories about him. "Well, my mom has never fought Vader before... but my dad has. With Master Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"He did?" Kanan asks in surprise.

I nod my head. "Yeah, but he wouldn't tell me much, mostly just warnings to stay away from him no matter what."

I pause, glancing down uneasily before looking back at them. "I think my dad knew him... before he turned."

"How could he have known that guy?!" Ezra asks incredulously. The rest of the group in the room listen intently.

"Just, the way he speaks about him... and he won't tell me anything else. Even my mom has a hard time getting him to talk about Vader," I tell him, before sighing. "What he did tell us though, is that he was the one who marched on the Jedi Temple."

Kanan widens his eyes in surprise and horror, the others equally stunned, and I look down at the ground sadly, remembering how hard it was for Jarik to talk about that particular story. "He watched him kill countless other Jedi..." I spoke quietly.

"Then that settles it," Hera says firmly, both her and Sabine standing up. "I'm going to make for orbit so we can jump away."

"Hera, no!" Kanan says in alarm. "He, will have a blockade of Destroyers, waiting for us!"

"He won't just let us escape that easily, honestly!" I add in. "Vader was playing with us the whole time, and he wants me especially... He wants me so he can get to my dad."

Kanan gives me a look of sympathy while Hera frowns, not knowing how to get out of this situation. "And this shuttle is slow, with barely any weapons or shields," Sabine adds, scoffing lightly. "We're gonna have to smuggle ourselves off Lothal for a change."

Immediately, I sense an idea form in Hera's head. "That's not a bad idea," she remarks.

"What are you thinking?" Kanan asks in confusion.

"I'm thinking, we know the right man to smuggle us off world," she says with a knowing look to Kanan and Ezra, moving towards the ladder. They both glance at each other in alarm.

"Not him!" they both exclaim at the same time with dread.

"Who?" I ask in confusion.

* * *

 **Darth Vader POV...**

The night continued on, although morning would soon arrive. However that was irrelevant compared to the true matter at hand. Those two Jedi were nothing but failures, the apprentice unable to even swing a lightsaber properly, while Jarrus still had the skill level of a mere Padawan. Mara Jade... I almost had her, easily. But I let myself underestimate her abilities. Despite being the youngest of them all, she was the most lethal in battle, using the very moves practiced by Jarik Shan... as well as...

Ahsoka Tano.

The way she started her battle using the reverse handgrip, is reminiscent of what Skywalker's apprentice herself did. However, given that her mentor is Jarik Shan, that isn't too out of character, considering his strong friendship with Tano. What a shame for him that she is dead officially.

The door then opens behind me, and Agent Kallus walks through with a report. "My lord, our scans have indicated that the stolen shuttle has not attempted to leave the system," he says.

"Fear has driven them to ground," I reply, having sensed their terror from my presence. "There is a refuge camp, the rebels have provided aid to in the past."

"Yes, 'Tarkintown' they call it," he confirms slowly. "You suspect the rebels are in hiding there?" he asks.

They wouldn't risk hiding among those they consider innocent, but this will send them a message. "No, but I want you to burn it. The compassion of the rebels, is a weakness. One we will exploit," I tell him firmly.

I can sense a small amount of hesitance from him, but he replies obediently, his duty to the Empire strong. "Yes, my lord," he says with a bow, exiting the room.

Mara Jade may have surprised me with her impressive skills at such a young age, but it is only a matter of time before she leads me to the rest of this rebel cell, and Jarik Shan.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

Our shuttle landed in the middle of nowhere, out in Lothal's grassy fields by a small outpost. Once on the ground, we opened the ramp and saw a protocal type droid approaching us diligently. Hera, Chopper and Sabine exited the ship first, the rest of us following afterwards.

"You must be Lando's droid," Hera assumes.

"Yes, ma'am. Welcome," the droid greets in response. "I have prepared everything according to Calrissian's instructions. Is one of you a mechanic?" it asks us.

"Oh, that must be me." Sabine replies proudly.

"I'm decent at it," I admit with a small shrug. Sabine slumps slightly in irritation and bitterness, but stands up straight again when Chopper beeps at us.

"Definitely not you," she says, shooting him down.

"On that, we can agree," I say with a nod of my head, much to Chopper's chagrin. Our group starts to follow after Lando's droid, but I suddenly sense something, and look over to the right, Ezra already staring in that direction. Off on the horizon, a large plume of smoke rises high into the sky, expanding larger and not stopping. I look at the cloud of smoke, worried and uneasy at the possibility of what it meant. Ezra then rushes for one of the speeders and hops on, powering it up. I follow after him to another speeder.

"Hey, kids!" Zeb yells out, but Kanan stops him.

"Just let them go, Zeb," he replies softly, and Ezra takes off, headed for the smoke.

I power up my speeder and fly after him, unsure of what I might find. I could sense Kanan following us, but I paid it no mind. The journey only took a couple of minutes, but we eventually arrived to a large hill overlooking to origin of the smoke. I get off of my speeder and look at the smoking pile, and gasp in horror when I realize it to be a town. The idea that people could do this... why? My eyes well up slightly with tears as I begin to realize what the Empire is truly like. Despite my experiences in the past, I've always felt like fighting the Empire was a great thing, full of adventure and battle in the race to take down and destroy an evil galactic government.

But aside from the Second Sister killing my birth mother and father, I've never seen why the Empire is so evil, having lived with Jarik and Ahsoka as my parents for most of my life, away from the horror that they create. Kanan pulls up behind us, as Ezra lowers his binoculars, grief on his face.

"There's no one. They're all gone," he says, voice breaking slightly.

"They're prisoners of the Galactic Empire now." Kanan says grimly.

"All I sense is evil. Why would they burn Tarkintown?" Ezra demands.

Kanan walks up to us, laying a hand on his shoulder. "To spread fear, to make us afraid. The people that lived here just got caught in the middle."

"This happened because of us?" Ezra asked hesitantly, starting to feel guilty.

Did it? I have to wonder.

"There's a cost for any action we take now, Ezra. Things are getting worse just as they did back when I was your age," he replies. "But back then, there were 10,000 Jedi Knights protecting the entire galaxy, including your parents," he says, gesturing to me. "Now..."

"There's just you, Mara's family, and me," Ezra says, feeling determined.

"Against an Empire." Kanan reminds him.

"We can fight! We have allies! Jarik and Ahsoka could help us fight Vader!" Ezra protests, and I glance at him in surprise.

"Do you not understand what you're saying?" Kanan exclaims incredulously. "You saw what we're up against. Look!" he says, gesturing towards the burned town.

"I'm not afraid" Ezra declares boldly, taking a few steps forwards.

Kanan sighs sadly. "That's what worries me."

I stare out at the destroyed town, its populace either dead or taken prisoner by Vader and the Empire. kneel on the ground, brushing my hand along the grass, looking at a few strands in my hand.

"After my dad saved me, my whole life I've been kept away from most of the galaxy unless they were nearby," I said softly, and they both listened to me intently. "I always thought the idea of being a Jedi, what mom and dad have trained me to become was awesome. I could fight an oppressive Empire, and go on adventurous missions with them," I continue on, staring out at the rubble.

"I never knew what they were really like..." I finish, a tear streaking down my face. I wish they were with my right now... I wish I never went on this stupid mission to rescue Minister Tua in the first place.

"It's never easy," Kanan says. "When in the middle of a war, you always see things that will haunt you forever. It's how we deal with it, that moves us forwards."

I stand back up slowly, and drop the grass strands while continuing to stare at the ruined town, a resolve coming into my heart. Never again would I seek to go on a mission and fight the Empire merely because it is adventurous or fun. Now I would do it, if it would help people, and make the Empire fall, so that they could never hurt anyone again.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

I was heading through hyperspace, headed for Phoenix Squadron as fast as I can, but unfortunately in hyperspace you couldn't go any faster than the speed I currently was. I was still at least twenty minutes away, and every second felt like an hour, especially after what I've been feeling.

I have no idea what is happening on Lothal, but I could first sense Mara's unease, then her shock... and then her terror, along with a coldness I couldn't make out at first. Regardless, she was in danger, and if I was right, she's in danger from Vader himself! Why oh why did I agree to let her go on this mission so easily... Why couldn't hyperspace go any faster? Why not ludicrous speed? I'd like that, because I'm feeling ludicrous right now!

* * *

 **Darth Vader POV...**

As the sun rose over Lothal, bathing the sky in orange, Agent Kallus stood with me in the main office. He walked over to the desk when it beeped and activated the holo-transmitter, bringing up an image of Konstantine.

 _"My lord, I regret to inform you that the rebels have escaped Lothal,"_ he says, the nervousness easily heard in his voice.

As expected, the Imperial navy officers were useless in their assigned task, as usual. Thrawn seems to be the only one who knows how to do anything right, at least in predictability and intelligence. A shame he was currently out in the Unknown Regions. However... now I know the location of the rebel fleet, and possibly Jarik Shan. The true prize.

"Have my ship prepared," I state, heading out the door to the hanger. Agent Kallus nods his head obediently.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

The Imperial shuttle piloted by Hera flew towards the Phoenix fleet, flanked by two A-Wing fighters. "Phoenix Home, this is the Ghost away team. Clearance code 1-2-1-8-1-5." Hera says into the comlink.

A moment later, a rebel technician responds. _"Your clearance code checks out. Welcome home, Ghost team,"_ he greets politely.

Hera docks the shuttle onto the side of the Enterprise-D ship. The group disembarks, Mara stretching her arms and ready to greet her mother before Chopper races through the door in a panic, beeping urgently. Those who could understand him widened their eyes in alarm.

"Chopper said a transmitter activated on our shuttle moments ago!" Sabine exclaimed.

Mara was already racing towards the command center, Hera right on her heels as they headed for Ahsoka and Commander Sato respectively. They entered the room to find the very two they were looking for conversing with each other.

"Mom, they tracked us back here!" Mara exclaimed as soon as she caught sight of her. Ahsoka widened her eyes in surprise.

"What?" she asked in alarm. Hera then burst through as well.

"Commander Sato! We need the fleet to jump out of here! Our shuttle was tracked!" Hera exclaimed breathlessly, the rest of the crew entering behind her.

"Commander, I'm scanning a ship in our sector," a technician spoke up. The crew looked at each other in alarm, but also confusion. One ship? The holomap was activated, displaying the rebel fleet as well as the approaching ship on the screen.

"We've been tracking one target. No other ships have entered the system," he reported.

"Move Phoenix Squadron to intercept." Sato orders.

Within moments, the rebel pilots all jumped into their A-Wings and took off, headed towards the approaching TIE Fighter, ready for battle. As they watched this unfold, Ahsoka narrowed her eyes slightly at the screen.

"There's only one other person I know of who would dare fight an entire fleet by themselves..." she muttered to herself thoughtfully. She had to wonder who it was now that would be brave enough or foolish enough to attempt it.

 _"Fighter coming in at mark_ 3," one of the pilots reported. They all opened fire on him, but the TIE Fighter easily weaved around the shots and then retaliated with quick bursts, destroying one fighter in a second.

 _"He's coming in too fast!"_ another pilot reported in alarm, before his comlink went dead.

"Fleet, raise deflector shields." Hera ordered.

 _"We've lost Phoenix 1 and 2!"_ a pilot responded, and they all shared looks of alarm.

"He's heading right for us!" Ezra said, pointing towards the red mark signaling the TIE Fighter on the holo-map.

"Are you kidding me?" Mara exclaimed before stumbling, as the TIE opened fire onto the command ship, causing it to shake make the lights flicker briefly, doing surprising amounts of damage.

"How can one fighter best our entire squadron?!" Sato demanded, angry and alarmed by this.

"Your pilots are outmatched, Commander!" Hera responded, rushing for the door.

Kanan watched her go in bewilderment. "Uh, what are you doing?" he demanded.

"Getting involved," she said, glancing at him briefly before continuing.

Kanan shook his head in displeasure. "Not without me, you're not."

"Let's go," Sabine said to Ezra, running for the door. "Ezra, come on!"

"I'd like to join in," Mara admitted with a small grin.

"All right if we tag along?" Ahsoka asks Ezra with a smile.

"The more, the merrier," he responded with a grin, running for the door.

"Come on Mara," Ahsoka said, rushing after him.

"Oh you bet mom!" she replied.

Two rebel pilots chased after Vader, firing their laser cannons in an attempt to shoot him down. However in a move that shocked them both, Vader maneuvered upwards and cut off his engines, spinning himself around so that he was still moving in the same direction while also facing the rebels. He opened fire, and green laser blasts cut through the A-Wing pilots, quickly bringing an end to them.

On the Ghost, Ahsoka and Mara joined Hera and Kanan on the bridge, while the rest of the crew went to various positions on the freighter. Hera sat in the pilot's seat, with Ahsoka in the co-pilots, seat, while Kanan and Mara sat in the back two seats. They powered up the ship, and Hera called the others over the coms.

"Everyone, check in." Hera ordered.

 _"Tail guns, check!"_ Zeb replied.

 _"Turrets, check!"_ Sabine said.

 _"Nose guns, check! Check!"_ ezra confirmed.

"All right, kids, do mom and dad proud," Hera says, flicking a few switches.

"Here he comes!" Kanan said in alarm, pointing forwards.

Vader flew his TIE Fighter straight at the rebel command ship and opened fire. Green laser blasts shot into the shields surrounding the bridge, then above, and then cut through the shield generator, destroying them all in a large explosion that shook the ship.

 _"We've lost our shields!"_ one of the technicians yelled over the comlink.

"Ghost moving to engage." Hera replied, swinging the Ghost around and charging after the TIE Fighter.

"I'm on him!" Sabine said, swiveling her turret around and firing at the fighter. However, the TIE easily weaved and maneuvered around her shots, leaving her baffled. "Who is this guy?"

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes with a heavy frown, finding herself recognizing many of these attack patterns used by the TIE Fighter... as well as something else. Sabine was right: who was this guy?

 _"Phoenix Home to Ghost. We can't withstand another attack from that fighter!"_ Commander Sato told them.

"Copy that. Phoenix Squadron form up and focus fire!" Hera ordered.

"This is intense," Mara muttered to herself, feeling slightly nervous. The Ghost and two other A-Wings raced after the TIE Fighter, which swung around to make another charge for the command ship.

Ahsoka frowned thoughtfully, sensing something strange about their attacker. "The force is strong with him," she realized. "Mara, Kanan, let's find out how strong!" she told them, and Mara nodded in understanding.

"How can I help?" Kanan asked.

"Just remember your training," she replies, and both her and Mara close their eyes, reaching their hands out and calling upon the Force. Kanan exhales before also closing his eyes, laying his hand on Ahsoka's shoulder. He reaches out, also feeling along with the Force.

The Ghost rushed after the TIE Fighter, and Ezra fired every shot he could at him, but no matter what, Vader still continued to dodge the attacks, continuing his charge for the command ship. In the middle of doing this however, Ezra then pulled back nervously, shivering slightly. "There's something familiar. I feel... Cold," he whispers to himself.

In the cockpit, Ahsoka, Mara and Kanan were focused on the Force as they reached out to their enemy in the TIE Fighter. On the comlink, Ezra started talking to them. _"I think I know who it is!"_ he exclaimed. Ahsoka frowned, and Mara shivered.

Vader stared forwards at his target, determined to bring an end to the rebel ship.

 _"Back on Lothal I felt something. Kanan and Mara did too!"_ he continued. _"The fear. The anger. The hate..."_

With each word that Ezra said, Ahsoka grimaced, her expression becoming more unsure and fearful. Mara could recognize it too, and began to come to the conclusion that this was Vader. She, along with Ahsoka, pressed further into the Force... and received an answer.

In his TIE Fighter, Vader suddenly slowed down briefly, and glanced up to the side, feeling something familiar. He could sense Mara Jade on that ship trying to reach him, as well as the Jedi Kanan Jarrus. And then...

 _"It's the Sith Lord we faced!"_ Ezra exclaimed, and Mara pulled back with a gasp, recognizing the cold.

Ahsoka's face was now filled with horror, and she opened her eyes, terror gleaming from within her soul. She knew who it was! But... it, it couldn't be! I couldn't be him!

Underneath his mask, Darth Vader grinned to himself at this turn of events. "The apprentice lives," he stated.

Memories flushed through Ahsoka, ones full of happiness, then chaos, then sadness, then worry, then despair, horror...

 _Anakin..._

She screamed out loud, her mind unable to handle it. The memories and feelings now flowed wrongly, tainted and taken by the dark side, and it was too much for her. She fell backwards, unconscious, and Kanan caught her in shock. Mara stared at her in terror.

"Ahsoka?!" Kanan exclaimed.

"MOM!" Mara yelled, rushing to her side and holding onto her desperately, not knowing what just happened, only that Vader was somehow responsible.

* * *

 _And it has finally happened... Vader now knows that Ahsoka lives, and Ahsoka has now felt Anakin after so many years, in the new, horrifying figure of Darth Vader._


	63. Ch 62 - Everything Changes

Previously, on the Legacy of Jarik Shan...

* * *

 _In the cockpit, Ahsoka, Mara and Kanan were focused on the Force as they reached out to their enemy in the TIE Fighter. On the comlink, Ezra started talking to them. "I think I know who it is!" he exclaimed. Ahsoka frowned, and Mara shivered._

 _Vader stared forwards at his target, determined to bring an end to the rebel ship._

 _"Back on Lothal I felt something. Kanan and Mara did too!" he continued. "The fear. The anger. The hate..."_

 _With each word that Ezra said, Ahsoka grimaced, her expression becoming more unsure and fearful. Mara could recognize it too, and began to come to the conclusion that this was Vader. She, along with Ahsoka, pressed further into the Force... and received an answer._

 _In his TIE Fighter, Vader suddenly slowed down briefly, and glanced up to the side, feeling something familiar. He could sense Mara Jade on that ship trying to reach him, as well as the Jedi Kanan Jarrus. And then..._

 _"It's the Sith Lord we faced!" Ezra exclaimed, and Mara pulled back with a gasp, recognizing the cold._

 _Ahsoka's face was now filled with horror, and she opened her eyes, terror gleaming from within her soul. She knew who it was! But... it, it couldn't be! I couldn't be him!_

 _Underneath his mask, Darth Vader grinned to himself at this turn of events. "The apprentice lives," he stated._

 _Memories flushed through Ahsoka, ones full of happiness, then chaos, then sadness, then worry, then despair, horror..._

 _Anakin..._

 _She screamed out loud, her mind unable to handle it. The memories and feelings now flowed wrongly, tainted and taken by the dark side, and it was too much for her. She fell backwards, unconscious, and Kanan caught her in shock. Mara stared at her in terror._

 _"Ahsoka?!" Kanan exclaimed._

 _"MOM!" Mara yelled, rushing to her side and holding onto her desperately, not knowing what just happened, only that Vader was somehow responsible._

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

Without warning, Vader suddenly pulled off from his run on the command ship, his previous goal no longer important to him. He felt her, on that very ship, the Ghost. Now that he knows the apprentice lives... capturing her would be one of the most beneficial things for him now.

On the Ghost, Ahsoka was being propped up by Kanan while Mara was at her side, eyes wide in terror and worry as she shook her. "Mom? Mom, wake up!" she pleaded. Hera continued to glance back at them in concern, distracted.

"She's just unconscious Mara, stay focused!" Kanan replied sternly, although his worry was easily heard as well.

 _"Captain Syndulla, whatever you're doing, keep it up! The fleet can recover!"_ Commander Sato said over the coms joyfully. Mara glared angrily at the console.

"Is he serious?!" she demanded furiously, moving to get up, but Kanan quickly grabbed her wrist with one of his hands.

"Mara, calm down," he hissed to her before looking at the com-link. "Commandeer, you need to get the fleet out of here now!"

 _"I will not abandon our command ship!"_ Sato exclaimed angrily.

"If he doesn't-" Mara starts to yell before the ship shakes violently.

Behind the Ghost, Vader comes flying in at high speed and fires off a burst of lasers, taking out one of the A-Wings before they could react, and then focuses intently on the Ghost. He starts firing at essential systems of the Ghost.

"You don't have a choice, sir!" Hera tells him. "Without a hyperdrive, you must abandon ship!"

Just then, three large Imperial Star Destroyers appear out of hyperspace, closing in on the rebel fleet fast. At the helm of the lead Destroyer stood Kassius Konstantine, an admiral of the Imperial Navy. He was decent at his job, but his rank came through privileges and influence, not through actual leadership and skill. He was arrogant at times, and usually fought more for the glory of a battle than following the leadership of his superiors.

"Lord Vader, we have entered the system and await your orders," he states.

"Move your Destroyers to block their escape, but hold your fire. I want these rebels alive." Vader says coldly, firing his laser cannons at the Ghost again.

The Ghost shook, and the occupants inside struggled to keep from falling over. Mara continued to worry over Ahsoka, having practically taken her from Kanan at this point, who was now sitting in the co-pilot's seat again. "It's now or never, Commander," he said.

 _"We regretfully agree,"_ Sato replies bitterly. _"All hands, abandon ship! You'll have to keep that fighter occupied."_

"Don't worry, sir. We seem to have his attention!" Hera replied, ending the transmission. She pilots the Ghost past the exploding rebel command ship, and Vader follows viciously, firing his green laser cannons and scoring hits on the Ghost, which fired back at him. He easily dodged the hail of red laser that came for him, continuing his pursuit.

"Suddenly, there's a lot to do back here!" Zeb exclaims in alarm, unable to hit Vader, who gets ever closer and more deadly.

"Sorry to spoil your fun Zeb, but I'm ordering Chopper to divert all power to the hyperdrive. including cannons!" Hera replies over the com.

Chopper beeped in affirmative, but the others were appalled. _"Hera, what are you doing?!"_ Sabine exclaimed in bewilderment.

 _"I think I know,"_ Ezra replied nervously, and the ship began to angle towards the Star Destroyers.

 _"Don't worry Ghost, I've got your back,"_ a voice over the coms said, and Mara perked up.

"Dad!" she exclaimed, a little bit more relieved.

The Knight Hawk suddenly appeared out of hyperspace not too far away from Vader and the Ghost, the Sith Lord immediately taking notice with a frown. Jarik then steered the ship towards the conflict, and opened fire with his laser cannons on the TIE Fighter, immediately knowing who it was. Vader weaved around the laser fire, using the Force to help him evade it while also staying targeted on the Ghost. However it was a lot more difficult with the Knight Hawk constantly firing at him.

From the exploding command ship, escape pods were launched towards the rest of the fleet. _"Ghost crew, escape pods are secure. Fleet, Commence hyperspace jump!"_ he said into the com.

"Copy that commander, we'll meet you at safe haven!" Hera replied.

With that said, the fleet all angled away from the Star Destroyers, along with the two remaining A-Wing pilots. They then jumped into hyperspace, leaving just the Ghost and the Knight Hawk with Vader and the Imperial fleet.

 _"Fleet is away! Get us out of here!"_ Sabine exclaimed.

"Everybody, hang on!" Hera told them, moving faster towards the fleet. Vader followed, firing off green lasers at every random interval in an attempt to damage the ship further and prevent any escape. His primary target was the hyperdrive.

 _"Are you doing what I think you're doing?"_ Jarik asked over the coms.

"Probably," she replied.

Behind Vader's ship, Jarik also continued the chase, with R5 plugged into the terminal and firing at the Sith Lord. A high barrage of red lasers followed, and one managed to graze Vader's ship, knocking him off course slightly. His advanced TIE's shields however held firm, leaving no damage.

The Sith Lord growled lowly in anger, quickly swiveling his ship around so that his laser cannons were aimed for the Knight Hawk. He immediately opened fire, green lasers peppering the front of the ship. Jarik quickly turned away in surprise, having not expected Vader to perform such a quick move. Unfortunately, the front of the ship was slightly damaged from the surprise attack, leaving small holes in the hull. Thankfully it wasn't serious damage, and could easily be prepared.

Satisfied, Vader swiveled his fighter around again and blasted off towards the Ghost, which was making a speedway directly through the middle of the Star Destroyer trio.

"Chopper, angle all deflectors astern!" Hera ordered, but Chopper beeped back in bewilderment.

"Those Star Destroyers aren't the ones firing at us!" she yelled back hotly. "Now do it! Fast!"

Onboard the bridge of the main Destroyer, Konstantine watched the pursuit as a technician approached him. "Target coming into range, the officer reported.

"Activate tractor beam on my signal," he stated, glancing at the Knight Hawk as it pursued after Vader. "And destroy that nuisance behind Lord Vader's ship. The rebel craft in front is our target."

The technician nodded and headed back to relay the order to the rest of the bridge. Moments later, the laser turrets of hios Star Destroyer swiveled around and took aim at the Knight Hawk, which Jarik noticed with alarm.

"Oh kriff," he muttered. R5 beeped in alarm.

The Star Destroyer opened fire with a hail of green lasers, and he quickly swiveled out of the way and continued to try following, but his pursuit of Vader was quickly cut off by the Destroyer. The crew of the Ghost all thought they were doomed, but realized with alarm that they were aiming for Jarik instead. Mara gasped in worry.

"Dad!" she exclaimed.

Jarik continued to try and evade the laser blasts, but it was too much for him to handle, and when one laser slammed into the hull of his ship, he was forced to turn away. The green laser shook the ship violently, and sparks flew from the electrical outlets as they were overworked on the shields protecting the hull.

 _"I can't help you guys any longer, not with those Destroyer's on me,"_ Jarik told the Ghost.

"Don't worry about it, we're almost through!" Hera replied. "Head back to the safe haven!"

With those words, Jarik angled the Knight Hawk away from the Imperial fleet and quickly made the jump to hyperspace, disappearing in a flash. That just left the Ghost crew and Vader now, the latter still in hot pursuit, although he was disappointed and frustrated that Shan turned away. He would have words with Konstantine later, but for now he needed to capture these rebels, and Tano.

"Hera!" Kanan exclaimed in alarm.

"Wait... wait!" she replied.

Vader narrowed his eyes and pressed the trigger on his fighter, scoring direct hits to the Ghost's engines.

"Gotcha!" Hera said joyfully, pulling the lever for hyperspace. They disappeared just as Konstantine had the tractor beam activated. Unfortunately for him, the ship that was caught was not the Ghost, but rather, Lord Vader's TIE Fighter. The Sith Lord looked around, brimming with silent fury and rage that his prize had escaped, no thanks to the meddling influence of the Admiral.

"Status report on the rebel craft," Konstantine said, a satisifed smirk on his face.

"Sir, we've locked onto a ship," the technician replied, although with a hint of fear. "But it's not the rebel craft... it's, Lord Vader's ship!"

Konstantine widened his eyes in terror, mouth gaping like a fish, and he glanced around the bridge in a panic. "Re-release him immediately!" he stuttered in terror. The technician did so, and he brushed off his shoulder with a sigh.

"It's, not your fault officer," he said, and the technician wiped his forehead in relief. "But Lord Vader, won't know that." Konstantine added, and the officer widened his eyes in terror.

* * *

 **Ahsoka POV...**

I sat down in the co-ilot's seat of the Ghost as the ship drifted along with the rest of the fleet. Chopper was just outside the cockpit, fixing up the ship from the damage received during the battle. I had awoken from being sent unconscious, and Mara had been going crazy with relief, refusing to stay away from me. Right now she was sitting next to me in her own seat, constantly glancing at me with worry, and a hint of fear.

"Mom, are you sure you're okay?" she asked.

"I am Mara," I replied with a soft smile.

"Ok..." she replied, swallowing before talking. "It's just that... when you fell unconscious, I- I didn't know what had happened to you and... I was afraid you were somehow gone," she said quietly.

"Oh Mara," I sighed sadly. "No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you, just like your father will as well. You don't have to worry about that," I assured her with a smile. She smiled back in relief, looking back out the window.

However I was far from fine, and my gaze returned to where it was previously looking down, an impassive look on my face. What I felt from the Sith Lord... from Vader, it was terrifying. I didn't want to believe it, but I knew him. I know who he is... or at least knew. Despite what I can't believe, and even though it was much darker and hateful than it should ever be, I know that I felt Anakin. The door behind us then opened, Kanan and Ezra walking inside.

"Ahsoka, Hera said you wanted to speak with us," Ezra said.

"Please, come in," I replied.

"Are you okay?" he asked in concern, as they both sat down in the other two chairs.

"I am, thank you," I replied, swiveling around to face them and Mara at the same time. "I wanted to ask about the Sith Lord you encountered on Lothal."

"You know we've encountered Inquisitor's before, but this was nothing like that." Kanan said. "The fear, the anger, the hate. You felt it. I haven't sensed a presence like that since..."

"The Clone Wars," I finished with a grim expression.

"Yeah," he replied.

Mara crossed her arms hesitantly. "I'm guessing that I felt him the most on Lothal, since you guys seemed oblivious for most of it."

"In what way?" I asked her.

"When Minister Tua's shuttle was blown up, I saw him just watching us, and I could feel him too," she said, shivering as she recalled the feeling. "He was more focused on me than anyone else..."

That worried me, and probably means that Vader knows exactly who she is, and her connection with Jarik... and now me. "You are highly sensitive to the Force, more than most your age, and Jarik has taught you how to recognize the dark side," I pointed out.

"Wait, Jarik knows the dark side?" Kanan asked with surprise and wariness. "But the Jedi forbade that!"

"The sole reason why we never felt the Emperor's rise to power in the Senate," I reminded him. "We were taught to stay clear of the dark side at any cost, that to start down that path means our souls are doomed forever."

"Forever?" Ezra asks doubtfully. "I mean, that's a little much, right?"

"I think it's dumb," Mara deadpanned.

"The dark side in dangerous, and full of evil." Kanan insisted.

"The dark side is dangerous, but evil only comes from how it's used," I said, thinking about how Jarik, and partially, me interpret the dark side. "Light and Dark can't exist without the other. Even with no Sith there will still be darkness, somewhere."

"So what does that have to do with Jarik using it?" Kanan demanded with a frown.

"He doesn't, 'use' it, you could say," I reply. "But he can understand it, on a natural level, something not many Jedi could. It's this ignorance of the dark side that Palpatine used to destroy the Order during the Clone Wars. In order to defeat your enemy, you have to understand them, understand what the dark side truly is."

He looks down in thought, unsure and conflicted by what he learned, but he is considering the possibility. "I suppose," he finally says, albeit hesitantly.

"That's good enough for me," I tell him.

We were in silence for a little while longer before Ezra spoke up again.

"Ahsoka, about Vader... Mara said that Jarik knew, or at least fought him before," he says, and I frowned. "Do you know who, or what, Vader is?"

I glanced away unsure, thinking about what Jarik has said about Vader. I know he's the Emperor's right hand, and a Sith Lord, of course, but I've never met him. I don't know too much about him, actually... but Jarik does. Come to think of it, he has talked about fighting Vader with Obi-Wan... but he never said anything about that, or who he was otherwise.

And did he... did he really tell the truth about Anakin? Or did he avoid the question, all those years ago?

I turned away sadly. "No, I don't," I said, keeping any insight about how I felt hidden from Mara and the others. "But I do know that he will be coming... They'll all be coming now," I said grimly.

"Then we've gotta be ready to fight!" Ezra said determinedly.

"Against Vader, it's not the simple," Mara sighed.

"We must find the strength, to fight," Kanan added. "And greater courage is knowing when not to fight."

The door to the cockpit then opened, revealing the rest of the Ghost Crew. "And we'll be beside you, either way," Hera said encouragingly.

I turned around to look at them, giving them all a smile of gratitude. Mara gave the others, and Ezra a small grin as well, but then I turned away, a haunted look shadowing my face as I recalled feeling Vader's presence... so similar to Anakin... and yet so different at the same time. The crystal on my ring pulsed slightly, and I glanced at it before looking up as the Knight Hawk arrived out of hyperspace.

It was time to talk to Jarik. And this time, I'm going to get the full truth out of him, no matter what.

* * *

 **Darth Vader POV...**

The doors to the bridge opened, and I strode through with purpose towards the holotable, where Kallus and Konstantine stood. They both stood straight at attention upon my arrival.

"With their command ship destroyed, the rebel fleet has been shattered. You have them on the run-" Kallus starts to say but I cut him off.

"Who fired the tractor beam?" I demanded coldly.

Kallus raised an eyebrow and glanced at Konstantine, who shuffled nervously, sweat running down his brow. "Lord Vader, it was an oversight. The officer firing the beam didn't-" he stammers in defense of himself, before stopping. I clenched my fist and he began to choke as I closed the Force around his throat.

"Your senseless actions not only stopped my advance against the rebel craft, but also chased away any chance of capturing Jarik Shan, who was in the second ship," I stated, my voice a low growl. He clutched desperately at his neck, Kallus watching warily in alarm before I released him. Konstantine collapsed against the holotable, gasping for breathe and looking up at me in fear.

"The next time you fail me, I will not be so merciful," I warned him with a deadly glare, that even he could feel through my mask.

"Y-yes, Lord Vader! O-of, course!" he stammered, voice at a higher pitch and still coughing.

"Now, clear the bridge," I ordered them, leaving no room for argument.

Kallus and Konstantine both glanced at each other in slight confusion, before they both inclined their heads, Konstantine quickly leaving first. Kallus walked after him, but before the doors closed, he glanced back with slightly narrowed eyes. I gave him no concern.

Once the door had closed, I pressed a button on the holotable requesting a transmission from Coruscant, and then kneeled as it glowed blue. I kept my head down as the hologram of my Master, Darth Sidious came into being. OH how I despised him now, for going back on his promise to save Padmé, but I would deal with him in time. For now, I was his servant.

 ** _"Lord, Vader. Have you dealt with the rebels in the Lothal system?"_** he demanded, gravely voice booming.

"Yes Master. They are broken," I replied.

 ** _"And yet I sense in you, something, more to your victory,"_** he stated with a frown.

"I believe the apprentice of Anakin Skywalker lives, and is in league, with these rebels. And, with Jarik Shan," I told him.

There was a pause, his face intrigued before he replied. **_"Are you, certain?"_** he asks.

"It was her," I insisted, knowing that I could never forget her presence.

A grin slowly spread across his face, and his eyes gleamed yellow. **_"This, is an opportunity we cannot let pass. Skywalker's apprentice, and Jarik Shan could lead us to other lost Jedi."_**

"Such as Kenobi?" I suggested.

 ** _"Perhaps, if he lives,"_** he replied. **_"Be patient, my old friend. For now, dispatch two more Inquisitor's to hunt down the rebels, along with Shan and Tano."_**

I scowled behind my mask but didn't protest. As much as I wanted to hunt down her and Shan myself, and possibly find Kenobi, I couldn't overrule the Emperor. Not now, or ever, until I finally defeat him. So I bowed my head in submission, if a little bitterly.

"As you wish, my Master," I told him.

* * *

 _The Siege of Lothal is now over, but the rest of the story is far from being finished! And now Jarik finally has to reveal the truth to Ahsoka... this can only go so well... O_o_


	64. Ch 63 - The Truth

_**REVIEWS:**_

 _ **Shanverse fan 1** : Glad you enjoy it! Also, you'll have to wait and see for future content. :)_

 ** _CT7567Rules_** _: Maybe, I'm still considering all of the clones that I know about, and their fates._

 _ **C.E.W** : Perhaps, there definitely is plenty of room for stuff like this to be possible._

 _ **BraverSeeker3** : Lol, definitely jammed. You got that reference? :3_

 ** _Shadow_** _ **Solaris** : Things will definitely be tense. :O_

* * *

 **Ahsoka POV...**

I boarded the Knight Hawk when Jarik docked with the Ghost, ready to talk to him about what had happened, and confront him in order to find the truth. On the way towards the cockpit, R5 rolled by me with a beep, and I shook my head in exasperation. Always something to be said from that droid, honestly. I reached the cockpit and found Jarik sitting in his chair, staring out the viewport.

"Hey," I told him.

He glanced up at me, and then swiveled the chair around. "Oh, hey. What's up?"

 _'So much...'_ I thought, but kept that to myself. "Not much," I replied, sitting down in the other chair with a shrug. "You get Zenna back to Ahch-To just fine?"

"Yeah, I did," he told me. "How did the mission go? Were they successful? Because, the Empire was going really hard on you guys," he remarked, and I took notice of how he didn't mention Vader... there's no way he didn't know who was in the TIE Fighter, that I am certain of.

I shook my head, crossing my arms and leaning back in my seat. "No. Unfortunately it was a trap, and Minister Tua was killed."

He widened his eyes in surprise before sighing. "Sorry to hear that," he says regretfully. "Things get more dangerous every day."

"They do," I confirmed with a nod. "Mara and the rest of the crew encountered Darth Vader."

He widened his eyes in alarm, and I observed his reaction. "W-what?!" he exclaimed.

"They had to fight him to escape," I added.

"Oh kriffing Force, is she okay? I gotta go see her!" he said in a panic, getting out of his seat, but I stopped him.

"Jarik, Jarik! Mara is fine," I told him firmly. "Nobody was hurt, and we're all here now. She's a little shaken from the experience, but she's just fine."

He collapsed back into his seat, bringing a hand to his head as his brow creased in worry. "Oh thank the Force... if he..." he muttered quietly to himself, and I narrowed my eyes. "I knew something like this would happen when we let her go to Lothal."

"We couldn't know what could have happened Jarik," I said with a frown.

"It was almost guaranteed that Vader was on Lothal, all the signs were there!" he argued.

"But everyone is fine now. What could have happened otherwise doesn't matter," I told him.

He was silent for a few moments, glancing out the window before sighing. "I guess you're right."

I eyed him for a while, gauging his reaction. He was definitely worried and afraid for Mara, that I could sense most of all, as well as worried about Vader, and what could happen in the future. How much more I wasn't sure, either because that was all there was too it, or he was hiding the rest. Either way, I had to confront him now about this. I need to know.

"Jarik," I said seriously, in a tone that he immediately noticed. "We need to talk."

He glanced at me. "About what?" he asked.

"Vader," I said simply, and he gave no reaction, other than a brief flicker of his eyes.

"Okay... what about him?" he asked in confusion.

I leaned forward, staring at him with narrowed eyes. "What do you really know about him? I need to know."

He stared back. "I... what? I don't get it-"

"Who is Vader really?" I said, voice slightly louder.

"I don't know! I've only fought him once before!" he said back.

"On Mustafar, with Obi-Wan. And, when you also fought Barriss, and where she died," I recalled with a nod. "But there's more you aren't saying. Where did Vader come from? And why does he have to where a suit like I keep hearing about?"

"Ahsoka, I honestly don't know, he just showed up, like a reserve to Palpatine for Dooku! He's always had that suit," Jarik said defensively, but I could tell there was more he wasn't telling, now that I knew what to look for.

"Fine," I said in frustration, leaning back in the chair. "Then tell me this: what really happened to Anakin?"

He froze in surprise, and looked up at me uneasily. I narrowed my eyes at his reaction.

"Anakin?" he asks hesitantly. "I don't know what happened to him, I told you that years ago. Besides, what does he have to do with Vader?"

No I was glaring at him, fed up with him hiding the full truth. "You're lying," I accused, and he widened his eyes in disbelief.

"What?!" he exclaimed in bewilderment.

"Maybe not completely, but you aren't giving the full truth. And he has everything to do with this!" I continued.

"Why would I lie about Anakin though?! I honestly don't know what happened to him!" he protested, but I wasn't finished.

I stood up from my chair, glaring down at him before crossing my arms, looking out the window. "Vader was the one in that TIE Fighter we just fought," I told him, and he remained silent.

"I felt him... and he felt me. And then it all made sense!" I said, with a small, humorless laugh. "Vader's flying tactics, I recognized them. He fought you and Obi-Wan on Mustafar, right after Order 66. And he also stormed the Jedi Temple, according to your word, and you have no idea where Anakin was during that battle, despite having talked to him less than an hour before."

I then turned around to stare down at him, and he was nervous, hesitant to speak, but most of all in his eyes, and across the bond, I could sense... guilt.

"So," I said, leaning my head down. "About Anakin... is he Darth Vader?!" I demanded, voice breaking slightly at the thought as my eyes got watery, but I was also angry, and fed up now. I had to know the full truth, and I don't care what happened in order for me to learn this. Anakin was my master, so I have the right to know!"

Jarik struggles to formulate a response for a few moments, mouth opening and closing. Finally, he lets out a heavy sigh, guilt and sadness wreathing off of him in waves, in a way that took me off guard for a moment.

"Yes," he muttered quietly.

My breath caught in my throat.

"He is."

That was all that had to be said for me to understand the true meaning, and tears started to well in my eyes, and I collapsed back into the chair, holding my head in my hands. Anakin... the one who taught me, helped make me who I am, and who was such a positive influence in my life... was gone. Worse, now he's a Sith Lord, bent on bringing the galaxy under his rule! Tears welled up in my eyes, and I looked up at Jarik again, filled with grief, and a hint of betrayal.

"Why?" I whispered. "Why would you lie about that?"

He looks away, eyes also getting teary. "I didn't want to hurt you..."

"Oh kriff it all!" I yelled furiously. "Anakin was my master, I had every right to know! Why didn't you?!"

He flinched in response, holding his head before glancing up at me shamefully. "I don't know... I don't know. I- I didn't know how to tell you, and I didn't want you to think badly of him," he says, voice breaking. "I just wanted to protect you from the truth, so it wouldn't hurt."

"Hiding the truth doesn't work Jarik!" I exclaimed. "You can't just lie about these things, and it would have been so much easier for you to tell me! Not finding out from Ana- Vader... himself!"

My voice caught slightly as I said Anakin's name, correcting it to Vader. The fact that I had to do that broke me even more.

"Do you want to know what I saw him do?!" he suddenly says loudly, catching me by surprise as he suddenly stood up. "I had to watch as he stormed the Jedi Temple, killing everyone in his path! He was furious, full of hate and anger, it was awful!" he yelled, tears falling from his face. "I was helping Katooni, Petro and Boil to escape the Temple, the rest of their clan having been killed by the clones! But before we could make it, he was right in front of us!"

I was listening with wide eyes as he continued, tears falling from my eyes as well. "I had to watch as Petro was ripped from us before I could react, and stabbed through the heart by his lightsaber!"

I watched him, vision blurred slightly, and my heart broke even more at the thought of how Petro died... at Anakin... Vader's hands.

"i had suspected Palpatine for a while, but I never thought to much of it, sure that he couldn't be the Sith Lord hidden in the Senate!" he continued again. "But he was, and in a matter of minutes, he turned Anakin into a vicious, revenge seeking monster for something we never did! He choked Padmé to death on Mustafar! And I could only watch!"

He then collapsed into his chair, eyes bloodshot as his hidden pain from that time finally spilled out. I had a hand over my mouth to quiet my sobs, realizing that Anakin even went as far as to personally kill Padmé...

"I didn't want you to feel that same pain..." he said, his voice barely a whisper.

We were both silent, unconsciously sharing in our grief and horrifying sadness as what happened to Anakin. After about a minute, I finally spoke again.

"I... I- I'm sorry..." I whispered. "I'm so sorry that ever happened to you..."

He lowers his head.

"But you still kept the truth from me... even if it was heartbreaking, I should've learned the truth from you..." I added.

"I'm sorry too," he replied. "I shouldn't have ever kept it from you."

I slowly stood up from my chair, moving to exit the room. "I can't easily forgive you for lying to me about this Jarik," I said regretfully. "But I can at least understand why you did."

He doesn't say anything in response, so I move to leave the room. Before I could leave however, he stops me again.

"There's one more thing you deserve to know," he says quietly, and I stop, listening, but not looking at him. "Padmé died around an hour after he choked her... but before she did, she gave birth."

I widened my eyes in surprise, looking back at him.

"Luke and Leia... they're Padmé and Anakin's children," he said.

"Leia... as in Senator Organa's adopted daughter?" I asked, and he nodded his head. I took this in, before asking about the other. "And... what about Luke?"

"On Tatooine, with his stepfamily," he replied. "Obi-Wan is there in exile to watch over him."

I look down at the floor, surprised to learn this and also slightly curious to know what they are like. We've obviously met Luke, but we haven't met Leia either, and probably for this reason. Of course, Jarik probably had, but only when they were infants. At least he shared it with me, something that helps regain my trust in him a little bit more, at least in his effort to not lie about things I should know. I leave the room moments later, not knowing anything else to say.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

I watch Ahsoka leave the cockpit, guilt-ridden for how I crushed her trust in me. I could sense it drop a bit after realizing I had lied to her this whole time about Anakin, and it was awful. I sighed heavily, wiping a few tears from my eyes and banging my head against the console. I grimaced slightly in pain, but I didn't care right now. I deserved far worse than a simple head bruise for lying to Ahsoka about such an important and sensitive topic.

* * *

 _I think, no words are required to describe this chapter._


	65. Ch 64 - Elephant in the Room

_**Great Hall; Isle of Berk; Ahch-To**_

 **3rd person POV...**

All of the teens were gathered in the Great Hall, either picking or eating their food. However, the one thing they all had in common was the depressed look on their faces. Earlier that day, Mildew had managed to convince Stoick and the rest of the village to send the dragons off the island next morning.

"I can't believe we have to send them away!" Snotlout said angrily, hiding his sadness.

"It's gonna be weird. I got used to seeing Stormfly's face being the first thing I see every morning." Astrid said sadly as she stirred her soup. When she pulled the spoon away, the soup had formed the shape of a Deadly Nadder.

A sad, mournful chirp from beside her gets Astrid's attention, and she glances down to see Zenna looking up at her, as if understanding the situation. Since the holiday season, Zenna had grown a decent bit, going from knee height, to now waist height. Astrid scratches her neck, which the young Force sensitive Nadder accepts happily.

"Every night before I went to sleep, Meatlug would lick my feet." Fishlegs says, and the twins both glance at each other weirdly. "Who's gonna do that now?!" Fishlegs wails.

Ruffnut nudges her brothers shoulder. "I volunteer Tuffnut!" she says in an attempt to lighten the mood.

However, even he is too depressed to care. "Whatever. What time should I be there?" he mumbles.

Astrid sighs, getting up from her chair. "Come on, guys. Let's get this over with."

"This is the worst day of my life! We're never gonna see our dragons again!" Fishlegs wails helplessly, and the rest of the teens exit the Great Hall. However, Hiccup stays behind, and so does Zenna, who moves over to Toothless.

"We can't let that happen!" he exclaims, leaning down to pet Toothless on the head. "Toothless is the one of the best friends I've ever had."

"Oh, Toothless, I'm gonna miss you so much..." a groveling, mocking voice says. Hiccup looks up with a glare, and Toothless and Zenna both growl, narrowing their eyes at the sight of Mildew. Both dragons could only sense distrust, contempt, and disgust towards them from the old man.

"You know what your mistake was? Thinking dragons could be trained. But a dragon's gonna do what a dragon's gonna do. It's their nature. And nature always wins," Mildew says with a smirk on his face, oozing with smugness.

Hiccup merely narrows his eyes at him in irritation.

"And if I can't get those three freaks of nature off of our island, with their witchcraft," Mildew states in disgust. "Then I'll settle for your dragons."

Zenna squawks angrily, her eyes flashing violet for a moment while Toothless growls in warning, and Hiccup exhales angrily, crossing his arms at the mention of Mara, Ahsoka and Jarik.

Mildew then shrugs and starts walking away. "At least they're gone most of the time anyways."

As Mildew walks away, the doors to the Great Hall suddenly blow open, and a rush of cold air streams into the room, blowing out the large firepit. toothless turns around and charges up a small plasma blast, quickly relighting the firepit.

"Oh! Thank you, Toothless," the woman sitting nearby says gratefully.

Seeing this, Hiccup's eyes widen slightly and a smile comes to his face as he comes up with a plan, witnessing Toothless' reaction to the lack of fire. "You know what? Mildew is absolutely right! Come on, bud! You two Zenna!" he says happily, rushing out the doors of the Great Hall. Toothless and Zenna both bound after him, a excited expressions on their faces.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

I walked into the common room of the Knight Hawk, noticing Ahsoka sitting on the couch, datapad in hand. Mara was also in the room, sitting at the table and eating a quick meal. Ahsoka and I glanced at each other before quickly looking away in silence, which Mara unfortunately took note of. I grabbed a bottle and sat down in a chair in the corner, taking a few sips. The silence was only broken by the sound of Mara eating, Ahsoka typing, and me taking sips of my drink. Mara continued to glance between us, before finally becoming vocal.

"Alright, what is going on?" she demands.

We both look at her, and give each other short glances before shrugging. "What do you mean Mara?" Ahsoka asks.

"Are you guys just going to sit there in awkward silence or are you going to talk about it?" she says.

I give her a blank stare. "Talk about what?" I ask.

"About the elephant in the room," she replies.

At that phrase, me and Ahsoka both stare at each other in confusion before looking back at her, and I raise an eyebrow. "What? What is an elephant?" I ask in bewilderment.

She shrugs in reply. "I don't know, some phrase I picked up on radio chatter when I was using your stuff last week-" she says, gesturing to me, and I frown at her. "-from some random planet, Force-knows-where."

"What planet?" Ahsoka asks.

"I don't know, I think it was called Earth?" she guesses.

"Never heard of it," I deadpan.

"Anyway, thats besides the point, what is up with you guys?" she quickly demands with a frown. "I know you're trying to change the subject!"

I rolled my eyes. "Nothing is wrong Mara, you're just being paranoid," I said, taking another sip, and Ahsoka looks down at her datapad.

"You wish," she retorts. "Don't even bother trying to hide it."

"Mara, everything's fine, you can figure it out later," Ahsoka calls out without looking away from her datapad, although I can see by the way her brow creases that she was annoyed.

"How about now?" she challenges. "Is it related to Darth Vader? I bet that's it!"

We both stiffen slightly before immediately relaxing within a split-second, however Mara managed to notice that brief reaction.

"Ha! It is about Darth Vader!" she says triumphantly.

"Mara, just drop it," I say seriously, in a deadly calm voice which I rarely use. It certainly gets her attention. "We don't want to talk about it... not yet anyways."

She sits there in silence for a moment, surprised at how we were acting before slowly nodding, albeit uneasily. "Ok..."

Ahsoka shoots me a brief glare, and I just roll my eyes briefly, propping my head on my fist and staring impassively at the wall. We continue to sit again in uneasy and uncomfortable silence before sighs irritably.

"What?" Mara asks.

"Still no message from Rex or the others," is all she says in reply.

"Huh?" I perk up, frowning in confusion. "What do you mean no message?"

"I mean there's no message, none," she says irritably.

"But you've been sending them messages for months now, maybe even a year," I recall. "Rex at least would have answered by now."

"Well they still haven't, even though I know they're getting them. They're still in the Seelos system, and they aren't going anywhere," she says in reply.

"You talking about your old war buddies?" Mara asks.

We both give her a look. "War buddies?" I ask cautiously.

"Well, yeah," she says. "You guys fought with them in the Clone Wars right? Is that not what they are?"

"No, no, they did Mara." Ahsoka sighs, rubbing her forehead. "Why wouldn't he be answering..." she whispers.

"Maybe their transponder is broken?" I suggest. "I mean, they're house is an old AT-TE tank, so it's not like it could be in any good condition."

"I suppose," Ahsoka replies, relaxing slightly at the possibility.

Mara looks thoughtful. "Living in a tank... seems legit," she shrugs.

"Of course you'd think so," I tell her.

"Why yes, I would Dad!" she retorts.

I wave her off, and then glance down at my chronometer. I take one last sip of my drink before placing it back on the shelves, standing up from my chair.

"I'll be in my room," I said simply, leaving before anyone else could say something. I headed down the hall and back into me and Ahsoka's bedroom, heading towards the desk. I sit down and open up the computer, the glow of the blue screen popping online. I passed some of the time searching for any important Imperial intel that would be useful, mostly as a way for me to keep my mind occupied from the whole 'Vader' situation.

As I was searching, I managed to intercept another Imperial message, this one being heavily encrypted. Frowning to myself, I examined the file. Imperial information usually had the average encryptions to keep intel secret, but this was on the rarer, more high level of data. Whatever it was must be of some importance, which I began to suspect when seeing that it was headed for Coruscant... to the Imperial Palace. This must be good.

Decrypting the message took a bit of time, and while I wasn't able to see all of it, I still managed to uncover bits and pieces. i realized with a start that this message, which was headed for the Emperor, came from the Seventh Fleet.

From Thrawn's fleet in the Unknown Regions.

Opening up the file, I skimmed through it and picked up several words. Like what's been going on for the past couple of months, the Empire has been exploring the Unknown Regions, but the only clue I had gotten from the previous message was the word 'Vong.' Looking at this newer message, I could see it also had the word Vong in it, but with a new difference. Before that was another word, which said 'Yuuzhan.'

I grimaced slightly and glanced down, the Force reacting when I read that word. I looked up again, glancing at the datapad with Thrawn's message. A small glow from the side then got my attention, and I saw it was my holocron, a dim blue glow coming from within.

I turned off the computer and turned towards the holocron, picking it up carefully. The Force swirled around it, with a message. I closed my eyes and concentrated on it, breathing in deeply.

"Yuuzhan..." I whispered, letting myself free to whatever the Force within the holocron wanted to show me.

 _The pale, white and green flames surged around one central figure, who stood, towering above me. Three, shining pale starlight eyes glared down from the alien figure, darkness leaking off of him in waves._

 _"I have taken entire worlds!" his growling voice said._

I reopened my eyes, frowning at the familiar figure coming up once again. Whatever that creature was, I don't think I want to find out, however it continued to come back, mostly in warnings. And it was getting even more worrisome.

So much for avoiding 'Vader' stress, now I have 'unknown creatures' stress.

* * *

 _Yeah, short chapter, more like an interlude really, but some quick and also at the same time big things. Firstly, I'm sure we all know the real reason why the clones didn't respond to Ahsoka's messages. :P_

 _Second, there is definitely some tension between Ahsoka and Jarik. They don't hate each other, but after the whole Vader identity reveal, things have been uncomfortable and awkward between them, something Mara is obviously suspicious about._ _Then there's the whole threat hiding out in the Unknown Regions, which Palpatine and Thrawn are searching for. Is there something else that they might also be searching for? Hmmm..._

 _Then there's that joke with Earth. You can't really have Transformers without that planet huh? :P Well considering it is basically Unicron..._

 _For the HTTYD shows, I really enjoyed Race to the Edge, and I thought that Defenders of Berk was good, however Riders of Berk in my opinion was "meh." I did like the episodes with Alvin and the Outcasts. Those were enjoyable. :D So for including Mara, Jarik and Ahsoka into the TV shows, the first season will have the least amount of content._

 _One last announcement, is that I just created an art page related to the Shaniverse on Deviantart! If you want to, you can check it out. I'm mainly just posting drawings relating to events that happen in the Shaniverse, especially including Jarik and Ahsoka._

 _DeviantArt Name: xxTheTruMan196_

 _Thanks for all of your continued support! You guys are great! :D_


	66. Ch 65 - The Lost Commanders

**_DeviantArt page:_**

 _For those who couldn't find it, here's the link: [_ _www **.** deviantart **.** com **(slash)**_ _xxthetruman196 ]_

 _FanFiction doesn't let you post actual links. :P_

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

On one of the CR90 corvette's our ship was docked too, Ahsoka, Mara and I were in the communications room around the holotable, with the rest of the Ghost Crew. Commander Sato was on another ship, taking part of the meeting through a hologram. I was leaning against the wall with crossed arms, staring at the ground in thought, half listening in to the meeting. Mara was standing beside Sabine at the holotable, and Ahsoka stood slightly in front of me, more attentive, although just as quiet as she surveyed the group, hands on her hips.

The door into the room opened, revealing Kanan and Ezra, who entered with a stride. Ezra moved over towards the other side of Sabine, while Kanan went to stand by Hera. Commander Sato gave no mind and continued speaking. _"The destruction of our command ship has severely limited our ability to fight the Empire in this sector."_

"So maybe we don't fight!" Ezra says loudly, before realizing sheepishly that he was interrupting. "Uh, Commander Sato, sir," he apologizes sheepishly, earning a small grin from Mara before he continued. "When things got tough for me on Lothal, I'd go find some place to hide," he suggests.

Ahsoka smiles warmly at him as Sato speaks, and I perk up slightly. _"You are never shy with your opinions, Ezra Bridger, but establishing a base is a good idea."_ Sato agrees.

"Problem is, none of the potential bases we know of have the tactical advantage we need to protect what's left of our fleet," Hera states in concern.

"Or aid the nearby systems suffering from Imperial oppression." Kanan speaks up, not being very subtle in suggestion.

To my amusement, Hera isn't having any of it. "We can't help others if we can't help ourselves, Kanan," she says firmly, and he frowns in annoyance. "If only we had more allies."

Ahsoka takes the moment to intervene. "I know someone, who might be able to help us," she says, getting everyone's attention. She then begins to walk slowly around the room as she continues. "A great military commander with a vast knowledge of the Outer Rim. He could assist us in finding a base, and his experienced leadership would make him a powerful ally."

"I really want to meet those guys," Mara mutters to herself, and I roll my eyes.

 _"How do we recruit this leader?"_ Commander Sato asks carefully.

"That's the problem. I lost track of him a long time ago, and all my transmissions have gone unanswered." Ahsoka replies with a frown.

"We can find him. Let us try." Ezra said confidently.

I give off a loud, and obviously fake cough and clear my throat at that statement. The others look at me briefly in confusion, but Ahsoka understands what I was trying to convey, and Mara sort of gets the meaning as well. Kanan and clones, do not mix.

"I get it Jarik," Ahsoka tells me with a small sigh. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

"What do you mean?" Kanan asks in confusion.

I let off a sigh of resignation. "You'll find out soon enough. We just have to find them first."

"Them?" Sabine asks cautiously. I give off a shrug.

"He had war buddies," I reply rather vaguely. Most of them look slghtly wary or suspicious, but they accept the answer nonetheless.

"S how do we find him?" Ezra asks.

Ahsoka then perks up lightly with a small smirk. "Well, there is one option I've not yet attempted," she admits.

She looks at me with a raised eyebrow, and I stare back at her in confusion before realizing wha she meant. That thing.

"Oh. Who am I kidding?" I mutter sarcastically.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

"Am I really going to finally meet your old war buddies from those stories you told me?" I ask dad excitedly, an eager expression on my face.

"Yes, you are, but not for the reasons you think," he responds seriously. "You remember what Order 66 was right?" he asks me.

I nodded my head. "Yeah. The protocol that Palpatine used to turn the clones against the Jedi right?"

"Yeah, and as we've told you before, Rex, Boil, and their friends are clones too. Kanan doesn't know the truth about why the clones really turned on the Jedi," he told me.

I widened my eyes in understanding. "Oh... so he might attack them?"

"In the worst case scenario, yeah," he replies. "If he does get to that point, then you'll have to smooth things out between the clones and the Crew, alright?"

"I understand dad," I tell him sincerely.

He nods his head in satisfaction. "Great. Good luck Mara," he says, turning around and heading back towards the docking tube.

I watch him go just as mom comes back with the tactical droid head in her arms. When they both walk by each other they don't give any indication or reaction to the other, just staying silent. I bite my lip lightly, worried and at the same time irritated by this weird divide between them that came out of nowhere. It had to be because of Vader but I just don't understand why!

"You ready Mara?" mom asks me, and I walk alongside her.

I scoffed confidently. "For this? I was born ready."

She gives me a small smile before we walk through the doors into the Ghost's cockpit, where everyone except Zeb was gathered. As we walk in, they all turned their heads to look at what mom was carrying, Kanan and Sabine both widening their eyes in surprise.

"Is that, the head of an old tactical droid?" Kanan asks in bewilderment.

Mom gives the droid head to Sabine, who stares incredulously at it. "These droids were great at finding things, calculating," she says, scoffing lightly. "Found my master and I a few times when we didn't want to be found."

"How in all the galaxy is that droid gonna find your friend?" Ezra asks doubtfully.

"Jarik's already configured it to seek out the frequency of their mobile home. All you'll have to do is just plug it in, and it'll work just fine," she says, before turning back towards the door. "I heard he was last seen in the Seelos system. You can start there."

"You're not coming with us?" Ezra asks in confusion.

"I have something else to attend to," she replies vaguely.

"Darth Vader," Kanan realizes.

Mom stills slightly in response to the name, but then continues on. "There are questions, questions that need answering."

"I wish we could go with you." Ezra says in disappointment.

She turns to look at him. You have your own mission, Ezra... but this is something me and Jarik have to look into," she says, and I can sense her uneasiness when she turns to me.

"Mara, makes sure nothing too crazy happens," she says, and while everyone else doesn't understand, I nod my head. "I will mom."

"Good," she replies with a smile, turning to Kanan. "And, Kanan, if you find my friend, you must trust him."

Kanan smiles back at her in slight amusement and confidence. "If he's all the things you say, we can't afford not to."

However, mom just frowns at him with narrowed eyes. "Trust him," she says seriously, and the door closes in her face.

Kanan and Ezra both stare at where she disappeared with weird looks on their faces. "What was that about?" Ezra asks.

"I have no idea." Kanan replies slowly. With no answer, they both turn to me.

"Seriously, why was Ahsoka acting so weird?" Ezra asked.

I coughed into my hand, glancing briefly at Kanan before giving the best reply. "Let's just say that... when you see him, don't freak out. From what mom and dad have told me, there isn't anyone else they trust more than me, or themselves," I tell them.

 _'Until now,'_ I though in my head secretly, thinking back about all the tension between them right now.

"that still doesn't answer the question very well," Kanan says with a frown.

"Please... just trust him, like I will," I said seriously.

They both eyed in each in confusion, and Sabine narrowed her eyes at me with a hint of suspicion, which I ignored. Hera then detached the Ghost from the corvette, and we blasted off into hyperspace, headed for Seelos.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

I sat on the bed in me and Ahsoka's room, holding the holocron in my hand with a contemplating look on my face. I closed my eyes and focused on the Force, feeling for the holocron I was holding. Despite being a regular holocron from the inside, it had an unusually vast amount of knowledge inside it, which I still sometimes have trouble unlocking. Which means this is a rather old holocron. Either way, there were still things I could learn from it... especially when I don't expect it.

As I activate the holocron, letting it hover above my hand, a small hologram streams forth from it, casting the room in a dim, blue glow. I keep my eyes closed, but I can sense the hologram being a recording of Satele. Haven't seen her in a while, aside from her journal.

 _"It's good for young Jedi Knights to have a trustworthy assistant,"_ she says, and the hologram fades away again.

I open my eyes, and hold the holocron in my hands again with a sigh, those words getting to me. I know it's just a recording, but I seem to have an awful lot of random things shown to me that always have something to relate to what was currently going on in my life. Force visions of the future, which I have an awful lot of, and the holocron always having some quote from Satele that relates to my current problems whenever I open it.

This time it just made me feel more guilty, as it only reminds me of how I diminished some of Ahsoka's trust in me by not telling her the truth about Anakin. I know when it comes to life and death, we trust each other in a way no one else does. However, when it comes to secrets, which we usually told each other, there was now doubt about what was true and what wasn't. I placed the holocron beside me on the bed and looked down, unsure of what to do.

The silence is then broken as the door opens, revealing Ahsoka standing in the doorway. I look up at her as she leans against the wall, crossing her arms.

"We have to talk," she says.

"What else is there to talk about? I already told you what happened," I replied.

"You gave me a summarized version of it. I want to know the whole thing," she says firmly, leaving no room for argument.

I stayed quiet, staring at the floor as I thought over how to do this. I could sense her growing slightly impatient as I continued to remain quiet, before eventually coming to a decision. I know most of what happened, but I don't know what happened on Mustafar, being occupied with Barriss...

It would probably be good to learn the truth and also hear it from another man... an old friend. I stood up from the bed, hesitant, but also determined.

"Alright, I'll tell you, but we have to go somewhere first," I told her.

She raised an eyebrow at me in confusion and wariness. "Why would we need to go somewhere?"

I headed for the door, but stopped at her question. "To figure out how Anakin really survived Mustafar," I said seriously, and this caught her attention.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

"We get all the way to Seelos, and now you tell me the hyperdrive wasn't completely fixed?" Hera's voice exclaimed angrily from the cockpit.

Great. We barely arrived in the Seelo system, having come out moments ago and we were already having some serious issues. Just typical. I crossed my arms and shook my head in exasperation. Kanan raised an eyebrow at the yelling and climbed up the ladder to the cockpit.

"You finished the important repairs? How did you define 'important?'" she yelled angrily.

Kanan then popped his head up, while the rest of us watched in a mixture of amusement and exasperation. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Chopper and I are staying here. To clean up his mess! Take the Phantom. Hopefully we'll be ready to go by the time you get back!" she replied.

Kanan climbed back down the ladder to face us, an exasperated expression on his face.

"So, what's the problem?" Ezra asked.

"Chopper forgot to fix the hyperdrive," he answered with a deadpan.

Zeb growled in annoyance. "He's gonna forget how to fix himself when I'm through with him," he said, bashing his knuckles together.

"Cool it Zeb, we're taking the Phantom," Kanan said.

"And tis, is why R5 is much better, despite being just as annoying," I said with a smirk.

"I beg to differ," Sabine replies with a frown.

"Trust me, the Knight Hawk is practically R5's baby," I told her.

Within a few moments, Kanan, Ezra, Zeb, Sabine and I were all piled into the Phantom, which detached from the ship and headed down to Seelos. Once we were in the atmosphere, Sabine fiddled with the tactical droid's head before placing it on the console.

"Well, let's fire this thing up," she says, although I can sense a hint of doubt in her voice.

"Relax, if my dad fixed it up, it'll work just fine," I tell them with a smile.

"If you say so," she replies slowly, before glancing at the droid head as it begins to make a constant buzzing noise. "I think it's scanning for a signal of some kind," she theorizes.

"Good luck. You could really get lost out here." Ezra observed.

"Maybe that was the idea." Zeb told him. "What if this great commander we're looking for doesn't want to be found?"

"Once he knows my parents sent us, I'm sure he will," I told them.

The tactical droid then beeped, and began spouting off numbers. "~7567. 2376.~"

I recognize those numbers as belong to Captain Rex and Boil. We were getting close.

 _(There's no canon number for Boil, so I made one up.)_

"It's homing in on something!" Sabine realizes.

"~7567. 2376.~" the droid repeats again continuously. Kanan steers the Phantom in the direction that the signal was broadcasting. We continued onwards for several more moments until Zeb pointed out the window.

"There. Up ahead!" he exclaims.

Far in the distance, an object begins coming into shape, and the droid continues to beep a little bit fast. We were getting close, and I was eager to meet these guys.

"~7567. 2376.~"

Once we get close enough, we see that it is actually a moving walker tank, covered in a bunch of random things to make it look more like a mobile house than a machine of war. I think it's probably an old AT-TE tank.

"Whoa." Ezra says in surprise.

"Now that is a work of art." Sabine says in admiration.

"Looks like an old Republic tank... used during the Clone Wars." Kanan says, a frown coming onto his face. I glance at him worriedly, already sensing the distrust within him. Definitely a good thing I was here.

As Kanan brought the Phantom down to land, the walker stopped moving. We all exited the ship, gazing up at the tank in a mixture of excitement, wonder, curiosity, and in Kanan's mind, suspicion.

"Ezra, Mara. Be on guard." Kanan says as we depart the ship.

I scoffed. "There's nothing to be 'on guard' about. These guys were friends of my parents."

"So they say," Kanan mutters, and I narrowed my eyes about him, but didn't say anything else in response. We all stood in front of the tank, and I moved up to the front, a hopeful expression on my face. It took them a while, but finally the door opened, and five men walked out, four looking old.

The man in the lead was bald with a white beard, wearing armor with old blue paint. Beside him was another man that looked remarkably similar, but he had a head of grey hair, and a mustache, also colored grey. His mixture of armor and clothing had yellowish highlights, from old paint. The other three I didn't pay attention to, but one of them felt kind of loopy and crazy, while the other was very suspicious, and he had a cybernetic eye. The last I couldn't really make out at the moment, but he seemed a lot younger than the rest. They were all scattered along the railing, and I grinned, feeling one thing they all had in common.

"It's just a bunch of old geezers." Zeb scoffed.

"Well-armed old geezers," Sabine pointed out cautiously.

"What do you want?!" The lead man shouted down.

"We're looking for someone!" Kanan yelled back.

The lead man leaned against the railing. "Well, that's too bad, 'cause there's nobody out here," he said sarcastically.

"Hey, uh, does the number 7567, and 2376 mean anything to you?" Ezra called out, and I stiffened slightly. Here comes the hard part.

The lead man, as well as the rest all got defensive immediately. I still had yet to know who was who, since I've never seen them before. "What did you just say?" he demanded.

"Uh, I said 7567, and 2376?" Ezra responded hesitantly.

"I haven't heard those digits in... Well the first one is my birth number!" he replied in bewilderment. That must mean he's Rex!

"What about the second number?" I asked hopefully.

"That's me... who are you!?" the clone with yellowish orange spoke up with a frown. and there's Boil!

"Birth number?" Ezra mutters in confusion.

"They're clones!" Kanan exclaims angrily. He steps in front of us and whips out his lightsaber, which all of the clones widen their eyes at.

"Kanan, wait. Stop!" Ezra yells.

"Jedi! They've come for revenge!" the clone with the cybernetic eye exclaims in a panic. He raises his blaster and fires off two shots, which Kanan deflects to the side. Zeb and Sabine both respond angrily and whip our their own blasters, aiming them at the clones. This was getting ridiculous!

"Drop the blaster, old man!" Zeb yells.

"Don't try it, boyo! I'll gun you down!" another clone yells, and Boil raises his own blaster as well, although with some hesitancy.

"WIll you just stop it!" I yelled angrily. I whipped out my own lightsaber, and then slashed the purple blade at Kanan's, knocking it to the ground. everyone stared at me in bewilderment.

"Mara, what are you doing!" he yelled at me, calling his lightsaber back to him. However I quickly dashed forwards and caught his saber in my hand, whipping around to face him as well.

"What are YOU doing?!" I retorted.

Seeing a chance, Rex raised his arms to the rest of the group. "Stand down, troopers. Now! That's an order, soldier!"

"But he's a Jedi. A Jedi!" the clone with the eye said in a panic.

"I know. I know. But they weren't the ones that betrayed us. Remember? Wolffe, remember?" Rex says, which manages to get him to back off, although he still stares suspiciously.

Boil lowers his rifle with a small sense of guilt. "I should know..." he mutters quietly.

"Kanan, Ahsoka said to trust them!" ezra pleaded, however he wasn't having any of it.

"Not a chance. Mara, my lightsaber!" he demanded with a glare.

"Not until you calm down. Mom and dad had me come precisely for this reason," I said back, holding his lightsaber away from him, my purple blade held in my other hand. This seemed to get Rex and Boil's attention, although they were more confused.

"I don't care what Jarik or Ahsoka-" he starts to say before stopping, scowling to himself. Rex and Boil I noticed, both glanced at each other in surprise. Kanan then crosses his arms reluctantly.

"Fine," he mutters.

Satisfied, I turn off my lightsaber and toss Kanan his own back, which he catches. We then turn to the clones, and Rex speaks up again.

"Sorry about the, um, weapons malfunction!" Rex says with an amused scoff. "My friend here is just a little defensive. See, we haven't seen a Jedi since, uh...

He hesitates, and Kanan narrows his eyes at him.

"Since Bardotta?" I offer. Four of the five clones all turn to stare at me in surprise and wariness, and I smile sheepishly at them. Kanan sighs irritably.

"Yeah..." Boil says slowly, narrowing my eyes at me.

"Well, it's been a while," Rex admits, looking at me with interest. "Who are you?"

Before I could answer eagerly, Ezra steps forwards and replies, much to my irritation. "Well, my name's Ezra. This is Kanan. That's Mara, and they're Sabine and Zeb. It's nice to meet you, 7567."

"Actually my name is Rex. Captain, 501st Clone Battalion," Rex introduces, and I grin at finally getting to chance to meet these guys. "Meet Boil, Kix, and Commanders Gregor and Wolffe."

"We were sent by my parents, Ahsoka Tano and Jarik Shan," I told them.

"Wh- parents?" Kix, I believe, says in bewilderment. The others are all surprised and shocked as well. Guess that was quote a bomb drop, although Rex and Boil both stare at me in wonder.

"Ahsoka and Jarik..." Rex mutters. "I fought by Ahsoka's side from the Battle of Christophsis to the Siege of Mandalore."

"I was a part of the 212th Battalion, and fought by Commander Shan's side from the Second Battle of Geonosis, all the way to the fall of the Republic," Boil says, and I perk up excitedly. "Friends of Ahsoka and Jarik, are friends of ours."

Boil and Rex then look at me. "And I suppose, their daughter as well?" he half asks.

"Yup!" I answer cheerfully, and they all glance at each other, probably because they never expected Jedi to get together like that. Well, I can understand that.

"Well that's great!" one clone says, breaking the silence with an excited yet crazy grin. I think he was Gregor.

* * *

The clones all led us into a small central room in the tank, although Kix left to another place on the tank, muttering to himself. Boil watched him go with a sympathetic look in his eyes.

"Is he alright?" I asked him.

Boil sighed. "He's doing okay but, for the last 15 years he's been frozen in stassis. We only recently found him."

I looked at where he left in surprise and sadness, not able to imagine how that must felt. We stood there in silence before Boil looked at me. "So... you're Commander Shan's daughter?"

"Adopted, technically," I corrected.

He shrugged. "Well, that's still cool," he replied then looked at Rex. "Hey, Rex!"

"What?" he replies, looking up at us.

"Remember our bet? All those years ago?" he called out.

Rex frown in confusion, staring at Boil and then me for a moment before remembering whatever he was talking about. "Oh, you gotta be joking," he muttered, however he pulled a small patch of credits from his pocket and tossed them to Boil, who caught them in his hands triumphantly.

I raised an eyebrow at them. "What was that?" I asked.

"Oh, years ago me and Rex had a bet on whether or not Commander Shan and Ahsoka would ever get together and be a couple," he told me with a small chuckle, looking rather proud of himself.

I blinked in surprise before grinning. "Oh I gotta know the full story."

Before I could ask more, Zeb, followed by the rest of the group walked into the room, and Gregor looked at him. "Hey. You're a big one, aren't you?"

"Bigger than you," Zeb replied with a scowl, still upset about the whole shooting situation. I rolled my eyes.

Ezra picked up one of the clone helmets in fascination, which I just noticed as well. "Whoa!"

"Hey, hey, easy with those, son!" Rex says, sitting down.

"Oh, yeah, yeah. I might move the dust," he replied sarcastically, dropping the helmet. Boil sighed in exasperation.

"How is Commander Tano?" Rex asks curiously.

"Uh, well, in need of help. We all are." Ezra answers, moving forwards. "Look, we're trying to fight the Empire, but we're outnumbered, overmatched and taking a beating. We could use your help."

"Well, I'm not sure I'm much help to anyone these days. Didn't you hear? The Emperor said the clone army has outserved its purpose and retired us," he says casually, leaning back. However I can hear some bitterness in his tone at the mention of the Emperor. Beside me, Boil crosses his arms, a dark look on his face. "Now we spend our days just telling stories and slinging for joopas."

Kanan scoffs angrily. "This was a wasted trip! You heard the clone. He's not interested," he says, leaving the room.

"Are you serious Kanan? Just like that?" I call out after him angrily, but he ignores me, leaving the room. I growl in irritation and cross my arms. "Moron," I muttered.

"Hey, cut him some slack," Sabine said with a frown. I just rolled my eyes.

"Wait!" Ezra interrupted. "You don't like the Empire, do you?"

"Well, the Empire certainly isn't the Republic," he recalls fondly. "But you can't do anything about that."

"You could fight." Ezra suggests.

"Sorry, son. My days as a soldier are over," he replies, sitting up.

My face falls slightly in disappointment, but I perk up again. "Maybe you could help us with something else? Mom and dad said that you knew about a lot of places in the Outer Rim, even more than they did. We need to establish a base, if you have any ideas," I asked hopefully.

The clones all shared glances with each other, and although Wolffe shook his head in disagreement, the rest of them seemed to be on board with the idea.

"Well, my memory isn't what it once was, but, um, there are a few spots I never bothered to report to the Empire," he says slyly, and I smile at him. "Look, why don't you wait outside and I'll put together a list of coordinates."

"Sure," I reply, and follow the others out.

* * *

 **Boil POV...**

"Listen, they are in some kind of trouble. If we help them, we are putting ourselves in danger!" Wolffe immediately says.

"Not this again," I complained in irritation.

"Wolffe, relax. We got the situation under control." Gregor says with a grin, patting Wolffe on the shoulder.

"Oh, really? Really?" Wolffe exclaims disbelievingly. "What do you think the Empire will do to us if they find out that we are helping a Jedi, hmm? And one so closely involved with Jarik Shan?!"

"Are you kidding me? Commander Shan met with us before, and now you're afraid we'll be caught because his daughter is here?" I demanded irritably.

"They'll hunt us down! We can't help them!" Wolffe argues.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I would like to get to know the kid a bit more," Rex adds, and I nod my head in agreement.

"Definitely. She already kinda reminds me of the Commander," I remarked with a small, longing smile.

Wolffe however, scoffs. "But the Empire-"

Gregor then interrupts him "Yeah, I don't know what the Empire would do, but I'm going slinging," he says with a smirk, heading out the door, bringing an effective end to the conversation.

Oh boy, I already know what he has in mind.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

"Are you just gonna lean against the railing and pout or are you gonna be helpful?" I ask Kanan with a raised eyebrow.

"Mara-" Sabine starts to say.

"What? You know he's being a little too hard!" I argue back, turning to Kanan. "So?"

"No," Kanan says bluntly, with a hint of annoyance.

Before I could say anything else, the door opens to reveal Gregor, a grin on his face. "You know, I was thinking, since we're providing you with a list of bases, um, there's something you can do to help us."

"No thanks." Kanan immediately responds.

"Sure. What can we do?" Ezra asks, contradicting him, who sighs in irritation.

"I would love too," I also add in with a smile.

"Out there, deep below, roam the joopa. Elusive big game." Gregor says dramatically. Was is just me or did he seem a little bit crazy? "When we're lucky enough to sling one in, it'll feed us for the whole year."

"Okay. What do you need?" Sabine asks.

Gregor turns around with a sly smile, and gestures over to Zeb. "Him," he says.

Zeb immediately turns around in surprise. "Huh? What?" he says quickly.

Gregor only smirks in response.

* * *

The tank was moving again, and while the others were preparing for the whole 'joopa' thing, Kanan had disappeared back into the Phantom, which we had parked on top. So Ezra and I followed after him in an attempt to make him see sense.

"Okay. You don't trust these clones, but they haven't done anything." Ezra starts off.

"You don't understand. They're dangerous. They could-" Kanan starts to say

They could what?" I demand challengingly. "My parents were great friends with them, especially Rex and Boil during, and after the war. You trust them right?"

Kanan turns around to glare at me. "You weren't there. Neither of you were even born!" he exclaims.

"What are you talking about?" Ezra asks softly.

Kanan swivels back around, fiddling with his lightsaber. "I don't feel like discussing it. You wouldn't understand."

That manages to get Ezra to back down, and he turns to leave reluctantly. However, I was still determined.

"No, I don't understand," I say in agreement. "But at least I know what happened. You forget that my dad was at the Temple when it was attacked, and my mom was also with Rex when Order 66 happened!" I argued.

Kanan stills, visibly frustrated and upset, and Ezra turned back to look at us. "Order 66?" he asks, a little confused.

Kanan sighed, and then started talking. "It was at the end, the end of the war. Our fellow soldiers, the clones, the ones we Jedi fought side by side with, suddenly turned and betrayed us," he says, and his voice starts to break slightly. "I watched them kill my master. She fought beside them for years, and they gunned her down in a second!"

Ezra was visibly shaken, glancing down sadly, and with a hint of guilt at not knowing. I was also sympathetic, and wished that had never happened to Kanan, but I knew the truth. The clones themselves were also as much a victim as the Jedi. I didn't have to be there to know that.

"And then came for me. Later they said they had chips in their heads that made them do it. Said they had no choice." Kanan says, disbelievingly at the last part.

"I didn't betray my Jedi. Not Ahsoka," a voice from the entrance said, and we turned around to see Rex and Boil. "Neither did Boil. He, Wolffe, Gregor, Kix and I all removed our control chips." Rex tells us. Kanan just glares suspiciously at him.

"During Order 66, I was stationed with the remainder of my battalion at the Jedi Temple," Boil says, getting our attention. "I was the only clone who wasn't forced to kill the Jedi. Instead, I helped Jarik and another youngling escape the Temple."

I don't think my dad ever shared that part of the attack on the Temple, so this was new to me.

"We all have a choice." Rex says quietly, and he turns away, Boil following after him.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

The Knight Hawk came out of hyperspace above the planet I sent us too, and directed the ship down to its surface. Ahsoka came up and leaned over the chair, a surprised look on her face.

"Tatooine?" she says. "Why here?"

"To learn the full truth about him," I replied. There was no need to explain who 'him' really meant. She sat down in the co-pilot's seat, and then was silent for a while. I glanced over to her as we entered the atmosphere, skimming along the desert surface. She had that look in her eyes, one that I immediately recognized as longing.

"The last time I was here was my first ever mission," she said quietly.

My gaze softened, and I looked back out across the desert. "When you were rescuing Jabba's son?" I recalled.

She nodded her head. "Yeah... feels like a lifetime ago," she says softly.

I glanced at her again. "Back when life was easier... before this," I said slowly in agreement, my voice just as soft. I continued to fly the ship over the endless sea of sand, already knowing what direction to go for who we were about to meet.

Force, the memories...

* * *

 **Obi-Wan POV...**

I dismounted my dewback back at my quiet little hut, having just come back from observing the Lars farm, watching young Luke fiddling with some sort of machine.

"Just like his father..." I mused quietly to myself.

The twin suns were setting for the evening, however as I tied the dewback up to its post near the water trough, I noticed a strange flash in the distance. Looking in its direction, I narrowed my eyes and recognized it to be some sort of ship, settled in the sand. I didn't give it to much thought, but remained cautious of how close it was. Most likely some sort of smuggler.

I patted the mount on its side and then headed towards the entrance to my hut, walking inside the door. Hanging my cloak up on the wall, I entered the living space to find a small meal for my dinner, before stopping in surprise. I then immediately became defensive, hand held on my belt, ready for the possibility of my lightsaber. There were intruders in my home.

I turned around the wall and entered the living area, a stern expression on my face. "May I ask who would be in my home at this... hour..."

My voice suddenly trailed off as I gazed upon the two people sitting on the couch, both very familiar. One was a Togruta woman with orange skin, white and blue colored lekku and montrals. She worse some sort of combat armor, styled in the Jedi fashion. The other wasa man, who was also wearing armor of a Jedi style, but he had a dark cloak on, and his hair was long, colored a dark brown. The woman looked at me in surprise, and then disbelief.

However the man wasn't surprised at all, and looked up at me. I'd recognize that face anywhere, no matter how much time had passed.

"Hey Master... I'm back. With Ahsoka," my old friend and former student, Jarik Shan said. There was a small, yet sheepish smile on his face.

* * *

 _Oh kriffing Force, look who it is?! Obi-Wan meet up, with Ahsoka as well! I'm sure this has you guys going crazy huh?_

 _While I enjoyed all of the Rebels series immensely, with season one being okay, I will admit I was a little saddened we never got to see an old Obi-Wan and older Ahsoka interaction. :P_


	67. Ch 66 - Remembering the Past

**Jarik POV...**

Obi-Wan continued to stare at us in shock for another few moments, Ahsoka equally as surprised, although not as much since I had told her that Obi-Wan was living on Tatooine. He finally came out of his shocked state and lowered his hand from his belt, where his lightsaber was resting.

"Jarik... Ahsoka," he said slowly. "I must admit I, wasn't expecting visitors," he managed to say with a small smile. His hair and beard were mostly grey and white, although there were still bits of the reddish brown remaining. I managed a small smile at his response. master Kenobi still hasn't changed a bit, even after so long.

"Yeah, I did turn this visit into a surprise for both of you," I admitted, gesturing between him and Ahsoka. Speaking of which, she stood up and walked over to Obi-Wan, and they shared a brief hug.

"It's good to see you again Master Kenobi," she said sincerely.

"And you as well young Ahsoka, although I suppose 'young' no longer applies to you," he replies warmly.

Ahsoka laughed lightly. "I suppose not."

Obi-Wan hums before gesturing towards the couch. "Well, sit down, sit! Would you like some Jawa Juice?" he asks politely.

"Sure, thank you," Ahsoka says, sitting back down on the couch.

"Yeah, I'll take a cup, thanks," I tell him.

Obi-Wan moves over to a nearby counter a opens a small cabinet. He pulls out three glasses and then opens another cabinet, pulling out a carton of Jawa Juice. He pours the drink into the cups and then carefully holds all three of them, walking over and distributing the cups on the coffee table. We each grab a cup, and he then sits down in his chair with a sigh.

"Well, while I can't say I'm glad to see you both still alive and a one piece, what brings you out here?" Obi-Wan asks.

Ahsoka and I share a glance before looking back at Obi-Wan, and I set my cup down after taking a sip, giving off a small sigh. "Oh... where to a start," I manage to say.

He raises an eyebrow at me in response.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

We were all on the platforms surrounding the tank, and Wolffe was in the cockpit, driving the thing forwards. Rex was sitting in the turret, which had an electric line connected to Zeb, who was walking in front of the tank with his bow rifle. Gregor was watching him eagerly with excitement, and Boil leaned against the rail nearby, an impassive look on his face.

"If we're lucky, we'll catch Big Bongo today!" Gregor calls out. Zeb seemed to say something back, but he was too far away to hear. "Keep on going forward. Just a little bit more. We're coming up on a hot spot!"

"Your hot spot looks like everywhere else on this desolate rock!" Zeb yells back.

"Oh believe me, the underground is much different," Boil says, and I look at him in confusion. He simply shrugs.

Just then, a small boom of breaking rock sounds in the distance, as well as a small explosion of dust. Sabine points in its direction. "Out there!" she says.

"All right, full stop." Rex orders, and Wolffe brings the walker to a halt.

"All right. Just a little bit more. Little more!" Gregor calls out,

The annoyance from Zeb is easy to sense, but he marches forwards, gripping his bow rifle tightly for any sign of danger. Gregor then turns to us, a wild look in his eyes.

"You know, we really appreciate this. I mean, we, we should do well today, with your friend here," he says, gesturing to Zeb.

"Yeah, well, Zeb packs quite a punch!" Ezra replies confidently.

"And a temper," I add in.

Gregor then laughs quickly, like a maniac and I raise an eyebrow at him, glancing at Boil. He gestures towards his head. "He's a little loose in the head," he explains.

"Oh, oh. I'm sure, I'm sure. But really, I mean, joopa supposedly love Lasats," Gregor says dramatically.

"They love them? What do you mean?" Sabine asks in confusion.

A frown comes onto my face and I narrow my eyes, glancing at the line connected to Zeb... how he was all alone in the middle of nothing... oh Force.

"Well, they say they love the smell, or I guess they love the taste as well," he rambles on. "And maybe it's about the texture. You know..."

Boil sighs in exasperation. "Oh stop with the dramatics Gregor, Zeb is the bait," he says, rolling his eyes.

"What?!" Ezra exclaims in alarm, and Gregor chuckles nervously. "Oh, hunter, bait, it's all the same."

"No, it's not!" Kanan yells furiously.

Just then, a loud, booming noise echoes from the ground, almost like thunder. "Zeb, you better get back here right now!" Kanan yells.

A series of underground implosions start to move towards Zeb at frighteningly quick pace, and he backs up nervously.

"Are you kidding me?!" I yell out in disbelief.

Boil rubs his head sheepishly. "Sorry about this, but he should be fine," he says in an attempt to reassure us.

"Fine?!" I ask incredulously.

"Buddy, run! You're the bait!" Ezra yells. "Zeb, it's gonna eat you!"

"Zeb, run!"

"Get out of there!"

"What are you doing?"

"Run!"

Just then, the ground beneath Zeb cracks and a large, pink and slimy tongue whips out of the ground, latching onto Zeb and wrapping around him. He yells in surprise and glances back at us in fear.

"Zeb, no!" Ezra yells.

The tongue then yanks Zeb underground, and whatever it was, the joopa, began digging away at an immensely fast pace, bringing the line with him. Gregor watches easily and turns around, a crazy look on his face. "Whoo-hoo! This could be him! Our Big Bongo!" he yells excitedly.

Wolffe then presses the walker into motion, and we start charging after the joopa. "Hey, I bet you know a thing or two about mechanics!" Rex calls out to Sabine.

"Yeah, good bet," she replies, climbing up to him.

"Keep an eye on this regulator. The line can overheat and shut down. No line, no joopa, no Zeb!" he explains, and she nods in understanding.

"Got it," she says.

"Well, what about me?" Ezra says, before noticing us. "And them?"

Gregor and Boil then come around the corner, carrying electric poles. I think those are magna guard staffs, but I don't really know. "Ha, you got the best job of all!" Gregor exclaims happily. "When the line swings around, you'll charge it with the electro-poles. Hit the line with the rod, and it'll send a bolt of energy down to the joopa. Do it enough, and you should bring it up to the surface!"

Ezra takes one with a grin, and boil hands me another. I hold it in my hands, testing its weigh before grinning to myself. I then jump up and stand on top of the railing, balancing rather easily despite the thing shaking around.

"Here's one for you, General!" Gregor says, handing a pole to Kanan.

"Don't call me that. I was never a general." Kanan replies irritably.

"Oh, my mistake. Sorry, Commander!" Gregor corrects himself, and I snicker to myself, while Boil lets out an amused laugh.

"No, it's not-" he starts to say before growling to himself in frustration, moving forwards to the railing beside Ezra. I stand on top of the railing to their right, holding the pole with my hand.

The joopa turns to the side and Rex follows it with the turret, while Wolffe angles the walker in its direction. Once the line was right in front of us, Rex calls out to us.

"Hit it! Now!" he exclaims.

Me, Kanan and Ezra all slam our electro-poles into the line, causing a surge to travel through it and into the ground. Once it hits the joopa, more rocky explosions erupt from beneath it and it speeds forwards quicker and more erratically.

"That's it! That's it! Ooh! He didn't like that! Hit him again!" Gregor exclaims.

We do so, and the joopa gets even crazier than before, probably yanking the walker along slightly as well.

"He's a runnin!'" Rex calls outs. "Hit that line! Bring him up!"

However, with the way the joopa was pulling on the line, it was too far out of our reach, even with me standing on top of the railing. Ezra tried climbing onto the railing, but he couldn't reach it either. To make matter worse, the regulator began to sputter a little bit.

"We're losing the regulator!" Sabine calls out in alarm.

"Full stop, Wolffe! Dig in! This is where we finish the battle!" Rex calls out.

Wolffe brings the walker to a halt, yanking up on the throttle. The whole walker comes to an immediate stop, throwing off our balance slightly. Ezra and I almost topple over, but Kanan grabs Ezra and keeps him upright, while Boil does the same for me.

"Thanks," I tell him.

"Ah don't mention it. This is just where the fun begins!" Boil says with a grin.

"Like it wasn't fun already?" I retort back, and look at the line again. The joopa was slowly pulling the walker along and downwards, and the ground beneath the walker began to crack from the strain.

"I can't reach it! Kanan, lift me up!" Ezra yelled, and he stepped onto his shoulders, Kanan supporting him while he kept his balance. "Sabine!" he called out.

"I know, I know. Working on it!" she yelled back. The walker came even lower to the ground, and steam began to stream forth out from the exhaust under the amount of pressure. "Got it!" Sabine said.

Thank the Force. I looked at the line again, then back at the turret with a frown on my face. An idea then popped into my head, and with a grin, I jumped up and twisted in the air, grabbing onto the end of the turret. Hanging upside down and holding onto the turret with my legs, I prepared to jab the line with the electro-pole while Kanan tossed the pole he dropped upwards.

"Ezra?" Kanan called out, but luckily, he caught the pole in his other hand and twisted to face the line, spinning his poles. At the same time, we both jabbed our electro-poles into the line, causing another large surge of energy to travel down into the ground.

Moments later, the ground erupted again, but this time the joopa itself came slithering out of the rock and into the sky, roaring in rage and pain. I widened my eyes at the sight, it being one of the most repulsive things I had ever seen. I let go of the turret and dropped back down to the ground with a flip, landing right side up.

"That thing is uglier than the Red Death!" I exclaimed in disgust.

"The what?!" Boil asked in confusion.

"Nevermind!" I told him back.

"It is Big Bongo!" Gregor exclaimed giddily in excitement.

Ezra flipped backwards off of Kanan's shoulders, and Rex then directed the turret to take aim at the joopa. The giant worm roared again, but with a single shot of the cannon, it's roars came to a stop. I thrashed about in the air before collapsing onto the ground with a massive boom, dead in an instant.

We all rushed to the side of the tank and stared down at the dead joopa, waiting for any sign of Zeb. A few moments went by, and I was starting to get worried when a yell came from inside, and the beasts mouth began to open.

"Ah! What a smell!" Zeb exclaimed in pure disgust. We all sighed in relief.

"Ah, Zeb!" Ezra yelled happily.

"Nice catch, old-timers." Sabine comments, glancing back at Rex. He gives us a simple wave in response a grin on his face.

"Well I have to admit, despite the terror for Zeb, that was fun," I said with a small grin.

Boil laughed. "Just wait till you here what kind of trouble Commander Shan got into!"

"I'm betting me and Commander Tano could top that Boil," Rex calls out challengingly.

"Yeah! Way to go!" Gregor yells excitedly with a giddy laugh, climbing down the ladder and rushing over to Zeb. "Now that, that was impressive!" he says with a grin, helping Zeb climb out of the bongo, not at all disgusted by the slime.

"Impressive? You almost got my friend eaten!" Kanan shouted angrily.

"Yeah." Zeb says, pushing Gregor away with a disgusted groan. He then glares at him angrily. "Ugh. I was in that thing's mouth!" he yells in his face.

Gregor flinches from the yell before grinning again, nodding his head in agreement. "Oh! Head to toe!" he says, turning Zeb to face the joopa. "But look at you. You brought in our biggest catch ever!"

"I- I did?" Zeb questions, his mood suddenly changing. "Actually, it wasn't so bad, Kanan. I- I knew I had the beast from the beginning!" he calls out. Gregor smirks, waving his hand casually.

Ezra gives him a thumbs up, and I snickered in amusement while Kanan just crossed his arms with an annoyed sigh.

"And you, are a natural!" Rex says, climbing down the ladder to meet us. "Especially you Mara, kinda reminded me of Commander Tano's first days. You're about the same age," he comments, and I smile happily at him.

"Thanks," I reply.

"Fight like her, and you're witty like Commander Shan. I love it!" Boil says, and both he and Rex laugh with each other.

I cross my arms and glance back at Kanan with a smug smirk, and he rolls his eyes in reply, turning away.

"Sounds like something I'd love to hear about," Ezra says with interest.

"Oh believe me, the stories we could tell," Rex says. Before they could continue any longer, Kanan steps forwards.

"We held up our end of the deal, Captain. Now it's time to get us those coordinates so we can go," he says sternly, and I frown at him.

Rex and Boil however aren't fazed, and simply smile at him. "I'll get 'em. But you might consider staying for dinner," he suggests.

"It's gonna be delicious!" Gregor cries out joyfully. Sabine and Wolffe have now joined them as well down by the joopa.

"That thing tried to eat me. Only fair I get to see how it tastes," Zeb decides with a grin.

"Can't say no to that. Right, Kanan?" Ezra asks hopefully.

He doesn't respond, which is slightly annoying. At least he isn't saying no, I suppose. The door to the back of the walker then opens up, and the much younger looking clone, Kix I believe, steps out, rubbing his head.

He squints from the sunlight and then heads over to us. Now that I have a better look at him, I can see that he doesn't have a beard, and his skin is healthier looking than the others, probably because he's much younger. His head has some sort of lightning bolt tattoo on it, as well as writing that reads 'a good droid is a dead droid.' At the sight of him, Kanan tenses up even more, and I can only assume that it's because Kix is around the age the clones were when his master died.

"What's been going on around here?" he asks, and it sounds like he just woke up.

Apparently, Boil realized the same thing. "Did you really just sleep through all of that?" Boil says incredulously.

"What? I've been in stasis for fifteen years so excuse me for not being awake," Kix retorts.

Boil sighs. "Sorry Kix," he apologizes.

"Wait, you've been in stasis?" Ezra asks in surprise.

Kix doesn't answer, and I can tell the question is bothering him immensely, which Ezra and the others seemed to realize.

"Hey Kix, why don't you go check on Zeb, the Lasat down there? He was just the bait for the joopa," Rex suggests.

Kix glances at him, and then down at Zeb. He furrows his brow before nodding. "y- yeah, sure. I'll do that," he mutters, climbing down the ladder. Me, Rex and Boil watch him with sad expressions.

"What happened to him?" Ezra asks in concern.

Rex sighs, but goes on to explain. "Probably a month or two before the end of the war, one of our fellow soldiers and a good friend, Fives, uncovered information on a plot to destroy the Jedi, involving us clones. Of course, we now know it was the chips implanted in our heads before birth that made us kill the Jedi, but Fives was killed before he could warn us."

Boil looks down sadly, and we listened in, even Kanan showing interst, although he tried not to show it. "After Fives' death, several others, including myself and your father," he continued, gesturing to me. "...became suspicious about the truth. Commander Shan attempted to find information, but all details were blocked under the Office of the Supreme Chancellor," he says the last part in distain, and Boil and Kanan's eyes darken at the mention.

"Kix however, managed to also uncover physical proof of the conspiracy, following what Fives had found. However, as he was on his way to meet up with our Generals, Count Dooku had set an ambushed, and then locked him in stasis to prevent him from revealing the truth." Rex finished, looking down at Kix and the others. "We found him only a few weeks ago."

We all looked down at Kix as well in sympathy, and I was once again reminded of how the clone's were probably the biggest victims of all, apart from the Jedi.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

"You have a daughter named Mara?" Obi-Wan questions in surprise.

"Well, adopted technically, but yeah. She's very talented." I tell him.

"And one of the best things to ever happen to us," Ahsoka adds.

"How did the two of you come about raising an adopted daughter to become a Jedi?" Obi-Wan asks curiously, leaning back in his seat.

"I rescued her from one of the Emperor's Inquisitors when she was just three years old. Sadly her parents didn't make it, so we took her in," I explained.

He frowns slightly in regret. "I'm sorry to hear that. It must have been hard for her."

"It was. She used to have nightmares constantly," Ahsoka recalled sadly.

"I can only imagine..." Obi-Wan muttered, and it was pretty easy to guess what he was talking about. "By the way, I suppose congratulations on your marriage are in order," he suddenly says.

We look at him in a small amount of surprise. "How'd you find out?" she asks him.

He gestures towards her ring. "Well, the ring for starters," he admits. "Also, some time ago I could sense the Force revolve around you two very strongly, even from all the way out here. It was full of warmth and love, and I could sense a pact between the both of you," he says with a smile.

Ahsoka and I both glanced at each other, and gave small smiles, scootching closer to each other without realizing it. "Well, thanks. It was definitely something I don't think we'll ever forget," I say softly, before we both glanced at him.

"And you're not upset by this?" Ahsoka asks with a raised eyebrow.

He sighs. "I think all three of us know by this point that the old ways of the Order can no longer apply again, even if we ever wanted them too," he says.

We both nod in understanding. "Thank you, Master Kenobi," Ahsoka says gratefully.

"Oh please, just call me Obi-Wan, or old Ben," he says dismissively. "Love and peace are a rare sight in the galaxy these days," he says sadly.

Ahsoka and I share a glance, and I figured it was time to get started with why we really came. "About that, there's a really big reason for why we came here, and I can guarantee you aren't going to like it," I tell him.

He frowns in response, but nods his head, listening.

Ahsoka sighs before looking at him seriously. "I know why you're living on Tatooine, and about what happened to him," she says. "To Anakin."

Obi-Wan goes stiff in alarm, glancing at me, and I shake my head slowly. After a few moments, he lets out a big sigh of regret, glancing at the ground. "How long have you known?" he asks quietly.

"I just found out when I sensed his presence in the husk of Darth Vader during a fighter chase," she replies stiffly, the room already becoming tense again. "I confronted Jarik, and he finally admitted to me that Anakin did become Darth Vader, and that he had children."

Obi-Wan glances at me, a hint of disapproval in his stare. I meet his gaze evenly, just as firm. There was no going back now, and I wasn't going to regret telling Ahsoka. The only regret I have on the subject at this point is that I didn't tell her sooner.

"He did," Obi-Wan finally says. "Padmé's children. Luke and Leia. Twins. The boy lives here with his aunt and uncle, while Leia resides with Senator Organa."

Ahsoka narrows her eyes at him, and I lean back, already knowing what was coming. "Why did I not know about this then?" she asks quietly.

"We didn't want the truth reaching Vader or the Emperor," he responds, and our gazes flash slightly when he just says Vader, and not Anakin. "If they found out that his children lived, then they would be hunted down and taken, forced to become Sith. We could not let that happen so I, Yoda, Bail and Jarik all swore ourselves to secrecy."

"So only you four knew about it this whole time?" Ahsoka demands. "Not any other close friends, or their family?"

"We couldn't take the risk that Vader would find them," Obi-Wan says sternly.

Ahsoka exhales in frustration, leaning back with her arms crossed, glaring at Obi-Wan. "I see your blind Jedi stubbornness is still there," she mutters bitterly. I don't know if she saw it, but at that comment Obi-Wan flinched slightly, probably recalling her whole ordeal with being expelled.

"If you won't get anywhere with that, then tell us, how did Anakin survive?" Ahsoka questions. "Jarik told me that you and him both confronted him when he... choked Padmé," she says, stopping briefly before continuing. "But then you were separated when Barriss showed up. So how did Anakin survive if you came back with much injury, while he now has to wear a suit?"

I lean forward in my seat, staring at Obi-Wan. This is the part that I missed, and the part that Obi-Wan avoided answering all those years ago. He remains quiet for some time, unsure of how to answer, or considering whether or not to answer.

"Obi-Wan... please, can you tell the truth this time?" I ask him.

He glances at me, then at Ahsoka, who is staring at him with narrowed eyes. Finally, he lets out a sigh, staring at the ground.

"After you and Barriss parted with us, me and-" he cuts himself off, before continuing. "...Anakin... we continued our duel. The combat was fierce, and we nearly killed each other several times throughout the fight, otherwise never gaining the upper hand."

We listen intently, desperate to know why Anakin turned into the way he is today.

"Towards the end of our battle, I confronted him about his actions, but he refused to listen to reason, despite my pleas. I knew then that he was lost," he said in regret.

Ahsoka's eyes flashed, and I had to admit I was surprised at how quickly he gave up on Anakin ever returning back to the light. We barely had time to even reason with him at the start before the battle began, which admittedly was Obi-Wan's fault now that I think about it.

"To finish our battle, I used his rage and arrogance against him, and jumped towards the high ground on the slopes of the lava river. He attempted to follow... and I cut him down, removing his legs and remaining arm," he says.

I widen my eyes in shock, and Ahsoka gasps, bringing a hand to her mouth before narrowing her eyes again.

"He fell down the hill, very close to the lava river..." he said quietly, and I also brought a hand to my mouth in horror, widening my eyes. It didn't take much to realize what he was saying. "The last I saw of him were yellows eyes full of hatred, while his body burned," he finished quietly, lowering his head in regret.

I couldn't believe it. The whole reason that Anakin now had to wear a suit as Darth Vader... was because of Obi-Wan. He just left him there, hoping he would... that he would die?!"

"What...?" Ahsoka said quietly, her gaze on Obi-Wan turning towards one of fury. "You just left him to burn to death?! You didn't help him?!" she exclaims, leaping to his feet.

"I loved him Ahsoka!" he replies, looking up at her. "I loved him like a brother, but at the end of the day I failed him. I wasn't a good enough master, and he was lost."

"So you decided to leave him to die an agonizing death by the side of a lava river?" I ask, a hint of anger in my voice.

"I can't believe you!" Ahsoka yells furiously, tears coming from her eyes. "All of those years you spent training him, fighting side-by-side and you still just gave up any hope of him returning that quickly?! How could you!?"

He doesn't answer, and I quickly stand up, holding Ahsoka back, sensing her very close to physically showing her fury. "If you really believed he was gone, the least you could've done was end his misery before he was burnt to a crisp!" she continued to scream.

Obi-Wan flinches, looking away in regret. "I'm sorry Ahsoka..." he mutters quietly.

"'Sorry', doesn't save my Master, and 'sorry' doesn't change the fact that you made him into a monster! He was always compassionate, caring for everyone! Did you even think to consider why he turned to the dark side? There's no way it was just because of a lust for power, Palpatine lied to him!" Ahsoka yells.

She then rips her arms from my grasp and then storms out of the hut, the sound of her sobs fading away. I watch her go and then look back down at Obi-Wan, an angry and disbelieving look on my face. He just looks down, quietly with nothing to say.

"She is right you know," I tell him. "I can almost surely bet that the reason he turned to the dark side was for Padmé."

He looks up at me in bewilderment. "What? How could that possibly make sense?" he asks incredulously.

"Think about it Obi-Wan!" I exclaim. "The two were married with each other for years, yet the entire marriage was kept a secret for fear of what the Council, or anyone else would do! If Sidious was able to sense the Force bond between me and Ahsoka, then I can surely bet he also knew of their marriage as well. You know how much Anakin cared about his friends, doing anything to make sure we were safe!"

Obi-Wan looks down again in realization, and guilt seeps off of him in waves. "I... I never even considered..." he whispers quietly in shame.

I soften my gaze slightly, knowing that it wasn't entirely his fault, considering he was raised to an adult with the old Jedi Code. "She won't forgive you, at least for a long time," I tell him.

"I wouldn't blame her," he replies quietly.

I glance out the door again, and let out a sigh, sensing Ahsoka's grief and heartbreak, along with feelings of betrayal rivaling even those during her expulsion.

"I should go, make sure she's alright," I told him.

"Probably for the best," Obi-Wan replies. "I don't think I deserve to be around her at the moment."

I glance back at him with a sense of pity. "Maybe," I tell him, heading out the door.

* * *

Ezra, Sabine and I were leaning against the railing at the back of the walker as the sun began to set when the door opened, revealing Rex.

"I've assembled a list of potential bases and clearance codes and a few protocols the Imperials still use. Should be of some use." Rex tells us.

"Thanks, Rex." Ezra says gratefully.

"Yeah, thanks," I tel him with a smile.

"They're on our main computer. You're gonna need-" he starts to say before Sabine interrupts him.

"Data tapes? I got this," she says confidently, brushing past Rex and into the walker. Rex comes up to us.

"You were brave today, kid. You as well Mara. You jumped right in there to help," he says proudly, leaning against the railing beside us.

"Thanks," I told him. "I do have to admit it's awesome to finally meet you in person after the stories my parents told me."

He chuckles in amusement. "Heh, I do miss those two. When I first met your mother, she and her master never seemed to get along, but they eventually grew on each other, same for me as well. You remind me a lot of her."

I smile at him, and he smiles back, looking out at the desert. "A great Jedi once told me that the best leaders lead by example. You do that well," he tells us.

"Thanks. I've learned from a great Jedi too, Kanan." Ezra says gratefully, looking behind him to where Kanan was standing.

"Mmm," Rex replies with a nod before glancing at us. "You know, I don't think he likes me. Or ever will.

He scoffs lightly. "Can't say I blame him. The war left its scars on all of us."

"Yeah, quite a lot," another clone mutters, and we look over to see Boil standing against the wall, gazing at the sky. I look at him sadly.

"Would you guys ever reconsider joining us?" I ask them.

"You know, I've outserved my purpose for that kind of fighting, I'm afraid," Rex admits. "After the war, I questioned the point of the whole thing. All those men died, and for what?"

"I guess... what they thought was right," Ezra offers.

Wolffe then comes up the ladder nearby, and out of the corner of my eye I can see Kanan glance in our direction, before sighing. Maybe he was finally coming around. However, that hope was shattered when Sabine came out of the tank waving a datapad around, and angry expression on her face.

"The clones gave us up. They warned the Empire we're here!" she called out.

"Huh?" I ask in surprise.

"Wait, what?" Ezra asks.

"You're mistaken. We would never do that," Rex protests, confusion obvious on his face.

"I'd rather die before speaking to even a Stormtrooper," Boil adds with annoyance.

"Oh, I found the binary transmission to the Empire!" Sabine says, waving the datapad in his face. "And there are messages Ahsoka sent to Rex and Boil, and they never answered her!"

"What?!" Rex and Boil both asked in shock, and Rex grabbed the datapad, scrolling through it. I never got any messages from Commander Tano!" he exclaimed.

"When did they start sending us messages?!" Boil demanded, looking over Rex's shoulder.

"You're saying that's why they never answered? My dad thought it was because of a broken transponder considering how old the tank is!" I told them.

"Our transponder is working just fine!" Boil argues.

"I knew it! I told you, they can't be trusted!" Kanan exclaimed angrily, marching towards the clones threateningly.

Ezra and I both stopped him from advancing any further. "Kanan, wait. Is this true?" he asks.

Rex and boil both frown, before the latter widens his eyes and then whips around to face the other clone in their midst. "Wolffe. What did you do? Did you keep these messages from us!?" Boil demands angrily.

"I- I contacted the Empire!" Wolffe admits, and we widen our eyes in disbelief. "If they found out that we were helping Jedi, especially Shan's daughter they'd wipe us out!"

"Sabine, go warn Hera. Tell her to scan for incoming ships." Kanan orders her, and she rushes away quickly.

"I wanted to protect you guys, protect our squad!" Wolffe argues.

Boil scowls at him. "I fought against my own squad to protect my commander during the Temple attack! And you go and do this?!" he exclaims, moving forwards.

Rex holds him back before turning to Wolffe, putting his hands on his shoulders. "The war is over. We are free men. We can't live under the fear of the Empire for the rest of our lives, Wolffe. That's not freedom!" Rex tells him.

Wolffe looks down shamefully. "You're right. They're not our enemy... I'm sorry," he apologizes.

Just then, a series of shots sound from above us, followed by Sabine's yell. "Kanan!"

Kanan jumps up towards her, and I quickly follow. We both land behind Sabine, facing down a probe. It beeps in alarm and begins to quickly fire at us. I duck to the side as the side of the Phantom is hit, causing a small explosion. it then ducks down underneath the tank, and I rush towards the side of the tank, seeing it fleeing into the desert.

Narrowing my eyes, I jump off of the tank and into the air with a flip, landing on the desert in a crouch. Getting up, I activate my lightsaber and chase after the droid, which continues to fire back at me in an attempt to get away. Kanan fires at it from behind me, but misses, the distance too far for a pistol.

I deflect the shots sent after me, getting closer and closer. Before I could reach it though, a blue laser bolt sails through the air and slams into the droid. It immediately sputters and collapses around the ground, convulsing as its circuits were fried. I stop running and turn around to find Rex holding a blaster rifle, and I give him a thumbs up. I then look down at the probe several feet away and approach it, deactivating my lightsaber.

Some time later, we were all gathered around the smoking wreak, frowns on our faces as Sabine approached.

"How long has this thing been watching us?" Ezra asks in concern.

Kanan sighs. "Long enough. How's the Phantom?" he asks.

"Well, engine took a direct hit. We're not going anywhere until I can fix it," she replies grimly.

"Wait. You mean we're stranded?" Zeb asks in alarm.

"Yep. And the Empire's on its way." Rex says grimly.

We all turn and look up at the sky, and I get the feeling that we're about to have company rather soon.

* * *

 _Well... what a chapter._


	68. Ch 67 - Relics of the Old Republic

_I gotta say this... :3_

 _ **Guest Isa:** Yes, Anakin did choose to do all that horrible stuff at the Temple, and Jarik and Ahsoka both understand that. However, that's not what they were saying wasn't his fault. All that was his fault, but his turn to the dark side in the first place wasn't his fault. Palpatine manipulated him into joining the dark side by using Padmé, and he had him wrapped around his finger since he was a young Padawan. Those things are not Anakin's fault, since he had no one to talk to about Padmé, and he always admired Palpatine because of the praise and advice he received from him. Remember, Anakin responded more to emotions, that's why he felt more comfortable with Palpatine than with the Jedi._

* * *

 **Third Brother POV...**

I stepped out of my TIE Fighter onto this wretched asteroid once again, awaiting the creature with a scowl. Oh how I despised him and his constant gloating about... his power... but it was a necessary sacrifice to pay in order to get what I needed. I sensed a figure approaching and turned to face them, but to my confusion it wasn't him, but rather someone else.

"Who are you?" I demanded, face hidden behind my Inquisitorial mask.

They stepped closer, and when it was bright enough I could see that they were a female, with long flowing black hair and orange eyes. I wasn't sure what species she was, but it didn't matter.

"He was unable to come speak with you at this time, so I have taken his place," she says simply.

I held a hand over my saber, very suspicious. "How do I know you aren't lying?" I demand.

She rolls her eyes, with flare a little brighter and then activates a lightsaber. I stepped back in surprise, although not just because she carried a lightsaber, but by how different it was. The blade was completely black like the void of night, yet it cast off a golden glow. She held it at me with a look of contempt.

"I'm sure you know my _father_ does not like being questioned, and neither do I for that matter," she growled out.

Sensing the seriousness in her voice, I nodded quickly, knowing all to well of his temperament, despite the collected demeanor he gave off. Satisfied, she deactivated her lightsaber and crossed her arms.

"Good. Now... how goes the retrieval for that stone... at Vader's home?" she asks, her voice an eerie whisper.

"It's... been halted," I managed to say.

She stares at me with narrowed eyes, and I could sense her rage increasing. As well as her power in the Force, which I now sensed, and to my alarm it was far greater than mine.

"I- I had to! I've been ordered by Vader to track down Ahsoka Tano and Jarik Shan alongside the Fifth Brother!" I say quickly before she could lash out. Curse my weakness for being so afraid of this woman. The other creature never terrified me like this, but I hate the unknown!

She immediately calms, her look of quiet and cold fury replaced with one of intrigue. "Tracking down Shan, you say?" she asks quietly, turning away and staring at the starry field.

"I have to, if I'm to keep them from getting suspicious," I try to explain.

She lets out a sigh, her voice sounding like an impersonation of one of those witches from Dathomir. "Oh very well young one, this may be excusable," she says, and I bristle at being called 'young.' I was far beyond that! "My father did always have an interest in Shan..."

She then slides up to me softly, whispering in my ear, and I get a sense of just how tall she really is. "But you must tread carefully... my father is getting, _impatient,_ " she whispers.

Then she slides away out of sight, staring at me the whole time with those creepy, orange eyes, which were the last to disappear into the darkness. I shivered, finding her even creepier than the other creature.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

I walked outside of Obi-Wan's hut, hearing Ahsoka's quiet sobs nearby. I walked around the house and found her sitting against the wall, legs pulled up to her chest, looking very vulnerable. Another wave of guilt passed through me. I sat down next to her, sitting awkwardly, glancing at her every few seconds. Finally, she looked up at me, her eyes teary and bloodshot.

"Why Anakin?" she asked quietly. "What did he ever do to deserve such a fate?"

"Nothing," I replied softly. "Palpatine had him wrapped around his finger ever since he was a boy. He was a victim just like so many others," I told her.

Ahsoka looked down. "That whole war... that whole period of loss and anguish, all orchestrated just so a single man could get power," she muttered angrily. "And the only hope of stopping him rested in an Order of arrogant idiots."

"Centuries of strict codes and guidelines are as much to blame," I recalled, remembering the lesson Satele gave me at the Temple, just days before it happened. "May not seem like a big deal for the Jedi, but it was a failed idea from the beginning..."

She scoffed. "Apparently Obi-Wan doesn't get that," she said bitterly. "He never even gave Anakin a chance."

"He was raised by the Old Order. He never knew any better," I said, knowing it was a weak argument.

"And yet that excuses leaving a man, especially a close friend, to die an agonizing death? Jedi were supposed to be compassionate, merciful, forgiving... trusting," she said quietly.

She then looked up at me. "When did trust become so one-sided?" she asks, in a pleading manner, her gaze begging for an answer.

I looked down guiltily. "I don't know Ahsoka... I don't know."

She remains quiet, aside from a few sniffles.

"But what I do know Ahsoka... is that I am truly, deeply sorry for what happened, and for what I did, for what Obi-Wan did," I told her sincerely. "All I cared about was making sure you were happy, only knowing Anakin as a wonderful, courageous man. But in doing so, what came out of it was the complete opposite," I told her.

Out of nowhere, she suddenly embraced me in a tight hug, arms wrapped around me as she buried her face in my shoulder. I leaned back slightly in surprise as she held onto me desperately, like a scared child.

"Please don't... please don't lie ever again Jarik," she pleaded between her sobs. "Whatever happens, I- I just want to face it together, never alone. Please..." she pleaded.

I slowly embraced her in return, stroking her lekku softly. "I won't Ahsoka, I promise you."

We stayed like that for a little while longer before sensing someone approaching. We both looked up to see Obi-Wan standing there, a saddened look on his face.

"I don't expect to ever earn your forgiveness, from both of you," he starts off. "But I thought you would want to know about this."

From underneath his robes he pulls out a lightsaber... Anakin's lightsaber. We widen our eyes slightly in surprise at the sight of it.

"I had meant to give this to Luke when he was old enough, however..." he trails off, not sure of how to say it.

Ahsoka slowly gets up and stands before him, eyeing him with an impassive expression as he holds the lightsaber. Finally, she reaches out her hands... and then closes Obi-Wan's hand around the lightsaber, gently pushing it towards Obi-Wan. He looks at her in slight surprise.

"Keep it..." she says softly. "Luke should have something to remember his father by."

Obi-Wan looks down at Anakin's lightsaber and then back to Ahsoka, nodding his head. I then stand up behind her, a small smile on my face.

"Well Master... this is something you could do for us," I said.

They both look at me in a small amount of confusion, wondering what I was talking about.

ooo00ooo

Later in the evening, the two suns of Tatooine were colored a dim white and vibrant red from the sunset, turning the sky purple and pink.

I rode Obi-Wan's dewback, Ahsoka sitting behind me with her arms wrapped around me to stay on, and then pulled the creature to a stop. In the distance, not too far away sat a small igloo of sand in the otherwise barren and empty flat desert, and nearby was a small hill, with a figure standing on it.

I glanced back at Ahsoka, and I saw her watching the figure of the boy staring out at the sunset, realization coming to her face. She smiled, tears forming in her eyes.

 _"Luke! Luuke!"_ a woman's voice yelled.

I turned back and watched with Ahsoka as Luke Skywalker turned away from the sunset, running back towards his home to answer Beru Lars' call. Ahsoka laid her chin on my shoulder, no words needed to describe the moment as she gazed at the retreating figure of her Master's son.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

 _"Star Destroyer just came out of hyperspace. Gonna power down so they can't scan me. Once I finish my repairs, I'll come get you. Good luck down there."_ Hera told us over the com, ending the transmission.

We all looked at each other in concern before Rex spoke up. "If they follow procedure, they'll fly search patterns based on our last confirmed position," he said.

The computer terminal then starts to beep as Gregor walks up. "Or they'll call. Incoming Imperial transmission!" he says sarcastically, pointing at Wolffe. "It's for you, Wolffe."

Wolffe glanced back at the screen in surprise. "They called back? They- they never call back!" he said in alarm.

"Never?" Boil asks with a raised eyebrow.

"This is why I don't trust clones," Kanan scoffed.

I rolled my eyes. "Okay Kanan we get it, you don't like clones so can you please just shut up already?" I asked irritably.

He glares at me but turns away, the others following after him. "Just get rid of 'em, Wolffe." Ezra says.

Wolffe rubs his head in regret. "Yeah, it was my mistake. And I'll fix it," he says determinedly.

The rest of us watch from the doorway as the screen lights up, revealing the image of Agent Kallus. I roll my eyes.

"Oh terrific," I mutter sarcastically. The others share my sentiment.

"CC-3636. Commander Wolffe, is it?" he asks.

"Yep, that's me!" Wolffe confirms, snapping his fingers. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"Please transmit your coordinates so I can investigate the Jedi sightings you reported." Kallus asks, although its obvious that was an order, not a request.

"What? Uh, Je- Jedi? Uh, no, no. No, th- there's no Jedi. Here," Wolffe stammers nervously. "My, my old, uh, cybernetic eye must be acting up again."

Rex and Boil both slide in with pleasant smiles on their faces, the former slinging an arm around his shoulder. "Sorry for wasting your time!" Rex says.

However, a video pops up showing the walker with the Phantom on it. I was also visible leaning against it, and I grimaced. "This image was taken by one of our probe droids. It clearly shows you harboring known rebels, as well as Jedi criminal Mara Jade, apprentice to Jarik Shan and Ahsoka Tano."

The clones widened their eyes in alarm, and I smiled sheepishly at the rest of the crew, who all sighed.

"Whatever, not like it's your fault, the Phantom is in the image," Ezra admits.

"Now surrender them, or be destroyed." Kallus threatens.

"If it's a fight you want, I hope you brought a better class of soldier than those stormtroopers." Rex challenges, bashing his knuckles again. Wolffe cracks his neck, and Gregor grins at Kallus.

"I've fought chumps tougher than those bucketheads," Boil says mockingly.

Kallus frowns in annoyance. "They serve the Empire well, and I have a great many of them," he says intimidatingly.

"You're gonna need all of 'em!" Rex says with a grin, smashing the button and ending the transmission.

Zeb chuckles in amusement. "Hehe, I like these guys."

I grin in amusement. "I can see why mom and dad like them as well."

Just then, the walker suddenly shakes as an explosion rocks it, and we all look up in alarm. Sabine enters the room, clad in her battle gear. "They found us!" she exclaims.

"Guess that search pattern paid off!" Ezra says.

"Battle stations!" Rex orders.

Gregor, Wolffe, Boil and Kix all scramble around, collecting different assortments of weapons that I can only assume come from the Clone Wars era. We all quickly rush outside, finding a TIE Fighter strafing around the tank, letting off shots that impact on the ground. I honestly don't know whether those are warning shots, or if he's actually trying to hit us. If I were the Empire, I'd seriously hope those were warning shots.

"We're sitting mynocks on this thing!" Ezra exclaims, climbing up to the top.

"You think so?" Rex asks.

I simply use the Force to jump up after Ezra, watching as the TIE Fighter turned around back towards us.

"Hurry! He's coming around for another pass!" Sabine warns us, and she and Zeb move forwards. Sabine is carrying one of the clone's long range rifles, while Zeb is holding a freaking machine gun. I activate my lightsaber and jump forwards beside them. Ezra moves to follow, but Kanan stops him.

"Ezra, protect the Phantom." Kanan orders.

"What about the walker?" he responds in concern.

"It can take a hit, I think," Kanan says, although he's unsure.

The TIE Fighter opens fire, and Sabine and Zeb return it, a barrage of blue bolts firing back at the ship. Unfortunately, they're too far away to get a proper aim on it. I deflect a large green bolt away from the walker, stumbling slightly from the power behind it. It's not a regular bolt that's for sure.

"Try shortening your leads. You're wasting ammo!" Rex advises, climbing up the ladder. Gregor, Boil and Kix climb up behind him, carrying a few blaster rifles.

"You're welcome to help!" Zeb exclaims.

"Eh, why spoil the fun? We haven't been shot at in years!" Gregor exclaims, before glancing at Kix. "Well, except for Kix," he remarks.

"Aw shut up Gregor," Kix retorts irritably, and Boil rolls his eyes.

"Yeah? Well, it happens to us every day!" Sabine exclaims, watching as the TIE swoops past.

"Uh, why doesn't someone man the big gun?" Ezra questions.

"That's no good in this situation." Rex replies.

"Oh. Kinda like you guys," Kanan comments sarcastically, climbing on top of the Phantom. I roll my eyes.

Rex smirks before turning to Boil. "You want the shot?"

"Oh do I?" Boil replies with a grin, and he catches the rocket launcher.

The TIE Fighter swoops down, opening fire on us. Kanan and Ezra manage to deflect a couple shots away from hitting the Phantom. When it passes overhead, I jump up, trying to swing at the TIE Fighter with my lightsaber, but I time it wrong and miss. I land back on the tank with a frustrated frown.

Luckily, as the ship flies away to arc around for another pass, Boil takes aim with his rocket launcher and casually shoots it, watching the rocket go sailing. After a few moments, the rocket hits the TIE Fighter dead on, and Boil turns around with a smirk. Gregor and Rex both chuckle at the sight.

"Boil, you still got it," Rex compliments.

"Quite the shot brother!" Gregor adds with a grin.

"Did you expect any less?" Boil says proudly.

I grin at them and then look at Kanan. "What was that about being useless?" I ask him. He frowns and looks away, much to my amusement.

"You know, we'd make a good team if we all fought together." Ezra says with a smile.

Rex smiles down at him, before Kanan interrupts the moment. "Yeah, tried that once. Didn't work out so well. Now if that storm gets any closer, it'll ground us. Sabine, we need the Phantom to fly.

"I'm on it," she replies, moving to work on the Phantom.

* * *

Later, Ezra was sitting in the seat for the turret, and I was watching him in interest, trying to work out the controls.

"Is it this button?" Ezra asks me.

I frown. "No, I don't think so... maybe this one?"

Just then, Rex approaches us with a raised eyebrow, and Ezra widens his eyes in alarm.

"Uh, sorry. Um, I'm in your seat," he apologizes.

However, rex simply grins and kneels down beside him, pointing at the console. "The traverse controls are over here on the left, and the elevation's on the right."

"Really?" Ezra asks in surprise. He then tests the controls out, and the gun shifts back and forth as he moves it. I glance behind us to see Kanan taking notice, before looking away when he meets my eyes. I shake my head with a sigh.

"So, um, what was it like to fight in the Clone War?" Ezra asks.

"I don't think the fighting ever got to Lothal." Rex admits, leaning an arm on the turret. "I tell ya, war was never dull. The general I fought with was among the greatest of the Jedi. I trusted him with my life more times than I can count. And I tried my best to keep that trust."

"You mean, Master Skywalker?" I deduce.

He nods his head. "Yeah, he and Commander Tano were great leaders, always out front with the rest of us."

"Shame what happened to him," Boil mutters, a heavy gaze on his face. I glance back at him in confusion, and Rex also gives him a look.

"What Boil?" he questions.

"Huh?" he says in surprise. "Oh, nothing. I was muttering about something else," he says, although I'm a little doubtful, but I don't press him on it.

"All right. With any luck, we can get outta here soon," Sabine announces.

"We can't just leave Rex, Boil, Wolffe, Kix and Gregor here!" I protest in concern.

"Well, the Empire is here because of us. We'll deal with the consequences." Rex says firmly, and I glance at him and Boil sadly.

Just then, a loud, thunderous booming echoes in the distance.

"Wait, listen!" Zeb says in alarm. "You hear that?"

Wolffe points behind us with a frown. "Enemy contact, point two four," he announces.

We all turn around and spot three Imperial AT-AT walkers marching straight towards us. "Well that's not good," I remark.

The clones all rush towards the front of the walker with electro binoculars, staring down the scope and analyzing the walkers. "How many legs they got?" Rex asks.

"Eh, looks like four." Gregor says, handing the binoculars to Rex.

"What?" Boil asks in bewilderment.

"How are those things not falling over?" Wolffe asks.

"I never knew walkers could have four legs!" Kix adds.

"Will you look at the size of those things!" Gregor exclaims.

"Huh. Reinforced armor plating, heavy cannons and antipersonnel blasters. Mmm," Rex observes, obviously impressed.

"I'm glad you guys are so excited, but those giant death machines are on their way to blow us to bits!" Ezra exclaims in a panic.

However, none of the clones are really panicking, they just move to their battle stations. Gregor and Kix head inside of the tank, probably to the main computer terminal while Rex and Boil climb to the top, the former getting into the tank turret. Boil pulls out a pair of binoculars and continues to observe the walkers.

"Wolffe, set vector two-niner-zero," Rex says confidently, and Wolffe gives a salute.

"Wait, you're just gonna turn and run? Just like that?" Kanan demands.

"Well, if you've got a better idea, sir, now's the time," Rex says.

"I thought you clones loved to fight." Kanan says with a frown.

"Kanan, are you really expecting anyone to try taking on three of those giants with this ancient walking piece of crap?" I tell him with a raised eyebrow before glancing at Boil. "No offense."

"None taken kid, this tank is ancient," he replies with a small grin.

"I do love a battle, but on my terms," Rex says. "Gregor, drop the joopa. We gotta get moving!"

Moments later, the joopa is released from the cables holding it on the tank, and I can just imagine Gregor's reaction to dropping it.

"Wolffe, turn 180!" Rex orders.

 _"Copy that,"_ he replies.

Wolffe turns the tank around, and we start moving at the fastest pace the thing can go, headed straight for the sandstorm. behind us, the three AT-AT walkers open fire on us, massive red bolts exploding on the ground around our tank. Once again I'm astounded by how crappy the Imperial's aim is.

"Kanan. I'm not sure how far we'll get, but I think she'll fly." Sabine announces.

"Good enough for me. Zeb, we're going now!" Kanan exclaim eagerly, rushing towards the Phantom.

I widen my eyes in alarm. "No, wait!" I exclaim, stopping him in his tracks.

"Too late. The walkers are already on top of us." Rex says, saying what I was thinking.

"They're right, Kanan. They'll shoot us down." Ezra says.

"How will going into that storm be any better?" Kanan argues.

"Well, the storm will scramble the scanners. We'll all be blind." Sabine says.

"But a Jedi won't." Rex announces, giving us a meaningful look.

"It's a good plan," I add.

Kanan frowns, glancing down in consideration before nodding. "All right, everybody inside!" he exclaims, rushing inside.

"Sir, yes, Sir." Rex replies.

Sabine closes the door to the Phantom, and we all follow after them, Boil closing the door behind us after making sure we were all in. Just then, the storm passes over us, completely hiding us from the Imperials, who have to stop firing. Inside the main room, we were all gathered together to discuss and formulate a plan.

"We're not gonna be able to hide in this storm forever," Ezra says.

"Those things are practically impervious to blasters, but they have one weak point in their armor, the neck." Sabine tells us.

"One well-placed shot from the main gun should destroy it." Gregor theorizes, smashing his fist.

"One shot is all we'll probably get." Boil says grimly.

"Well we better make it count," I say confidently, and Rex and Boil both send me a small grin.

Zeb taps the screen of the scanners, growing more irritated since they weren't working at all. "I don't know how we're supposed to shoot something we can't see. I don't even know where the enemy is!" he complains.

"There are three of us here who can see them," I remind him, and Kanan nods.

"You don't always have to see something to know where it is," he says, walking forwards. "If you're willing to trust me, I can get us that shot."

"I always trust my general," Rex says immediately and truthfully.

Kanan looks down briefly at hearing that, and I can sense he's obviously conflicted. He then looks up in determination and closes his eyes, reaching out a hand. He feels around us with the Force, moving his hand slightly.

"Prepare to stop... Now!" Kanan says.

Wolffe immediately brings the tank to a halt, and I glance around the room, sensing the echoes of the pounding walkers outside.

"Commander Wolffe, circle left, double time!" Kanan says. Then tank then moves to a hard left, and I watch Kanan at work. "Full stop!" he exclaims.

"If what I'm sensing is right, we're surrounded." Kanan tells us.

"What?" Ezra asks in alarm.

"I can sense it too," I add.

"You put us right in the middle of 'em, to get us a shot!" Rex exclaims. "It's crazy, but it's probably our best chance!"

"Haven't been in such a tense situation for years," Boil comments.

"Once we fire, we'll reveal our location. If we miss, it's all over." Sabine says grimly.

"I'll take the shot." Gregor says confidently, standing up from his chair.

Kanan however shakes his head. "No, Ezra should take the shot."

"Uh, why don't you do it?" Ezra asks nervously.

"I can do it. I'm good at this stuff," I say confidently, crossing my arms.

"Alright." Boil says with a nod. "It's a good plan."

Rex nods in agreement. "He's right. We need at least one Jedi up there manning the cannon, and another Jedi down here to lead us out of this mess. You are the only ones who can see in this storm," Rex tells me and Ezra.

Kanan nods, and I send a grin Ezra's way. "Come on Ezra, we can do it," I say confidently.

"Sabine, spot them," Rex says, and she nods, putting on her helmet. "Hey, kid," he calls out, and we turn around just as Ezra catches Rex's clone helmet. Boil then sends me his own. "You two might need that. And hang on tight," he says.

We give him a nod, and then exit the walker. The two of us put on the clone helmets, which are a little big. Luckily I'm still able to see out of it, at least as much as is visible with the storm, and keep my balance. However, Ezra is having a little bit more trouble, and begins to topple over.

"Whoa!" he yells in alarm.

I hold an arm out and catch him with the Force, allowing Sabine to grab a hold of him.

"I gotcha! I gotcha! Come on!" she exclaims, pulling him towards the turret. I follow, and stand on the left side of it with Sabine on the right as Ezra sits in the seat. "Don't miss," she tells him.

"Hey, I never miss," Ezra replies.

"Don't jinx it for us, please," I tell him, rolling my eyes. I hold out a hand towards the storm, and feel with the Force. A few moments later, I begin to sense the walker, and concentrate on it.

 _"Ezra, there's a walker somewhere around point five."_ Kanan says over the com.

"Somewhere around point five? Terrific," he replies sarcastically.

"He's right Ezra, I can sense it too," I tell him.

"But the targeting scope's useless. I can't see it!" he protests.

"Are you really gonna try and pull that crap?" I ask him irritably.

 _"Mara's right Ezra, it doesn't matter."_ Kanan says in agreement. _"You're not going to see it with your eyes. The walker is there. Trust yourself."_

Ezra sighs, but then tries to follow Kanan's advice. He begins to focus out with the Force, directing the turret in the direction of the walker. However from what I'm sensing, he's still a little off, which is enough for it to miss. The walker is only just turning. I take off my helmet, freeing my head to get rid of the feeling of if so I can focus better, and keep my eyes closed against the sand.

"A little bit more to the left Ezra," I tell him. I can sense him also taking off his helmet and following my instruction. "that's it... you sense it?"

"I think so... yeah," he replies.

"Go for it," I tell him.

He fires the turret, and moments later I can hear a loud explosion in the distance, followed by the walker collapsing on the ground.

"Got 'em!" Ezra says triumphantly.

The walker spurs forwards not a moment later in the direction of the wreckage, and the other two AT-AT's open fire behind us. Not to much long afterwards, we exit the storm again, and I open my eyes, looking behind us. I can just barely make out the destroyed Imperial walker. The doors then open, and everyone spills out.

"Great shot, you two!" Rex congratulates. "Now get yourself moving. This is your only chance!"

"What?" I ask in alarm. "But what about you guys?"

"We can't leave now!" Ezra adds.

"We have to get the information they gave us back to the rebellion." Kanan argues, and the rest of them all enter the Phantom. Ezra moves to follow, before stopping.

"The other part of that mission is to bring Rex back with us! We can't just abandon them!" Ezra argues back.

"You're not abandoning anyone. We're covering your escape. Now, move!" he tells us firmly.

"I don't want to leave you guys to die though," I protest.

Boil lays a hand on my shoulder. "I know its tough kid, but this is for the greater good. The rebellion needs you more than it needs us."

I look down sadly, not wanting to do this, but eventually I give Boil his helmet as Rex gets his back from Ezra. As we enter, we turn back to see Rex getting into the turret, Boil standing beside him.

"We're soldiers, Ezra. This is what we were born to do!" Rex announces.

"Tell Commander Shan hi for me will you?" Boil says with a grin.

The Phantom door then closes, and Kanan lifts us off from the walker. I look down sadly, knowing that we probably sentenced the clones to death. We sit down as the ship flies further from the tanks at top speed, but I can sense the resolve from Ezra to try and reason with Kanan, and I share his sentiment.

"Kanan, you know better than anyone. They won't give up. This fight is gonna be their last." Ezra tells him.

Kanan glanced back, and I could sense some guilt coming from him, but he still presses forwards. He then activates a transmission to Hera, explaining the situation.

 _"It's too bad about Captain Rex, but at least you got the intel. I'll rendezvous with you shortly,"_ she replies.

"Copy that," he replies, ending the call.

"what are you going to tell my parents?" I ask him. "Rex and Boil were close friends with them, and I know for a fact how fond they were of each other. They don't care whether or not they're clones."

Thankfully, that seems to do it as Kanan finally sighs, turning to us. "I hate it when they're right," he mutters. "I've got my problems with clones, but I don't want those men to die," he announces.

"Yes!" I say happily, and we all smile.

Kanan then turns the ship around and heads back towards the battle between the clones and the Empire. On the way, we get a full view of the chaos that was ensuing. The Republic tank was ramming into the AT-AT, while the other advanced. Rex was firing on it with his turret, but soon stopped.

"Are they really doing that?" Sabine asks in bewilderment.

However, I was grinning. "Just like they described them," I remark, recalling mom and dad's stories during the war. "I want to jump on top of the tank they're ramming," I told him.

"Seriously?" Ezra asked.

"Oh yeah," I tell him with a smirk.

"Alright, we'll handle the other one," Kanan agrees, standing up. "Sabine take control of the ship."

"On it," she replies, getting into the seat.

She then opens fire on one of the tanks with the Phantoms guns, which while not doing much damage, at least keeps it from firing directly onto the clones. I move towards the door, and as soon as it opens, I leap out, falling through the air towards the tank. The rest of them head towards the second AT-AT, while I deal with this one.

Pulling out my lightsaber, I land on top of the head and then slide down the front, glancing into the viewport. From there, I can see two pilots and Agent Kallus, who widens his eyes in alarm at the sight of me. I smirk at him, and then slide down the side towards the guns, and slice them apart with my lightsaber.

"That's the way to do it!" someone yells, and I glance down to see Boil giving me a thumbs up.

"Oh you bet!" I yell back, jumping across the head and slicing the other gun turret off. The AT-AT then shakes violently as the second tank opens fire, dealing massive amounts to damage to the sides. Just then, I see Rex climbing back into his gun turret and aims at the walker's neck, a wild grin on his face.

He opens fire, immediately destroying the entire thing with a kill shot. As the walker topples over, I deactivate my lightsaber and jump off of it, landing on the destroyed wreckage of the clone's own walker. I land in a crouch, and Boil then walks up to me as I stand up.

"Now that, was pretty awesome," he comments.

I just grin at him in response, hands on my hips.

Rex was helping the others out, first Kix, then Gregor and then Wolffe, and they all grin at each other.

"Look's like we all live to fight another day," Rex comments.

"Technically the war never ended for me, so I could do a little more," Kix says with a grin.

"Can't we always?" Wolffe asks rhetorically in agreement.

"Well, we do when we've got a Jedi leading us!" Gregor states, looking at me with a smile. They all smile at me, and I grin back at them in return, before looking at the top of the other walker. They all follow my gaze and share a look with Kanan, giving him a salute.

He nods in response, and behind them Hera finally arrives with the Ghost, she and Chopper waving from the cockpit.

I really enjoyed this day.

* * *

 _ **Space; Unknown Location**_

 **3rd person POV...**

An Imperial shuttle flew towards Konstantine's Imperial Star Destroyer, headed for the hanger bay. Admiral Konstantine walked forwards as it landed, four stormtroopers standing at attention on the sides. He brushed his shoulder nervously, expecting Lord Vader himself to walk out of the shuttle.

However when it opened, two figures were standing there instead of the infamous Sith Lord. One of them is tall, with a strange wide helmet on. His skin was a greenish grey with pale eyes, and he was wearing Imperial colored armor, a lightsaber strapped to his back. To his side, stood another Inquisitor, and although he was slightly shorter and wore a mask, Konstantine got the feeling that he was the more dangerous of the two.

Both Inqusitor's walked down the ramp, the red light illuminating them from behind and stopped before Konstantine, who looked at them in surprise.

"Inquisitor's, I thought Lord Vader was coming aboard," Konstantine admitted. "I was not aware that-"

"Lord Vader has sent us, in his place," the Fifth Brother stated. They then brushed past Konstantine, their destination being the bridge.

"Well, this unnecessary diversion may have compromised the success of Agent Kallus's mission!" Konstantine protests. "We must return!"

"Your struggles with these insignificant rebels in of no concern," the Third Brother said coldly, stopping and glancing back at him while the Fifth Brother continued. "We will succeed in our mission where you and Kallus have failed."

With that promise, he continues on after the Fifth Brother, and Konstantine watches them go with a displeased frown, his pride hurt slightly from that remark.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

Ahsoka and I had returned to the rebel fleet after saying our goodbyes to Obi-Wan, well on my part anyways, and were walking slowly through the hallways of the ship.

"Jarik... I'm still upset by the whole situation... but thank you for showing me Luke," she admits gratefully.

"It was the least I could do at this point. You deserved to know, more than me," I told her.

She smiles back softly, and then stops me in the middle of the hallways. "I'm still angry at Obi-Wan, and you to a small extent," she starts, and I grimace slightly. "But, do you think we could move past all that? Be a husband and wife like we should be?"

"Of course..." I tell her happily, before smirking slightly. "Miss Shan."

She scoffs, punching me lightly on the shoulder. "Yeah, I'm a Shan too, no thanks to you," she teases.

"Well you should feel honored! You're the first member of the Shan family who isn't human!" I congratulate her.

"I'll take that as a compliment little Jari," she says with smile.

We then sense a large group approaching us, and turn around the find Mara and the Spectres standing behind us, smiles on their faces. I raise an eyebrow at them, and Mara just shrugs at us. The group then parts to reveal Captain Rex and Boil striding forwards, and age definitely has taken it's toll on them. They stand before us rather professionally, hands behind their backs.

"Commander Tano," Rex greets.

"Commander Shan," Boil also greets.

We widen our eyes slightly before smiling at them, both approaching our respective legion troopers. we stand before them both, and I notice with some amusement that Boil still has his mustache.

"Well you two certainly got old," Rex comments, and Ahsoka scoffs at the irony.

"And you still have a mustache," I remark to Boil.

"Yes I do sir," he mutters proudly with a smirk.

"Well, it had to happen sometime Rex," Ahsoka replies with a smile. She then gives him a hug, and he leans back slightly in surprise before returning the embrace.

"Can I get a hug sir?" Boil asks me with amusement.

I purse my lips at him with a frown. "No," I tell him.

His face falls.

I smirk at him. "You still referred to me as Commander," I recalled.

He rolls his eyes in exasperation. "Oh you," he mutters, but we still clasp our forearms together and then share a quick bro hug, separating at the same time as Ahsoka and Rex.

"I'm glad you two are still alive," Rex tells us.

"You to," Ahsoka replies with a smile.

"Well we wouldn't be, if it weren't for these guys," Boil says, and they both gesture toward Mara and the crew.

We send nods of gratitude in their direction. "Thank you, for trusting our friends," Ahsoka says gratefully.

Kanan scoffs. "It wasn't easy," he admits, glancing down sadly. "It's still not."

"Just be glad you didn't almost take off his head," I mutter, and Boil laughs at the memory, despite how awful it was.

"Oh this I gotta hear," Mara mutters.

Ahsoka sends a grin my way, and then looks back at them. "Nothing worth doing, ever is Kanan." Ahsoka tells him.

With that being said, we turn around and head down the hallway towards the bridge as a group. Then Boil leans next to me, a questioning look in his gaze.

"So, how was the wedding?" he asks with a grin.

I stop in surprise and glance at him weirdly with wide eyes, Ahsoka also staring in bewilderment.

* * *

 _Aha, this was a good episode. Long to write too, but it was fun._


	69. Ch 68 - Worries

**Jarik POV...**

"AHH! You still have this lousy astromech?!"

The sounds of electric bursts from a shocker, and Boil's pained and irritated yelps streamed down the ship, and I sighed to myself, putting down the holocron and getting up from the bed.

"Stupid droid... whiny clones... utter morons," I grumbled to myself, headed for the door. I opened it and stepped out into the hallway, headed for where the commotion was taking place. Once I reached the main room, I found R5 with his electric prod out, beeping angrily at Boil, who was standing a few feet aware with a glare on his face, body tensed up for a fight.

"You want a piece of old Boil?!" he challenged, and R5 moved forwards eagerly, electric prod sparking.

I rolled my eyes, and with a wave of my hand sent R5 skidding backwards, slamming into the wall. He beeped in alarm and protest while Boil grinned. "Ha!"

"Can you two please shut up?!" I exclaimed. "I swear, sometimes I feel like you're worse than Kanan and Rex!"

Boil at least had the decency to look sheepish. "Sorry commander, won't happen again."

"I'm not a commander anymore Boil," I reminded him with a sigh, turning to R5. "Look, why don't you stop antagonizing Boil and try not to be offended whenever he does something!" I tell him irritably.

R5 beeps lowly in annoyance, grumbling to himself while Boil grins with a small laugh, before I turn to him. "And Boil, how about you stop whining about the droid and just try to ignore him whenever he irritates you for once?" I tell him with a raised eyebrow.

Now Boil was the one grumbling while R5 gave off quiet, amused beeps, rumbling in laughter. "I swear, it's like trying to break up a fight between children in ancient bodies.

"Hey!" Boil and R5 both exclaimed at the same time.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have some things to do," I told them, heading back to my room. Boil then moved up to my side, probably as an excuse to get away from R5. "So, what've you been up too these last few years?" he asks me.

I shrugged. "Mostly working for the Rebel Intelligence alongside Ahsoka, with the occasional mission." I told him, entering my room and sitting down on the bed. "You?"

"Same old," he remarks dismissively before frowning. "Although we did find Kix not too long ago."

"Kix?" I ask him, frowning before remembering who he was talking about. "What happened to him? He disappeared towards the end of the war," I recalled.

"Wasn't a happy story," Boil said with a sigh. "He had uncovered evidence related to the chips in our heads," he says, tapping his skull. "Before he could warn anyone though, the Separatists captured him and sent him into stasis. We only just found him recently."

I widened my eyes in surprise. "Wow. That's gotta be tough," I said. "He doing alright now?"

Boil shrugged. "He'll get through it, he's a tough guy."

I nodded my head, and Boil then looked at me. "Does Ahsoka know... about General Skywalker, sir?" he asks quietly.

I sighed, but nodded my head. "Yes. She found out recently, but we managed to make it up to each other again. It was actually while the others were getting you guys from Seelos."

"How'd she find out?" he asked.

"We recently fought him, although through a space battle. She sensed his presence, and he sensed her," I told him.

"Wait, he's still alive?" Boil exclaimed in disbelief. "I thought General Kenobi told us that he killed him on Mustafar!"

"Yeah... that's what he said..." I trailed off with a frown. "Anyways, I've got some things to do at the moment. What are you and Rex planning on doing?" I asked

"We'll offer the Spectres and the rebel fleet assistance in missions or intel. We've still got some fight in us," he told me.

"That's great," I told him with a smile. "It's good to have you back Boil."

"Good to be back sir," he told me, and then left the room, headed for the rebel cruiser which we and the Ghost were currently docked with. I watched him go and then closed the door, picking up the holocron again. I held it in my hands, contemplating what to look through this time.

Closing my eyes, I started to focus on the Force and opened it, looking for information. To my surprise, this holocron was... full of information. Centuries of data and that was just what I could feel at first, it was overwhelming! How did I not notice this before... I've kept it for the last fifteen years, yet I've never come across this stuff before. Why now?

Concentrating, I narrowed my search and began to look for anything that could relate to beings outside the known galaxy. These visions I keep having, of the purple stone and three eyed entity can't possibly be from the known galaxy, because there isn't any mention of those things anywhere. Not even in the original Jedi texts back on Ahch-To. And certainly nothing relating to Snoke either, because there is nothing on him anywhere in the galaxy, even in old records that were stored in the Jedi Temple.

However considering the Jedi's track record of sensing ancient threats rising in the dark side, I can't be too surprised.

Minutes continued to pass as I searched for something that might relate to life outside of the galaxy, when the Force shifted me in a certain direction. I came across an old entry, over three thousand years old if what I was sensing was right. The Force showed me giant metal beings... just like what Satele wrote in her journal.

 _"Something about this pod feels... alive."_ I could hear her voice echo.

As interesting as this was, I still couldn't find anything relating to that purple stone, Snoke, or that three eyed monster.

I was preparing to close out of this, when I felt the Force give me a gentle nudge in a certain direction. Confused, I followed it nonetheless, curious about what I was feeling. The plane of existence around me seemed to shift as I traveled through the holocron's well of knowledge, and then reform to a dark world.

 _Malachor._

Beneath the surface of the planet was a large temple... a Sith Temple.

All Jedi knew the story. thousands of years ago, armies of Jedi and Sith clashed on the planet, but as the Temple activated, all of them were wiped out from its energy. It's been off limits ever since.

My gaze was then directed to underneath the Temple, where in a dark cavern, probably untouched for millennia. The stalagmites and rock formations were huge, leaving a massive, empty space that echoes. There stood a pillar inside, and within that pillar towards the base was a red, glowing light. Whispers and low, quiet shrieks seemed to come from the red light, as it almost swirled with evil.

Then the image changed to showed a blue planet speckled with green, and it zoomed in on the planet to reveal a familiar sight:

The Jedi Temple on Ahch-To.

I pulled out of the holocron and reopened my eyes, watching as it gently floated back to rest in my palm, the blue glow fading away as it closed back up. The door to the room then opened, and Ahsoka stepped through.

"Everything doing alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, I replied, standing up. "Anything big possibly happening soon?"

She shook her head. "Not particularly, but Mara does want to return back to Ahch-To."

I raised an eyebrow. "How come?"

She shrugged. "Beat me, although I can sense it's probably because of Zenna."

"They haven't known each other for that long," I pointed out.

"You have to admit though that a strong bond formed between them in the brief time they knew each other, so it's not like you can blame her for this," she reasoned.

I thought about it before shrugging in agreement. "Yeah, I can agree with that. And I suppose if there's nothing serious happening at the moment we could spare some time to head to Ahch-To. There's some I'll admit I need to do there as well," I told her.

She narrowed her eyes. "Something you have to do on Ahch-To..."

"Uh huh," I told her.

"Even though we've lived there long enough for you to know practically everything about that place?"

"Yup. Key word is, 'practically.'" I told her cheekily.

She sighed in exasperation. "Alright, what did you see this time?" she asked knowingly.

"I keep getting these visions, but nothing really ever makes sense. This weird, three eyed dark creature, and also the stone underneath Vader's castle, it's getting more intense," I told her.

"Jarik, you can't keep letting yourself obsess over these things because of the fear of what it might be," Ahsoka says with a frown.

"I'm not doing it out of fear, Ahsoka, I promise," I told her sincerely. "I was looking through the holocron, and it showed me the Temple on Ahch-To. The Force is trying to tell me something," I told her.

She looked at me with narrowed eyes, trying to determine if I was leaving anything else out before sighing. "Alright. If you say so," she says.

"Thanks Ahsoka," I told her gratefully.

* * *

 _ **Dragon Island; Ahch-To**_

 **3rd person POV...**

Hookfang roared at Barf and Belch, the Zippleback getting on his nerves and lit himself on fire. Both dragons were snarling and spitting at each other, both being irritated by the recent events. Toothless stormed up to them, and eyed both dragons with a glare, also getting irritated. Before they could lunge at each other, Toothless let out a roar, a purple glow coming from his mouth. Hookfang, Barf and Belch glanced at him, and then slinked away from each other as their minds were calmed down.

Toothless watched in satisfaction, although he couldn't deny the loneliness and irritation he also felt. Not to mention being unable to fly now with Hiccup gone. He was essentially grounded for the rest of his life. Nearby, Meatlug was whining towards the sky, perched on a rock as she also missed having her rider Fishlegs around. He watched with sympathy before slinking towards the rocks, where underneath a boulder lay his saddle. He nudged it mournfully, and then rushed off towards an overlook.

Toothless gazed out towards the sea with a saddened expression, missing the companion of his friend.

Elsewhere on the island, Zenna scurried around the rocks and dead tree branches, feeling depressed. She was still very young, but she had grown quite quickly, now at around waist height for the average person. She sniffed at the ground, but otherwise didn't do much, feeling a sense of loneliness. She missed Mara, and wanted to be by her side, even if she barely knew her. Something about Mara from the start just felt immensely comforting, and delightful, and she hated not being able to be with her.

Deep in her gut Zenna knew that whatever Mara was doing was important, but she didn't understand why or what it was that could possibly keep her away for so long. She subconsciously tried feeling for the girl, but she could find anything, being too far away to know.

Behind her, Stormfly approached with a squawk, rumbling softly in her throat. Zenna turned to her mother with a sad chirp, seeking comfort from her as they nuzzled each other. The young Nadder then perked up with a growl, narrowing her eyes at a nearby patch of rocks. Stormfly took notice of her alarm and glanced over, tensing up and smelling the air. her pupils narrowed to slits at the smell of something dangerous approaching.

From behind the rocks, out slinked a black and dark red shape, snarling at the two Nadders. From what Zenna could feel from the creature, darkness and violence seemed to just ooze off of it, and she squawked fearfully, the presence overwhelming for her. Stormfly recognized the dragon as the Hssiss pack leader and roared threateningly in warning, raising her tail spikes.

The Hssiss leader narrowed its gaze on Zenna, sensing the living Force of light emanating from her, and growled. It stalked forwards with a roar, preparing to attack.

Toothless then leaped out of nowhere and stood in front of Stormfly and Zenna, roaring at the Hssiss dragon warningly. He snapped his jaw at him, pouncing forwards before backing up protectively. The Hssiss dragon shrieked back at him, unleashing a violent screech that sent the two Nadders squawking in pain, feeling their minds being invaded by the Hssiss dragon.

However Toothless roared back, his mouth glowing purple as he stopped the invasive presence of the Hssiss dragon through the Force. He then fired a plasma blast, striking the dragon full in the face and knocking him backwards. The Hssiss leader scrambled to his feet with a snarl, glaring at Toothless with pure hate, but knowing he was outmatched, he retreated, turning and running away once he was far enough.

With the threat gone, Toothless turned to face the two Nadders with a concerned warble, walking forwards and nudging them. stormfly nuzzled him back, and then Zenna chirped quietly, receiving a gentle nudge from both Stormfly and Toothless in return.

* * *

 _ **Isle of Berk; Ahch-To**_

 **Hiccup POV...**

"Arrrrrrgggh! We've been here for hours and we haven't found anything!" Snotlout complained loudly.

"We've been here for ten minutes! And you've done nothing than build, that!" I exclaimed irritably in bewilderment. Behind Snotlout was a ridiculous play structure made of rocks and sticks, resembling some sort of building. The twins stood behind it with mischievous grins on their faces, as usual.

"That is Snotlout Manor!" he says proudly. "And all I need now is a queen," he says, holding his arms out to Astrid and wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Astrid just groaned in disgust, her hands on her hips. Tuffnut then began to stomp and crush Snotlout's... Manor... screaming and yelling like a crazy person. I sighed in exasperation. Snotlout rushed over, a horrified look on his face,

"What-What are you doing?!" Snotlout exclaimed in a panic.

"Storming the castle!" Tuffnut replied happily, and Ruffnut snickered.

"Come on, guys!" I exclaimed in exasperation. "I'm telling you, Mildew framed our dragons! I saw dragon feet in Mildew's house and I watched him throw them into the ocean!" I told them.

"I don't mean to be Norbert the Negative, but the ocean is really, really vast," Fishlegs says, and Astrid nods her head. "And our chances at finding those dragon feet are as good as Snotlout and Astrid-" he starts to say, and Astrid glares at him.

"Don't go there," she warns him.

"Going nowhere!" he squeaked nervously.

Astrid walked forwards with an uncertain look on her face. "Look, Fishlegs is right. Even if Mildew did throw them in the ocean, they're not just gonna wash up on shore here," she said doubtfully.

"I found it!" Snotlout suddenly yelled excitedly.

I grinned happily at this and rushed towards him. "GREAT! Ehm... You were saying?" I told Astrid smugly.

I ran up to him, but then stopped in disbelief as he turned around with a small bludgeon. "I haven't seen this since I was a baby," he says, bashing his head twice with it. "You never forget your first bludgeon," he says fondly.

We all stare at him incredulously, and I sigh in exasperation, my mood even lower now.

"Just keep looking," I told them sadly.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

The sound of banging on an anvil, and Gobber's grunts could be heard from the forge. He then lifted up a newly finished axe with a triumphant grin.

"One down, 345 to go!" he exclaimed cheerfully.

Behind him, Stoick sighed. "Can't you do that any faster? Until you restock our weapons, we're completely defenseless," he told him urgently.

"Maybe you should have thought about that before sending the dragons away." Gobber replied with a dull look, taking the axe to the spinning wheel.

"You know I had no choice. They destroyed the armory!" he argued.

"Or how about calling up Jarik and Ahsoka? I'm sure they'd be of some good defense with that flying boat of theirs," Gobber suggested, sharpening the axe.

"And how do you suggest we do that Gobber?" Stoick asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Use one of their magic talking things!" he said with a grin.

"We don't have one of those!" Stoick sighed in exasperation. "Besides, they're off busy fighting their own war against an Empire. They can't afford to be distracted by our own problems!"

"This would be a bad time to get attacked." Gobber pointed out.

"I know, Gobber," he said.

"Not that there's ever a good time, but this would be particularly bad!" Gobber remarked again.

"I know, Gobber." Stoick replied in irritation.

"Especially by Alvin," he added, and Stoick stopped walking in frustration. "The Treacherous. Our oldest and most-feared enemy. Who'd kill us all to take Berk for his own!"

"I got it, Gobber!" Stoick exclaimed in annoyance before looking out at the ocean with narrowed eyes. "Alvin the Treacherous..." he muttered, remembering him all too well.


	70. Ch 69 - Alvin and the Outcasts

_Has anyone else noticed how much I love premonitions and foreshadowing, especially with Jarik? Sometimes making references to future events is something I love doing, and I'm starting to wonder whether or not I'm focusing too much on the future instead of the present. :P_

 _Ah well._

* * *

 _ **Outcast Island; Ahch-To**_

 **3rd person POV...**

"Alvin, they're coming back!" someone yelled.

Said Viking turned away from the burning scene of the island and looked up, where several more dragons soared upwards in an arc, turning for another strafing run at the island. Monstrous Nightmare's and Deadly Nadder's all shot long bursts of flame at the Outcasts, leaving a trail of fire and smoke in their wake. Most of the rocky island was in flames, and Alvin scowled angrily. Looking over, he saw two of his men trying to flip over an overturned catapult, failing miserably.

Now Alvin the Treacherous was a big husk of a man, rivaling even Stoick the Vast in size and strength, with a massive, unruly beard and bad temper. He stormed over to the men manning the catapult.

"Out of me way!" he yelled, throwing one to the side and punching the other away. He grabbed the catapult and started pulling it up, groaning in anger.

"You can't find good marauders anywhere theses days!" he exclaimed with a grunt, flipping the catapult over and onto its feet. He picked up a large boulder and slammed it into the holder, looking up and spotting an approaching Nightmare. He pulled the catapult to aim in its direction, and just as the dragon lit itself on fire, he kicked the lever. The boulder flew off the catapult, striking the Nightmare head on and sending it tumbling to the ground with a pained cry. He watched it fall with contempt, the island burning around him.

"Alvin, there are too many of them!" Savage, his second in command yelled. "We need to get inside!"

Alvin looked around at all the swirling dragons in the air, his anger building even more. Finally, when two Monstrous Nightmare's made a strafing run of fire towards him, he turned around and strode into their underground hideout, not caring for the explosive flames behind him. As soon as he walked through the door, Savage slammed the door closed and threw a wooden beam up to lock it, covering his head and scampering away when the fire hit it.

Underneath the island in their caverns were the rest of the Outcast Tribe, those who have been exiled and deemed to dangerous from other Viking Tribes, even by their standards. Alvin marched up to a dimly lit brazier, where a map of Berk lay.

"Oh, I've had it with these dragons! Is the ship ready?" Alving demanded.

"We still have a little more work to do." Savage admitted.

"That's not my problem, is it? We sail for Berk immediately! We'll land here," he says, pointing towards a more hidden cove on Berk's island. "Under the cover of night."

Savage frowns and looks up at Alvin in confusion. "Why aren't we taking the whole army?" he asks.

"We're not there to fight Stoick!" Alvin retorts. "We're there for one man: The Dragon Conqueror!"

"Oh, and you'll have him!" Savage exclaims. "We hear he's ten feet tall with the strength of a dozen men."

Alvin chuckled in amusement. "Well, he shouldn't be too hard to find then, should he?" he asked with a grin.

"Well, finding him won't be the hard part." Savage added.

"And what could you mean by that?" Alving demanded.

"Well, you see, there are rumors that Berk is guarded by witches with unnatural powers, claiming to be Jedi," he says.

Alvin stares at him before laughing mockingly in amusement. "Hahahaha! Jedi? Oh please, just an old fairy's tale!" he scoffed.

"But what if it is true?" Savage questioned.

"It's not!" he retorted with a scowl. "Whoever is trying to act like a god would be frauds! I never thought Stoick would fall so low as to use old myths to protect himself! We'll kill them too!" he declares.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

It's been about a day since we left the Rebellion in order to head back to Ahch-To, and I was currently sitting in the Jedi Temple, in deep meditation. We had let the the Spectres, Rex and Boil know that we would be leaving again, to search for more clues about the Sith. Well, it was a sort of half truth, but we didn't want to worry them over some things that were out of their control. They had to focus more on the Empire, and Ezra's training.

Mara was excited to be back, probably due to possibly being able to meet Zenna again. R5 was grumpy as usual, but there's nothing really that'll change about that aspect of him.

As for me, I was searching for answers of what could possibly be the deal with what else was on Ahch-To that I missed. It had to be something, but so far the Force wasn't telling me what. My meditation was interrupted as Ahsoka entered the Temple, and I glanced up at her.

"Mara's just about ready to head back to Berk," she told me. "Do you wish to come, or are you to deep in figuring out what else is on the island?"

"You can go on without me, I just can't get my mind off of this mystery," I told her. She shrugged.

"Alright, well, good luck on your meditation," she says, heading back towards the Jedi village. "Say hi to Satele for me if you have a conversation with her ghost again!"

"Oh don't worry, I will if I do," I called back, watching her go with a small smile. It was late in the afternoon, but that wasn't to big of a deal.

Once she was gone, I glanced around the Temple with a frown, wondering what else could be in here. I moved towards the center of the cave, looking at the mosaic of the Prime Jedi. A small layer of water covered its surface, giving the mosaic a glistening and shimmering effect. I felt along the art for any sort of hidden button or... something, but there was nothing, just a regular tile picture. then I felt around its rocky ledge, but just like the tile, there was nothing else.

I stood back up, and after a few moments glanced over at Satele's lightsaber again. Thinking, I walked over to it and held out an arm, using the Force to open the compartment where Satele kept her journal. Pulling out the journal and placing it carefully next to her lightsaber, I felt along the inside for anything, even stretching out with the Force, but after a minute, I had to conclude there wasn't anything else behind that either. Placing Satele's journal back inside, I closed the compartment and stood back with a frown, crossing my arms.

What did the Force want to show me?

* * *

 **Hiccup POV...**

After failing to convince my dad about Mildew's fraud that evening, I was walking with Astrid along one of the cliffs outside of the village. "Astrid, we'll prove Mildew did it. We have to if we ever want to see our dragons again!" I said determinedly.

"I just hope they're okay," she says sadly. "Zenna looked pretty upset when she realized we were leaving them."

I sighed. "Yeah, Zenna is certainly something," I agreed. "If only the others were here right now."

"It's easy to tell that she misses Mara at least. I've found her looking up at the sky during the night a lot," Astrid added. She then frowned and brushed passed me, looking out at the ocean near the sea stacks.

"Why would one of our ships be anchoring there?" she asks in confusion.

I pull out my spy glass and head forwards, looking in the direction of the ship.

"Is it possibly Mara and the others?" Astrid asks curiously.

Once I get a look at the symbol on the sails, and the design of their ships, my heart fills with dread. "No. It's not one of our ships either!" I said in alarm. "I gotta tell Dad. Come on!"

We run back towards the village, going to warn the others that the Outcasts were invading.

* * *

 **Ahsoka POV...**

We were almost to Berk, traveling on our speeder. The suns were close to setting, touching the horizon at this point and turning it a mixture of colors, navy blue, purple and pink. Winter season was ending, and Spring was coming around for the year, meaning less snow.

"So, what are you planning on doing once we reach Berk?" I ask Mara, glancing at her while piloting the speeder.

She shrugged. "Eh, say hello to Zenna again, catch up with Hiccup and Astrid, see if they've done any crazy things recently," she says.

"I honestly expected a little more than that considering how eager you were for this," I admitted.

"Well, Zenna is quite a handful. I wonder how much she's grown?" she wondered out loud.

I didn't answer, but was instead glancing at the sky. High overhead, I could see Morai flying around, flapping her wings just barely out of sight. It's the first time I've seen her in a while, and usually her presence meant something was going on. Our return to Ahch-To, Jarik's visions, along with the realization of who Vader really was happening so close together couldn't be a coincidence.

Something was going to happen.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

Finding nothing inside the Jedi Temple was admittedly surprising, and also disappointing. Considering this was what I saw in my vision, it had to be in there, right?

Althought the Force worked in mysterious ways, which honestly was quite frustrating. Why show me all these things through visions, when I don't have any hope of understanding them? That's why I was now currently headed for the Jedi Library, in the tree constantly shrouded in mist no matter the time of day, season, or weather. It's kind of like Dragon Island with its constant mist, until the Red Death died that is.

Walking slowly up the stone steps to enter the tree, I listened as the usual whispers echoed around it through the Force. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but it was once again another reminder how strongly the Force revolved around this place. Entering the tree, I approached the shelf containing the books and looked through them, deciding which book to choose first. The language on them was old, but luckily lived through the Order after millennia, being taught to us in the Temple.

I picked out one book, which wrote about different places and beings the Prime Jedi and his followers traveled to or met. This would be most likely to shed some light about this. Opening up the pages, I skimmed through it, searching for any key words like the Yuuzhan Vong. The giant metal beings were already written about in the Prime Jedi's personal journal, as well as Satele's so they weren't my biggest concern at the moment, considering I haven't had any visions of them... at least I don't think I did.

Leaning against the wall, I read through the book, hoping to find answers.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

After Hiccup had relayed the news of Outcasts invading, everyone was gathered in the Great Hall in deep discussion, some panicking about what could possibly happening, others wondering why they were here now, and some even hoping that Jarik, Ahsoka and Mara were with them right now. Stoick and Gobber surveyed the villagers, and the chief had finally had enough.

"This is no time to panic! That's what the Outcasts are counting on!" Stoick exclaimed.

"Stoick!" Sven yelled, rushing up to him.

"Sven, did you get a count?" he asked.

"I saw thirty men at least, all armed to the teeth." Sven reported gravely.

"Without any weapons, we'll never be able to fight them head on," Gobber added in concern.

an old, cranky voice drew their attention, as well as their annoyance. "No weapons! And Outcasts on our shores! All thanks to your boy and his dragons!" he exclaimed irritably. "Whose to say the gods aren't also punishing us with the Outcasts by allowing witches into our midst?"

Hiccup, Astrid and the rest of the gang all glared at him, and Stoick gave him a hard stare. "I don't have time for your garbage right now, Milde," he retorted, and Mildew grumbled in irritation. Stoick turned to a few others. "Mulch! You and Bucket gather the elders and the children. Get them to Thor's beach. They'll be safe in the caves there."

Mulch nodded, and he and Bucket rushed off while Astrid and Snotlout moved forwards. "We can help fight! We've been trained as warriors," she said confidently.

"She may have been trained, but I was born a warrior." Snotlout boasted.

"Take this." Stoick says, handing out an axe. Snotlout prepares to take it with an excited grin, before his face fell as the axe went to Astrid. "It was Alvin's. But go with the others. You can help protect them."

Astrid nods in understanding, and she, Snotlout and the rest of the gang head with the villagers. Hiccup walks forwards.

"Let me go get the dragons. At least if we have them, Dad, we can defend ourselves," Hiccup asks.

Stoick sighed, but nodded in agreement. "Go. But be careful. You don't know what Alvin is capable of."

Once Hiccup was gone, Stoick turned towards the others who still remained. Gobber, Spitelout, and Phlegma.

"The rest of you! We'll head to the woods. Nobody knows that forest like we do!" he announces, heading for the door as they follow after him. Spitelout cracks his knuckles with a grin, while Gobber raises a fist.

"And when Alvin comes to looking for us there, he'll walk right into our trap!" Gobber declares confidently.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile...**_

Out in the middle of the night, Fishlegs was seated on a ledge overlooking the ocean, staring up at the full moon. He was busy mourning the loss of Meatlug. "Oh, Meatlug, I miss you. The moon is full, my heart is empty. What rhymes with empty?" he wonders.

Unfortunately for him, during his attempts at poetry he didn't notice the figure of Alvin and several Outcats march up behind him. The Outcast Chief smirked wickedly. "Don't waste your time."

Fishlegs widened his eyes in fear and slowly turned around, spotting Alvin leering over him.

"Nothing rhymes with empty," he said, reaching down. He grabbed Fishlegs by the shirt and lifted him up, while the boy gasped in terror. "Who's the Dragon Conqueror? Or the Jedi frauds?" Alving demanded.

Fishlegs whimpered, glancing around before his fear got the better of him. He opened his mouth and let out a shrill, terrified scream. Alvin winced at the sound before scowling, throwing Fishlegs off the cliff and into the water. He watched the splash created by Fishlegs before turning around, continuing on towards the village.

* * *

 **Ahsoka POV...**

We were close to the island when we heard a shrieking scream echoing in the distance, much to our surprise and alarm.

"That was Fishlegs!" Mara said. "I knew he got scared of things easily, but I've never heard him scream like that before," she said worriedly.

"I don't believe so either," I said in agreement. I then noticed a wooden ship anchored near a sea stack and slowed the speeder down, eventually coming to a complete stop and narrowing my eyes.

"What is it mom?" Mara asked.

I observed the ship, noticing some red lights coming from it as well as the distant sound of talking. However I didn't recognize that ship from any of Berk's armada, and based on Fishlegs scream, and the strange area to anchor a ship, these must be invaders.

"I believe Berk has been invaded," I told her quietly.

"What?" she exclaimed in alarm.

"Shh," I told her harshly, observing the boat a little bit more.

"Well, where are the dragons then?" Mara asked quietly. "If Berk was invaded we would be seeing them all bombarding these guys from the air," she pointed out.

"Yes we would," I said in agreement. "Something happened while we've been gone."

"So, what do we do?" she asked me.

"First, we need to find Stoick," I decided, starting up the speeder again and slowly heading towards a nearby beach, out of view of the ship and anywhere else.

* * *

 **Hiccup POV...**

I rushed down towards the docks as quickly as possible, looking for a small boat that I'd be able to take to Dragon Island. However, when I was halfway down, I noticed some red torchlight near the water. Taking a closer look, I realized with alarm that it was from an Outcast boat docking. Another glance at the bay showed their ship just out of sight around a sea stack.

I backed up quietly, rushing back up the docks and into the village. I'd have to find another way off the island. However, before I could get too far, I saw more red torchlight rounding the corner, revealing a few burly Outcasts. I backed up, turning the other way again before seeing that I was trapped between two search patrols. With no other option available, I slid underneath the porch of a nearby house and warily watched them walk by.

"Keep looking!" I heard one of them tell the rest.

I exhaled nervously. "Where's Mara and the others when you need them?" I muttered to myself. I then heard a small rustling sound behind me and tensed up, turning my head around. I gave a small cry of alarm upon seeing someone behind me, only to relax when it was just Fishlegs.

"Ah! Fishlegs!" I exclaimed.

"Alvin's looking for you," he whimpered. "He's looking for, the Dragon conquerer, and Mara and the others," he told me.

I widened my eyes in surprise before looking down in thought.

* * *

Me and Fishlegs quietly followed the Outcasts up towards the armory, where we found none other than Alvin himself, looking through the destroyed weapons with a chuckle. He picks up a mangled sword and looks around.

"Looks like Stoick isn't as armed as we'd anticipated," he said.

"From the looks of the armory, he's not armed at all!" his right hand exclaimed eagerly. Oh boy. The two then walked up to my house, and I gestured to Fishlegs to follow me along the side of it. He whimpered nervously, but complied, staying behind me. i glanced around the corner, watching as they stopped before the door.

"Hmm... Should I knock? I mean, what's the etiquette in these situations?" he asked rhetorically in amusement. A moment later, he kicked the door down with a yell, and marched inside. "I think that seems about right," I heard him say. "Stoick! Show your face!"

There was silence as his right hand and another Outcast entered the house after him. "The old coward's turned and run," I heard behind the walls.

"I spotted fresh tracks leading into the forest. And I heard reports of a big guy with a bucket on his head heading down to the beach!" I heard the Outcast say, and widened my eyes in alarm.

"Ehh, we'll split up. All of you, go into the woods," he says to the search party outside of the house.

"Where are we going?" his right hand asked.

"We'll go to the beach! How many hostages do you think a Dragon Conqueror and a Jedi fraud is worth?" Alvin questions as they walk away

"Seven! No! Eight!" I hear the others exclaim eagerly. I turned back with a look of worry on my face, thinking fast about the situation.

"What do we do now?" Fishlegs asks worriedly.

"Go to the woods and warn my father. I need to get ahead of Alvin and warn Mulch and the others," I told him, and he nodded his head in understanding.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

"When they come looking for us in the forest, they'll have to come through here," Gobber says.

"Alright, what do we have?" Stoick asks.

They all look at the ground, where the stuff they gathered was laid out. "Two frying pans, a rolling pin, and a kitchen knife," Gobber replies.

"Are you serious Gobber?" Spitelout asks in disbelief.

"And what are we gonna do when we find Alvin? Bake him a cake?!" he demands sarcastically.

Gobber shrugs, leaning down and picking up the kitchen knife. "Eh, pie would be nice too. Who doesn't like pie?" he asks. He flips the knife in his hand before throwing it at a tree. The knife blade stabs into the tree, and a moment later, the entire tree trunk splits in half, from head to toe, and falls to the ground.

The others all stare in bewilderment and shock, while Gobber grins happily. "That, could be useful!" he declares.

"It is also, one of the most outrageous things I've seen," a voice calls out.

The Vikings all look around in alarm before a figure drops down from the tree several feet away from them, landing in a crouch. They all relax once they recognize it as Ahsoka. Mara drops down beside her as well.

"Ahsoka! Mara, thank Thor," Stoick says in relief.

"Thought you two would never show up," Gobber adds with a grin.

"I have to admit, I never thought we'd come back to see you being invaded," Ahsoka commented.

"Tell me about it," Gobber muttered.

"What happened to the dragons?" Mara asks in confusion with a frown.

Stoick sighs. "It's complicated. What about Jarik? Where's he?" he questions.

"He's back at the Temple. He has his own things to attend to," Ahsoka informs him. "So, what is your plan so far?"

Stoick and Gobber glance at each other, and the rest of the Vikings all shrug. Ahsoka and Mara share a look before staring at them with raised eyebrows.

"That bad huh?" Ahsoka deadpans.

* * *

 _ **Later...**_

Several minutes later, Gobber ran through the trees, attracting the attention of the Outcasts searching for them.

"There he is! Get em!" one yelled, and the others all charged after Gobber with war cries.

"Oh you lousy Outcasts!" Gobber yelled over his shoulder. "You'll never take me alive!"

He jumped off of a small ledge, hobbling on rather quickly for a peg-legged Viking, and the Outcasts followed, cornering him against a rock wall. Gobber turned around, breathing quickly, a grin on his face.

"Looks like you got me boys," he admitted.

"Come on, get him!" one yelled, and they all charged forwards, weapons raised and screaming.

Stoick then appeared out of a bush and caught one Outcast completely unawares, punching him in the face and knocking him out cold. Phlegma threw a pair of bolas at another Outcast, tripping up his feet. Gobber took down another with his stone hammer, while Stoick and Spitelout easily took care of the rest. Stoick knocked one out from behind and then grabbed the handle of his axe, slamming it into the face of an Outcast behind him. he dropped the weapon with contempt, while Gobber approached with a grin.

"Or maybe its we who got you," he corrected.

Five more Outcasts then appeared out of the bushes, all charging for the Vikings with weapons raised and screaming war cries. Stoick scowled and readied for a fight, but before they could get close, Ahsoka jumped down from the top of the cliff, flipping through the air. Her foot slammed into one Outcast on the way down, and she kicked off of his face to another, swinging her foot out and knocking him to the ground.

Mara leapt out of the bushes and leapt forwards, kicking another Outcast in the the face, and then using the Force to throw another against a rock wall. The last one tried charging at Ahsoka, swinging his axe, but Ahsoka easily sidestepped and grabbed his arm, elbowing him in the face before kneeing him in the gut, easily knocking him out.

The Vikings watched, admittedly impressed by the skill the two showed in that short fight. The only other time they had really saw them in battle was in the Kill Ring, and against the Hssiss dragons, but they were in too much adrenaline or rage to recognize their skill, which could rival even Stoick's.

"Well, that was admitted impressive," Spitelout muttered.

"Thanks," Mara grinned, before she frowned.

"Someone else is approaching," Ahsoka said, and none of them bothered questioning how they knew, as a moment later they could hear rustling in the bushes.

"That way, over there," Stoick whispered, and they all split up.

Stoick managed to catch a glimpse of someone running through the forest, while Ahsoka and Mara both listened. he then charged after the running figure, when Ahsoka widened her eyes.

"Wait," she called out, but Stoick was already leaping through the air. He slammed into the figure, rolling over top of them before raising his fist. Fishlegs widened his eyes and flinched away.

"Stoick! No!" he shrieked.

Stoick widened his eyes before lowering his fist. "For the love of Thor Fishlegs I could have killed you!" he exclaimed.

"Thank you, for not killing me," he said sheepishly, and Stoick let him up.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Alvin the Treacherous grabbed me. He looked really treacherous!" he exclaimed in fright.

"I know they're here Fishlegs," Stoick said in exasperation.

"Yeah! They're here for Hiccup, and Mara's family!" he exclaimed.

Stoick widened his eyes. "Hiccup?" he whispered worriedly.

"Wait, who's after us and Hiccup?" Mara asked, jumping down beside them, along with Ahsoka. Fishlegs widened his eyes.

"Mara?! You're here?! Oh thank Odin!" he cried out happily.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile...**_

Out on Thor's beach, the rest of the Outcasts had all surrounded the villagers of Berk, closing them in with weapons and preventing escape. Most of Berk's warriors were scattered throughout the woods fighting other Outcast patrols aside from Stoick's group, so they weren't as well equipped to fight off their captors. Alvin stood before the crowd, a grin on his face.

"For those of you who haven't figured it out... I am the one and only Alvin the Treacherous. And let me be clear, that name was earned!" he declared proudly.

The gang all glared at him, while Tuffnut just scoffed. "Alvin? Pfft, how'd he earn that?" he asked sarcastically, and Ruffnut snickered.

"Your leader has abandoned ya. But Stoick doesn't concern me. I'm not here for him. I want the Dragon Conqueror, and your pathetic Jedi frauds!" Alvin declares.

Mildew perks up eagerly. Say goodbye to Hiccup and your witch friends!" he whispers excitedly to Astrid, who widens her eyes in alarm. He raises his hand with a grin. "Alvin!"

Before he could say any more, Astrid elbowed him in the face, knocking the old man out and caught him in her arms. Alvin looked over with a frown, and she smiled at him. "My grandfather's frail. He needs his nap," she said sheepishly.

Alvin rolled his eyes and turned away, thinking nothing of it. Immediately Astrid dropped Mildew on the ground without a care, brushing her hands off.

"Well, like I said... tell me who the Dragon Conqueror is and who the Jedi frauds are, and you can all go free!" Alvin promised.

Conqueror? Fraud?" Snotlout scoffed. "Come on! I'll show Alvin who the real fraud is and who really is a conquerer," he says confidently, pulling out his baby bludgeon. Tuffnut and Ruffnut both smirked eagerly, silently cheering him on. Snotlout climbed up onto the rock ledge Alvin was standing on, and charged at him with his bludgeon raised. Just as he was about to attack, Alvin turned around to face him with a glare.

Snotlout stopped nervously and held the bludgeon in his direction as an offering. "For you, sir," he said.

"Well, you'd better check your trousers, son." Alvin remarks, taking the bludgeon and shoving Snotlout aside. "I think you've soiled yourself."

Astrid then threw the axe directly at Alvin. It went soaring through the air, but the Outcast leader simply caught it without looking, and then glanced at the weapon with surprise. "Will you look at that! My old hatchet. I was wondering when I'd get that back," he said casually.

Savage then shoved Astrid up to face him, and he turned towards her with a grin.

"Trying to kill Alvin the Treacherous? Ooh hoo!" he exclaimed gleefully, moving behind her. "You're not as smart as you look. Tell me, who's your Dragon Conqueror, eh?"

He then grabbed her hair and pulled, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Tell me!" he yelled. "Or better yet, how about the names of those pathetic Jedi frauds?"

"Leave her alone!" a voice suddenly yelled, and they looked over to see Hiccup pop out from behind the rocks, a stern look on his face.

"Hiccup! What are you doing?" Astrid asked angrily, although with a hint of worry.

Hiccup stood up confidently before everyone, and gestured to himself. "I'm the Dragon Conqueror," he stated.

Alvin gaped at him before chuckling, soon laughing mockingly in amusement. Savage and the other Outcasts all joined in, pointing mocking fingers at Hiccup. "You? Stoick's little embarrassment?" Alvin questioned in astonishment.

"I drove the dragons from Berk. Look around. You don't see any on this island, do you?" Hiccup asked rhetorically.

Alvin glanced around with narrowed eyes, still not fully believing it. Hiccup glanced at Astrid and gave her a nod.

"I-It's true! All the dragons are afraid of him. He also conquered a Night Fury, even an entire Hssiss dragon pack!" Astrid exclaimed, going along with it.

Alvin furrowed his brow and strode up to Hiccup, looming over him intimidatingly with a scowl. "You're bluffing," he accused. "Even if I were to believe you, Hssiss dragons are impossible to conquer. They might as well be the spawn of Fenrir," he challenged.

Hiccup stood his ground. "Am I? Well, there's only one way to find out. Take me to Dragon Island."

Alvin stared at him with narrowed eyes, considering.

* * *

 ** _Later..._**

About ten minutes later, Alvin had taken off with Savage and several of his men, bringing Hiccup with them. the rest of the Outcasts stayed with the villagers, keeping them captive. They were keeping watch, when a nearby tree branch shifted, moving across the ground. They all glanced at it with confusion, before returning to observing the villagers, paying it no mind.

However, the tree branch moved again, this time skidding across the beach without any help, in a way that got everyone's attention. The gang all widened their eyes in realization, while the Outcasts muttered to each other nervously. One finally decided to approach the branch cautiously, and moved to pick it up. The branch then skidded back again towards the trees, and he followed after it. When it disappeared behind the bushes, the Outcast rushed to catch it, everyone watching. He disappeared into the bushes as well.

Moments later, some sort of glowing white sword appeared, and the Outcast could only cry out in shock and alarm before his weapon was sliced apart, and the blade vanished, as well as the Outcast's cries.

"Woah..." Tuffnut muttered in wonder.

"Awesome," Ruffnut whispered.

astrid grinned to herself, eager to see what happened next, having only seen them briefly in action.

The Outcasts all looked around in a panic, raising their weapons. "Who's there?! Show yourself!" one yelled out warningly.

The white sword then appeared again, and everyone looked over at it, the Outcasts widening their eyes in terror at the sight of Ahsoka who approached, holding her lightsaber in front of her, casting her face in an eerie glow. "Hello boys," she said with a grin.

Some Outcasts yelled in terror, and another pointed at her. "Get that witch!" he cried.

Just then, Stoick, Gobber and the rest of the group charged out of the bushes. Gobber jabbed one Outcast in the back with his hook, and Stoick grabbed another, throwing him against the wall. Spitelout and Phlegma battled against three other Outcasts, and then Mara jumped out of a tree, kicking an Outcast in the head knocking him out.

Ahsoka leaped into the fray, rolling underneath the swipe of a weapon before swinging her lightsaber, cutting it in half. The Outcast had only a second to look at his axe handle in shock before being kicked in the face. She then elbowed another in the gut, and cut apart the weapons of two more before slamming them into the rocks with the Force.

Stoick punched one in the back, knocking him off of the cliff ledge, and he fell to the ground with a cry. As he moved to get up, Stoick landed on top of him, foot on his chest. "Where's Alvin?!" he demanded.

The Outcast merely spit at his feet. "You and your witch can burn in Hel!" he yelled angrily.

Stoick growled and grabbed his shirt, lifting him up while pulling his fist back. Before he could deliver the punch, Astrid rushed up beside him.

"Alvin took Hiccup!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Stoick asked in alarm.

"He gave himself up! They're on their way to dragon island!" she told him.

He widened his eyes and the glanced down at the Outcast, who was scowling at him. He quickly knocked him unconscious with a quick punch to the face before standing up. "Oh Hiccup, what are you planning," he muttered angrily, although the worry in his tone was obvious.

Meanwhile, Spitelout, Phlegma, Mara and Ahsoka had all finished up taking down the rest of the Outcasts holding the villagers hostage. Ahsoka kicked one away before landing back on the ground, deactivating her lightsaber with a thoughtful expression.

"Well that went well," she commented.

"I thought it was fun," Mara added with a grin.

"That, was, AWESOME!" Tuffnut suddenly yelled, and Ahsoka flinched at the loudness of his voice before turning around the face him. "The whole moving the log thing, and then making him scream in terror like a yak! It was glorious!" he said excitedly.

"Not to mention terrifying when you revealed yourself to them," Ruffnut added with a grin.

"Yeah, even gave me the willies despite knowing your plan." Gobber remarked with a shiver.

"Well, I suppose it worked then," she replied with a shrug. "When I was a teenager I had a few encounters with someone named Ventress, who's species are literally referred to as witches. Guess I channeled some of that."

"What was she like?" Ruffnut asked eagerly.

"Ok, that's enough witch talk." Mara said with a frown, shoving the twins away.

Stoick and Astrid then rushed up to them, concern on their faces. "We have a serious problem. Do we have any ships ready?" he asked.

"I believe so, why?" Gobber questioned.

"Alvin took Hiccup to Dragon Island." Astrid explained.

Mara widened her eyes. "What?" she asked in alarm.

"Where the rest of the dragons are..." Ahsoka said slowly in thought.

"Umm, you know what happened? But you've been gone," Fishlegs said.

"Stoick and the others explained it to us," Ahsoka told him. "If Hiccup had Alvin bring him to Dragon Island, then it's obvious that he plans to get the help of Toothless and the dragons there," she said.

"That's what I was thinking," Astrid said in agreement.

"Well then what are we waiting for?" Mara asked rhetorically.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

I sighed in exasperation, putting the book back onto the shelf and holding my head in my hands. I didn't have to read everything to know that I wasn't going to find anything related to what I was looking for in that book, and definitely not in the other books. Maybe somewhere in the Prime Jedi's journal, but I'd have to read through that again, and I'm certain that I would've remembered anything relating to what I was seeing in my visions.

I glancing at the exit to the tree, noticing it was bright outside again. I've been sitting inside this tree for the whole night, no wonder I was exhausted. Heading back outside, I looked out at the suns rising above the horizon and exhaled, trying to calm my mind. Sitting down cross legged, I tried thinking of focusing myself in the Force again, like Obi-Wan taught me, and closed my eyes. Breathing in and out, I relaxed a little bit more and tried to clear my head of all the stress I was feeling from this mystery.

After a few moments, or maybe a few minutes I was unsure, I started to sense the Force around me, using the living Force within the tree to help focus my senses. I felt through it, furrowing my brow and feeling for anything important on the island, anything the FOrce was trying to tell me.

Then I felt something guide me along the island, sensing the caretakers village, the stone huts where me, Ahsoka and Mara slept, the place where the Knight Hawk was parked... and then the Kyber Crystal caves. I felt something flowing strongly around the caves, and opened my eyes, sensing that was where I needed to go.

What better place to learn about some dark, chaotic being with three eyes than on the place where there was literally natural darkness?

* * *

 _I have a new side story called Adventures on Ahch-To. It'll be detailing the events of the HTTYD TV series if anyone is interest in reading it._

 _Thank you guys again for your continued support for my story, and I'll continue to make more (hopefully) enjoyable content for you guys! :D_


	71. Ch 70 - Tale of the King

**Jarik POV...**

I looked down the hole into the crystal caves, a frown on my face. As usual, this area of the island felt darker and was more chaotic than the rest, and the dark side seeped out of the hole. It was easy to sense, and visually it wasn't as pretty as anywhere else either. Black seaweed clung to the hole and grew out of it, while the waves continuously crashed violently onto the dark rocks.

I kneeled down beside the hole and felt along its sides, stretching out with the Force to find anything of interest. Nothing really came up, so I stood back to my feet and took off my cloak, lying it on the ground beside me so it wouldn't blow away. I then took a deep breathe and jumped down into the cavern, diving into the water. I kicked and swam up towards the surface, coming out where the rock ledge was into the caves. Pulling myself up, I shook my hair out of some of the water before glancing around. The small amount of light that shined through the entrance didn't really make much of a difference down here, the darkness absorbing it into nothing.

I stepped up through the the cave and crossed the room to stand in front of the mirror of rock. Closing my eyes, I raised an arm and pressed a hand to the wall, feeling out with the Force again, this time the light side and the dark. A breeze ruffled through me, and when I reopened my eyes I was now in a massive expanse of nothing. It felt and looked like the cave, but there was no sign of the cave ceiling, or the walls. I turned around and spotted a cloaked figure far away from me. Narrowing my eyes, I watched as the figure stepped forwards and raised its head, a gleam coming from his yellow eyes.

 _ **"At last, we meet again Shan,"**_ Darth Sidious says with a smirk.

I simply stare back with a hard gaze, unaffected.

 _ **"Why come down here? To seek answers to your foolish dreams? For hope? To stop me?"**_ he taunts, beginning to cackle as he walks closer to me, hands held in front of him.

"Enough," I command firmly, causing him to stop in his tracks. "No more illusions. Show me what I came here for."

Darth Sidious frowns, his eyes gleaming angrily with hate before he begins to fade away, along with the rest of the room. I then come back to stand before the mirror wall, and at the direction of the Force, look to my right, where the kyber crystal cave lies. I can sense the FOrce seeking me to go in there, so I heed its instruction and enter the cave, searching out whatever it wishes me to see.

* * *

 **Ahsoka POV...**

Mara and I had gone along with Stoick, Gobber, Hoark, and the rest of the gang on one of their ships after Alvin's crew. I was observing as they got their catapults ready, and Stoick was going over their plan.

"When we get there, we'll lay down cover fire with these catapults," he said, turning to Mara and Astrid. "Astrid, Mara, you get your dragons."

"No! Save your cover fire for the others, sir!" Snotlout declared as Hoark and the twins loaded a catapult, placing a boulder in its scoop. "I can handle myself."

Right as he said that, he leaned on the firing lever for the catapult, and the sent the boulder flying with a surprised grunt. Everyone watched it go in disbelief and annoyance, but I just rolled my eyes and raised an arm. Catching the boulder in midair, I brought it back towards the ship and laid it beside the catapult. "Back in the Clone Wars, that's what we'd call, a _bishwag_ ," I commented.

"Oh that sounds about right," Mara said with a grin.

"I'll fire extra rounds to cover that one," Gobber muttered to Stoick.

"What does that mean?" I hear Astrid ask Mara.

"Untrustworthy," she replies, and Astrid snickered in agreement.

Tuffnut and Ruffnut then approached Stoick, bashing their fists together menacingly. "Sir, we'd like to personally volunteer to kick Alvin's butt!" Tuffnut declared.

"This isn't about Alvin. It's about Hiccup. We're here to bring him home," Stoick replied sternly.

I looked out in the direction of Dragon Island, which was just beginning to come into view on the horizon with a frown. I had the feeling that we might have an unexpected visitor one way or another... although I'm not sure why. It's not like I've met any of these 'Outcasts' before.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

On Dragon Island, Zenna was frolicking through some bushes, the rest of the dragons not too far off, but she was effectively alone. she was still mourning being without their human companions, and she also missed Mara greatly, having not seen her for some time. Being out by herself on Dragon Island still had its dangers, but there wasn't any fear of the Hssiss dragon for the moment, with it having been driven off for the time being by Toothless. But that wasn't the only thing after Zenna.

Hidden in another bush nearby, a figure watched Zenna with narrowed eyes, targeting her for a special reason. Normally, being a Force sensitive dragon would mean that Zenna would be able to sense someone watching her much better than a dragon's usual sense, but not this time. The figure that was hunting her in some way was immune to that, but wanted her precisely for her Force abilities.

He brushed his hair out of his face, carefully pulling out a net gun and taking aim. As he directed his weapon towards Zenna, she began to sense danger and warnings and perked up with narrowed eyes, growling low in her throat. Her head then snapped towards the hunters direction with a squawk of alarm, but it was too late.

The net launched.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

The kyber crystals sparkled around me, glowing in different hues of blue, green, sometimes a more neutral silver. The energy generated from them was enough to light up the cave dimly so that I could see where I was going with my eyes. I wasn't sure where I was headed, but I had already gone down deeper than I ever had before, and the area was unfamiliar to me. As I walked, I thought about the possibilities of what might be at the bottom.

I most likely thought there would be some sort of book or journal hidden down in these caves, but I've already found plenty of those. Maybe some hidden stone wall with writing on it? Or some sort of holocron, or maybe even receiving a Force vision showing the full thing instead of just bits and pieces, I don't know. I stopped briefly and felt along the wall, noticing the crystals were getting slightly bigger, now double their usual size. I frowned but continued on, not thinking too much of it.

The Force then flared briefly on my left, and when I looked over in that direction, I noticed an entrance into another cave, although it seemed like it was glowing much brighter than the dim tunnels I was currently in. Curious, I headed over to the entrance and walked through, coming out into a large cavern about twenty or so feet high, maybe a little bit taller, and then stopped in surprise and shock. The walls were covered with blue kyber crystals about the size of a small probe droid, and a strange high pitched hum echoed from the crystals. I could sense something different about them, as they didn't feel like the normal kyber crystals that I was used to.

But what was really shocking to me was the massive object stuck into the far wall of icy rock... or massive being. Frozen into the cave wall, was a large, mechanical figure with a humanoid form, probably about as tall as the cave. The glowing blue crystals of kyber were surrounding this mechanical being, but the cave wall it was trapped in didn't hold any of it, just normal, regular rock

I slowly approached the metal giant which I now recognized as a Cybertronian, from Satele and the Prime Jedi's old journals. It obviously wasn't awake, but I could still sense the living Force flowing within it, despite being very faint. The shape also appeared slightly feminine, so I'd have to assume it is a she. I carefully raised an arm out to touch the cave wall, looking up at her through the glass.

 _"She won't wake,"_ a ghostly voice called out, a familiar one.

I turned around quickly, pulling my hand away from the cave wall and watching as glowing white mist with a blue tint began to form a humanoid figure. When it was finished, Revan stood before me, an impassive look on his face, although I could see the hint of a smile.

 _"Not yet anyways,"_ he finished.

"Revan," I greeted in a small amount of surprise.

 _"Jarik,"_ he replied, this time a grin on his face. _"Good to see you again."_

"It certainly has been a while," I agreed.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

Alving rushed forward with a war cry, swinging his sword. Unfortunately for him, Toothless and Hiccup swerved out of his way, and flew higher up into the air, gaining altitude. Alvin watched them go, a mixture of shock and anger on his face.

"Great thunder of Thor! He is the Dragon Conqueror!" he yells, rushing forwards. "Fire!"

The Outcasts still on the ship all aimed their catapults and pulled the firing levers, letting their payload loose, and three large boulders soared towards Hiccup and Toothless.

"Look out!" Hiccup yelled, and the two of them just barely dodged, the boulders missing by several inches. They wobbled in the air for a moment, slightly out of practice from being separated.

Alvin hopped onto his ship and glared at Savage and the Outcasts, shoving one forwards. "What are you waiting for?! Shoot him down!" he yelled angrily.

"There he is! Now we've got him!" they all exclaimed to each other, rushing forwards with crossbows. They all took aim at Hiccup and Toothless, the pair still trying to fly properly, and Alvin grinned.

"Fire!" he yelled.

Arrows from the crossbows all shot towards Hiccup and Toothless, and the two watched with wide eyes, afraid of the arrows about to pierce them and possibly bring them to death. Before they could hit though, a burst of fire disintegrated the crossbow bolts, and a shape flew behind them at a fast speed. Hiccup and Toothless caught themselves, fluttering slightly in the air before soaring after them. They pulled up alongside Astrid and Stormfly, the former of which was grinning.

"Eh, what took you so long?" Hiccup asked casually.

"Why? Did you miss me?" Astrid retorted.

"Hiccup!" Snotlout suddenly yelled in warning, also astride Hookfang. Hiccup and Astrid glanced down to see two more boulders headed for them, and they looped around to avoid them, lining up with the other riders.

"I know someone else you also missed!" Astrid continued.

Hiccup looked over with a raised eyebrow of confusion. "Who?"

She gestured down, and Hiccup widened his eyes to see Mara running across the beach, headed further inland, probably to look for Zenna. "Mara's here?" he asked in surprise.

"So is Ahsoka!" Fishlegs piped up.

Approaching not too far from the scene of the battle was Stoick's battleship, where Ahsoka stood on the bow. She then jumped off and dived into the water, coming up near the shore and then getting onto land, rushing for the Outcast ship. Meanwhile, Gobber and Hoark were manning the catapults, while Stoick was overseeing the line of fire.

"Aim for their catapults! If we knock them out the dragons can finish off the ship!" he yelled, raising an arm, before bringing it down. "Fire!"

The catapults fired, the two boulders headed directly for the Outcast ship. One slammed into a catapult, wreaking it completely while another hit one of the Outcasts dead on, sending him off the side of the ship with a pained yelled. Alvin looked over to see Stoick and scowl, looking at his crew.

"MOVE OFFSHORE!" he yelled.

Two Outcasts did as he ordered, but when Alvin had looked over he also spotted Ahsoka headed for them, a look of disbelief on his face.

"What is that?!" he yelled.

The Outcasts all looked over with looks of shock and terror on their faces at the sight of Ahsoka, having never seen a woman like her before for obvious reasons. She pulled out her lightsaber, and as the ship began sailing away, prepared herself to jump over to it with a determined look on her face. Seeing the lightsaber in her hands, Alvin stared in shock before scowling angrily.

"Odin's ghost! They do have a Jedi!" he exclaimed.

"Yes they do!" Ahsoka yelled back in agreement.

She jumped up from the ground, soaring towards the ship. However, Alvin growled angrily in rage and looked over, grabbing a heavy crate. Lifting it up easily, he then threw it with all his might at Ahsoka. Widening her eyes in alarm, she had no room to maneuver, and the crate suddenly crashed into her, sending her falling back to the beach. She managed to land on her feet with a slight wince, but was otherwise unharmed.

"Here's our chance! Come on!" Hiccup yelled, and the riders all charged for the Outcasts, while Ahsoka suddenly glanced around warily in alarm with narrowed eyes, and deactivated her lightsaber.

"Where's Mara..?" she asked herself, the battle before her suddenly not as important.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

I rushed through the rock formations, sensing Zenna close by, although something was off. It seemed like she was in distress, but from what I have no idea. I brushed aside some dead foliage, and upon turning around a large rock into a small clearing, widened my eyes.

Zenna was trapped in the middle of the clearing by a large net, and around her jaws was a tightly tied rope, preventing her from doing anything more than a growl. She widened her eyes at the sight of me, and began trilling happily, but also with distress. I quickly rushed forwards to pull the net off.

"Oh my goodness, Zenna! What happened to you?" I asked quickly, moving to pull it off.

A sound suddenly shifted behind me as something was pressed to my neck, and I tensed up with wide eyes. How could I have not sensed someone approaching...?

"On your feet," he ordered. It was obviously a guy, probably in his mid twenties of so from what I could tell, not as old as mom and dad. I slowly stood up, listening to the sounds of Zenna growling in a mixture of anger and fear, and frowned angrily to myself.

"Such a strange choice of clothing for a young girl like you," he mused.

"And you picked the wrong girl to fight!" I suddenly exclaimed, twisting around and batting his weapon to the side, which I recognized as some sort of sword, although it didn't look like the usual Viking type. Whatever. I quickly went into action, swinging fists and grabbing his arm, moving to twist it and send him to the ground.

However to my surprise, he easily countered my move by grabbing my wrist and kicked my leg, sending me stumbling away with a shove. I backed up in slight surprise, looking up at him. He suddenly went onto the offensive, swinging fists and kicking out with his feet. I blocked or evaded his blows, but I was so surprised by his skill in fighting that I couldn't think properly. He could even give my parents some challenge with this fighting style! He punched me in the face, and I stumbled back painfully before twirling around, kicking out with my foot. He caught it in his hand, but that also gave me room to follow up with a kick from my other leg, catching him in the chest.

He stumbled back and I grabbed his wrist, using my small size to my advantage and twist and pull myself up and onto his back, grabbing him in a headlock. He backed up, grabbing at me in an attempt to throw me off before slamming backwards into a wall. I grunted with a wince before he yanked at my hair, and I cried out in pain, loosening my grip. He grabbed my shoulder and then threw me over him and onto the ground, where I rolled painfully.

Zenna rumbled in alarm with a half squawk, still caught in the netting as the man approached.

"I've never fought someone as good as you," he said, sounding almost excited. "I'm Calder!"

"I don't care. You're still going down!" I grunted, jumping up with speed to quick for him to possibly match and swinging out an arm.

However, to my utter shock my arm was suddenly stopped in its tracks, and I glanced at it in surprise, trying to move it but finding myself unable too. I looked at the newly identified Calder, who was smirking, holding an arm out. He was using the Force!

"You've never fought someone as strong as me before," he taunted smugly.

My eyes were wide in shock before they narrowed, suddenly smirking. "No," I agreed. "I've been taught by stronger!"

I pull my other arm behind me, and he frowns before widening his eyes, whipping around and dropping his grip on me. Before he could react however, the boulder I sent hurtling towards him hit its target, sending him flying several feet. I rolled out of the way of both the boulder and Calder and came up with a grin on my face, pulling out my lightsaber.

He groans in pain before slowly getting up, staring at me in a mixture of shock, anger, and disbelief. "You were cursed with magic too?!" he demands, standing back up, although holding his chest in obvious pain.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Magic? You've only lived on this world correct?" I ask him.

He stares at me in confusion, like I was the mad one. "What? This world?!" he exclaims.

"It's called the Force you moron, not magic," I tel him, and activate my lightsaber. "And this, is called a lightsaber."

He stumbles backwards slightly, now being the one nervous, before scowling. He picks up his sword again and then charges with a war cry. I raise my lightsaber, expecting his sword to simply be cut apart, but now to my shock, it doesn't. It slams into my blade, and I stumble back a bit in surprise at the lack of two metal sword pieces on the ground before pushing back.

"How did your sword not cut?" I demand, and he smirks at me.

"Strongest metal known to man," he declares smugly. "I'll be having your magical powered Nadder if you please," he says.

I glance at Zenna, who was still trapped by the netting and scowl at Calder, shoving his sword to the side. I quickly swing my lightsaber at him and he blocks. We go into a quick duel, but although he doesn't see it, I have the upper hand. He is skilled, no doubt about that, but I'm trained by two of the greatest Jedi in history, so he's outmatched, a little less skill than a common Inquisitor. After about twenty seconds of blocking, jabbing, and parrying, either offensive or defensive, I decide to end the fight. I get into a blade lock with him, before twisting my lightsaber, dislodging his sword from his grip. I then vault over him, throwing the sword from his grip and then using the Force to shove him into the cliff wall.

I land on my feet before Zenna, getting into a protective stance as he gets back up, an angry scowl on his face. I smirk at him, sensing that nobody has ever beaten him so easily in combat before, and I can understand why. As far as I'm aware, only dragons have ever shown the ability to be Force sensitive on Ahch-To.

"You little wretch," he says scathingly. "I'll deliver you to Alvin on your knees as well!"

I raise an eyebrow in surprise. So he's working for Alvin?

"Considering I just kicked your butt, I highly doubt that," I retort with a grin.

He growls angrily, pulling out some sort of crossbow gun from his back. I frown and get raise my lightsaber, ready to defend myself. He takes aim, but before he could, the weapon is suddenly ripped from his grasp, much to his shock. The crossbow flies through the air and is caught by mom, who stands a few feet away with a hard stare on her face. He widens his eyes in shock and disbelief, probably at her appearance... and by her use of the Force. He clearly though he was the only one who could use it.

"I don't know who you are Force wielder, but no one hurts my daughter and her dragon under my watch," she says firmly.

She then raises a hand, and Calder is thrown against the wall harshly, knocking him unconscious with a grunt of pain. Mom stares at him before dropping the crossbow, and walking over to me. "Are you two alright?" she asks in concern.

"Yeah," I reply, deactivating my lightsaber. "Thanks mom," I tell her with a smile.

"Anytime Mara," she says, smiling back.

Zenna then trills again behind us, and realizing she was still bound, quickly turn to her. We both kneel down by her side, and mom pulls out her shoto blade, pointing it at the ropes. She activates it, easily cutting through the netting and then deactivates it while I pull off the ropes. Zenna climbs out of the netting and nuzzles me affectionately, much to my amusement.

"Aw Zenna! I missed you too!" I tell her fondly, scratching her neck.

"She's gotten bigger," mom comments, and I quickly realize she was right. Zenna would probably reach my waist in height now, which means she's grown pretty fast.

"She certainly has," I remark, before grinning at said dragon. "Haven't you!?"

She squawks proudly, lifting her head up, causing the two of us too laugh at the sight. However she then narrows her eyes and chirps in alarm, at the same time as we both sense movement behind us. We whip around to spot Calder standing back up, sword and crossbow in his possession, and he throws down some sort of orb. Smoke immediately pours out of it, covering him from view, although not from the Force. We rush after him, but then his presence nearly vanishes, still there, but too little to pinpoint, before disappearing completely.

"He might not be very gifted with the Force in its use at all, but his shielding is terrific," mom comments with a frown.

"I guess so," I say in agreement.

We look around, sensing for anymore signs of him, but he was gone. "Let's head back to the others, although they might have taken care of the Outcasts by now," mom decides.

I nod, and turn back to Zenna. "Come on girl!" I tell her.

She happily obliges, and we rush back towards the beach as quickly as possible.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

Having just blown up the Outcast ship, Hiccup and Toothless soared down to come to a landing on their ship while Stoick watched him. Once he landed, he stepped forwards to confront him.

"Hiccup, what were you thinking?" he demands, although there was concern and relief in his voice.

"I was thinking... all I needed to do was to get to Toothless. And together, we'd be able to make things right!" he responds confidently. Stoick smiles back at him, a hint of pride in his posture.

"Well if blowing a ship up makes things right, then you nailed it," a voice said.

Hiccup turned around to find Mara, Ahsoka, and Zenna climb onto the ship, and he rushed forwards with a grin.

"Mara!" he said excitedly, and the two shared a brief hug before separating. "When did you guys get here?"

"The middle of the night," she replied. "While you guys were being invaded."

"Well, yo certainly arrived at a great time," Hiccup remarked, before noticing someone missing. "Where's you dad?"

Ahsoka scratched Toothless behind the ears, who purred with delight before turning towards them. "He's back home, searching for answers to a threat he's been having visions of, so he didn't come this time," she said.

"Visions?" Stoick asks with a frown.

Ahsoka nods. "Yes, but that's not important right now," she says, glancing at Hiccup with a small smile.

"You and your friends did great against the Outcasts," she says, and they all smile before Ahsoka got serious. "However, you all have a new challenge, one that you'll have to learn to fight whenever we aren't here to help out."

"What is it?" Hiccup asks.

"Mara had a brief fight with an Outcast named Calder, but during that fight, he surprised her," Ahsoka said seriously. "He can use the Force."

Hiccup, Stoick and Gobber all widened their eyes in surprise. "What?!" Hiccup asks in shock.

"He doesn't have the training that we have, so compared to us he isn't much of a threat," she said. "However, compared to the rest of you, even your dragons, he will be a serious danger."

"How could one of the Outcasts of all people, possess the same powers as you?!" Stoick asks with alarm.

"I'm not sure, but any living creature, especially humans and humanoid species have a chance of being born with it." Ahsoka states. "It may mean that dragons aren't the only ones who are capable of wielding it on Ahch-To."

The three of them all looked at each other in concern, before turning back towards Ahsoka and Mara. "So, how do we defend against this man?" Hiccup asks.

"We'll teach you," Ahsoka says firmly.

"Really?" Mara asks in surprise.

"Yes. There are ways to counter those who wield the Force," she states. "We can teach you."

Stoick nods. "Then its settled."

With that being said, the group all head off back to Berk, the rest of the gang flying in the air with happy whoops and cries. However, back on Dragon Island, Alvin climbs onto the beach with a frown and looks up, watching them go. Behind him, the rest of the vikings lay on the ground, while Calder approaches them from the rocks.

"Did you get that magical dragon you said was here?" Alvin asks Calder as he approached.

Calder scowled, crossing his arms. "No. I was stopped by a girl, and then some strange creature of a woman. They both have the same powers as me, but are annoying stronger," he tells him.

Alvin is quiet for a few moments, before he suddenly begins to chuckle. It turns into a full out laugh, while the rest of the group watches in bewilderment and confusion.

"They ride dragons! And Jedi fight on their side!" he exclaims with a grin. "We get that boy, and we'll ride dragon! And the magic will belong to us!"

The rest of the Outcasts all smirk and begin to laugh giddily alongside Alvin. Calder watches them in amusement before a smirk also crosses his face, as he watches them all leave out of sight, eager to best the wretched red head girl and that witch creature.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

"How did a Cybertronian get down here on Ahch-To?" I ask Revan, looking up at her with a hint of wonder.

Revan paces around, hands behind his back as he explains. _"Thousands of years ago, at the dawn of the Jedi Order, the planet Ilum was discovered by the Prime Jedi in his followers, as well as something else,"_ he says.

"The Cybertronians," I recalled.

He nods his head. _"Yes. A scouting group of the faction known as Autobots, who came into contact with the Prime Jedi. Kyber crystals were actually once their lifesource, their fuel in a crystal known as energon. When the leader of their group brought the kyber crystals you see now around you to Ahch-To in good faith, she was attacked by their enemies, the Decepticons."_

I looked up at the Autobot, now taking notice of the scratch marks covering her body... would you call it skin? I'm gonna stick with armor.

 _"She was forced into a state of stasis and buried underneath here, along with the crystals."_ Revan told me.

"That's uh, that's pretty sad," I commented, not sure what else to say.

 _"It is,"_ he agreed.

"Do you know what her name is?" I asked.

 _"Elita One, better known as just Elita. The commander of the Femme Bots,"_ he told me.

I nodded my head slowly, observing her in the ice. "Yeah, she certainly looks like a strong feminine robot, although I admittedly can't compare."

 _"No you can't,"_ he replied with a grin, and I gave him a look of exasperation.

However, Revan's grin turned into a more serious gaze. _"But you aren't here to talk about the Cybertronian, seeing as how you had no idea she was even here,"_ he stated. It wasn't a question.

I nodded my head, turning away from Elita and slowly approaching Revan. "You would be right," I agreed. "I've been getting, visions... Dangerous visions," I told him.

 _"Visions..."_ he said slowly. _"Of an, event?"_

"Of a being, shrouded in darkness," I told him, shivering slightly as I recalled the feeling, which he took notice of. "A massive, alien creature that likely resides outside of the galaxy. Three pale starlight eyes, an overwhelming and suffocating presence in the dark side, and words I believe relating to it. Yuuzhan, and Vong," I informed him.

He stared hard at me as I explained it, and glanced down. When he looked up, I could see a haunted look in his eyes, although barely noticeable.

"You know.. what I'm talking about?" I ask.

Revan nodded his head. _"I do,"_ he said. _"I've even fought that monster before,"_ he says.

I widen my eyes briefly in surprise, not expecting that. "What can you tell me about it? I'm worried they may be coming in the future."

He's silent for a moment before replying. _"The Yuuzhan Vong are a race of creatures, dating back long ago. They were ancient even before the Ones first appeared to the galaxy."_

Dang. That's pretty old.

 _"They are a species that thrives around darkness and chaos, praising the death they cause, and worship gods repulsive to even Darth Sidious. They despise anything mechanical and technological, believing it to be an abomination. I'm not entirely sure where such a hatred stems from, but from what I know, they've sought out some sort of mechanical god for eons,"_ he tells me.

"That's... quite a species," I say slowly. "What about the three eyed beast? What do you know about him?"

 _"In their eyes, he is their god, and a King. And rightly so."_ Revan says, recalling his experience with an uneasy look. _"He wields power over darkness to such a scale that even Valkorian would fear. Never before had I behold such evil. If it had a face, he would be its true form. I barely survived my encounter with him,"_ he said, obviously unsettled.

Something that even Valkorian would fear? The literal, craziest, and most evil Sith in the history of the galaxy? "So... you fought this... King, before, and you survived?" I asked.

 _"Not just with my physical life,"_ he stated. _"You see, this King wouldn't have just killed me... he would have taken, my soul. My entirely life force, and used it for his own. I barely managed to escape with everything that I was, and am."_

I was silent, pondering this King with wide eyes in disbelief. A creature who could literally use powers over the darkness to take someones life force? Their souls?

"That's kriffing insane..." I muttered. I then looked at him again, wondering who in the universe could possibly hold such a power. "Does this, King, have a name?" I ask him.

He stares at me directly, his gaze boring into me. _"He's the leader of the Yuuzhan Vong, or as they call themselves, the Hive, and is their most powerful god. They call him Oryx. The Taken King."_

* * *

 _What a chapter. A new character that's with the Outcasts who can also use the Force, and then Elita One the Autotbot, love life of Optimus Prime trapped underneath the Jedi Temple on Ahch-To?_

 _And then there's the final reveal..._ _The Taken King. The Yuuzhan Vong, are actually the Hive from Destiny!_

 _Things are getting serious in Jarik's future._


	72. Ch 71 - How to Resist a Force User

_Hey guys, just wanted to let you all know that the school year has started back up again for me, which means that updates won't be as often as before._

* * *

 **Ahsoka POV...**

"That, sounds, AWESOME!"

I flinched slightly at Tuffnut's loud yelling, exasperated at the same time. Everyone else gathered except for Ruffnut were also a little irritated at the twins for obvious reasons. Hiccup and the rest of the teens, as well as Stoick, Gobber and Gothi were all gathered with me and Mara so that we could give them some pointers on how to combat Force sensitives. I had just finished explaining Calder to them, and the twins were excited at the prospect, why, I have no idea.

"Does this mean I get Force powers too! Throwing yaks would be so much easier!" Ruffnut exclaimed.

"You're the ones messing with our yaks?!" Stoick exclaimed, and the twins flinched, suddenly not so joyful as Stoick leveled them with an angry glare.

Mara sighed. "Mom, to be totally honest, do you really expect them to be able to learn this stuff?" she asked doubtfully.

"I'd have better hopes for a wild boar learning this than those two," Gobber adds in.

We all looked at the twins with blank staresto see them wrestling with each other, in an argument about giving away the whole yak throwing thing to Stoick. I rubbed my head. "To be honest, not too much, but it doesn't mean we can't try," I said.

"Come on guys, cut it out! This is important!" Hiccup told them in exasperation.

"No, what's important is making Ruffnut pay for giving us away!" Tuffnut says with a frown.

Ruffnut growls at him. "Oh, and whose idea was it again?!" she challenged.

"If you two don't pipe it down this instant, there'll be even worse consequences for you!" Stoick yells, which is enough to shut them up, although they still give each other and occasional glance of irritation.

"Thank you Stoick," I tell him. "Now that I have everyone's attention, mostly," I muttered at the end. "We can start by helping you to understand what to expect from Calder, and how to counter it."

Fishlegs raises an arm. "Um, what exactly would make him the most dangerous?" he asks.

"Assaults on your mind," I told him simply. He and a few others widen their eyes slightly while Snotlout groans.

"What does that even mean?" Snotlout asks.

Mara moves to speak, but closes her mouth again with a frown. "There's, no real easy way to describe it," she says slowly.

I think for a moment before coming up with an idea. "Well Snotlout, it's where someone who can use the Force, performs an attack on your mind, not physically. You know how the three of us can influence the dragons to a certain extent? It works in that manner."

Most of them understand what I mean, like Hiccup and Fishlegs, as well as Gothi, however not everyone else fully understands it, so I continued, pulling out my lightsaber. "Anyone have a shield?" I ask.

"Got one here," Gobber says, tossing one to me. I catch it easily and then hand it out to Mara, who takes it, understanding the idea.

"Hold it out in front of you," I tell her, and she does so. "Think of the shield as your brain. Everything you think, every emotion or feeling you've ever had, is this shield."

"Wait, those shields are our brains? How did you get them?" Ruffnut asks.

Hiccup groans, and I roll my eyes while Mara sighs. "It's called an analogy you guys," Hiccup replies in exasperation.

"Oh right," Tuffnut agrees, before frowning. "What's, an anal-"

"Continuing," I interrupt loudly, and then activate my lightsaber. "When a Force user performs a mental assault on someone, they are attacking their mind," I tell them, and then press the tip of the saber against the shield, digging a small cut into it. "If you have enough willpower, or a strong enough mind, you can repel their attack. But if you don't, and the attacker overcomes you.." I say, and then stab the saber through the shield, creating a wide hole.

"...You could die," Hiccup realizes.

"In extreme cases," Mara admits, dropping the shield while I activate my lightsaber.

"So Calder has the capability of killing us without ever touching us?" Astrid asks in alarm.

"Fortunately for you, Calder isn't capable of such a feat," I reassure them, and several of them sigh in relief.

"How can you be sure?" Stoick asks.

"Calder isn't that strong in his use in the Force, since I managed to overcome him easily after the initial shock wore off," Mara said. "I think he could probably only influence you at the most," she theorizes.

"With no one around to teach him, all of his abilities are self taught. So his power won't be strong enough to do more than what Mara said if he concentrates hard enough, or if he even knows he can do that," I told them. "While we will teach you how to defend yourself from a mental assault, there are other things you have to be wary of."

"What other things can a Force user do? Besides lifting things and mind attack?" Gobber asked.

"Besides mental attack and using the Force to manipulate objects, he can also increase his stamina with it," I tell them.

"Stamina?" Astrid asks.

"Yeah, how fast you are, your endurance, stuff like that," Mara tells them. "He could contend with me in a fist fight and a lightsaber duel."

"Woah, really?" Snotlout asks in surprise, the others all muttering in disbelief, knowing how skilled Mara was compared to them. Astrid widened her eyes slightly, knowing already this guy would be a challenge in a fight even for her from what I could sense.

Hiccup then frowned. "Wait, you said he fought you in a lightsaber fight?" he asks in confusion.

"Yeah. I beat him easily, but he wasn't half bad," she admitted.

"But... I thought your lightsabers could cut through anything," he says, and Mara widened her eyes slightly in understanding. I glanced at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I want that sword..." I hear Tuffnut whisper.

"You never said his sword could block a lightsaber," I stated.

She shrugged. "Well I don't know, but the metal apparently can."

I frowned thoughtfully. "Have to wonder what it is then. It is rare, but there are certain metals out there that are strong enough to repel a lightsaber for a short time."

"Well, guess that's the job for me to figure out!" Gobber exclaims cheerfully. Hiccup coughs into his hand and Gobber looks at him sheepishly. "And Hiccup of course."

Gothi then steps forwards, and writes into the dirt with her staff. Fishlegs moves over to translate for her. "She says... What is the best way to learn mental defense?" he translates.

Mara and I share a glance before I reply. "Well, that's where we'll start, and is the most important," I tell her.

"Can we use the twins as our test dummies?" Mara asks hopefully. I stare at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Test dummies? You mean like Ruffnut?" Tuffnut asks, and she bangs him on the helmet.

"I wouldn't mind," Astrid comments casually. There were mutters of agreement before Stoick spoke. "Let's consider this their... punishment for the yak problem we've had," he says, a rare mischievous side I've never heard from him before coming out.

I let out a disapproving sigh. "Alright, but only, the Jedi mind trick. We're not here to teach them through painful methods," I warned her.

"Painful?" Fishlegs says quietly in alarm.

Mara however grins happily. "Yes! That's exactly what I wanted to do!" she says cheerfully. I roll my eyes but keep a close watch on her as she approaches the twins.

"Uh, mind trick?" Hiccup questions.

"A way to influence others to do what you want. It only works on the weak mind," I explained.

"Well you can't get a brain weaker than the twins, that's for sure," Astrid comments, crossing her arms in interest.

"I volunteer Ruffnut for this!" Tuffnut says loudly, shoving her forwards.

"No, Tuffnut goes first!" she yells back, dragging him forwards.

"No no! You- wait what are we volunteering for?" Tuffnut asks in confusion, noticing Mara approaching. "Oh hey Mara, got anything dangerous?" he asks hopefully.

She steps in front of him, and with a small smile, concentrates on the Force before waving her hand in front of his face. "You will take off your helmet and throw it far away," she tells him.

Tuffnut straightens up slightly and repeats what she said in a monotone voice. "I will take off my helmet and throw it far away," he says. He then proceeds to do exactly that, and the others all watch in a mixture of amazement and wariness. He then shakes his head, looking around in confusion.

"What?" he asks dumbly.

"That is... really?" Snotlout asks in bewilderment.

"Hahaha! You're such a moron Tuff!" Ruffnut exclaims with laughter. "She made you throw your helmet away!"

"Huh?" he asks in confusion, feeling his head. "Wait, what? Where's my helmet?!" he exclaims in a panic. "Ruffnut, what'd you do?" he demands.

"Yeah. The mind trick," I deadpan.

"I suppose that could be, useful," Gobber comments.

"In certain situations," I agreed.

Mara grins in amusement, walking back to stand by my side while Tuffnut continues to panic about his missing helmet, while Ruffnut laughs at him. "So it only works on people who are stupid?" Fishlegs questions, sounding relieved.

"Nope." Mara states, and he looks at us in alarm

"N-no?" he stammers.

"Weak minded doesn't necessarily mean you aren't smart. It also depends on your mental strength and your willpower. You have to resist it hard in order for it to have no affect, and even then it's tough in certain situations." I inform them.

"That makes sense," Hiccup comments with a nod.

"So which of us does the mind trick not work on? I'm sure it's me of course," Snotlout says boastfully.

Mara narrows her eyes at him before shrugging. "Well since you asked... The ones who are most likely to be affect are the twins of course, then you Snotlout, Fishlegs, and Gobber."

"What?!" Snotlout exclaims in disbelief.

"Me?! Why me?" Fishlegs says in alarm.

"Am I really weak minded?" Gobber questions, and Stoick shrugs. Gothi shakes her head at his statement with a small smile.

"Here's why," I tell them. "Twins, its obvious. Snotlout, you're too prideful, not with enough real willpower. Gobber, you're a tough Viking, but in terms of mental strength, you have serious work because of your giddy personality."

Gobber frowns but then shrugs in agreement. "Yeah, makes sense," he admits.

"Fishlegs," I say, getting his attention. "You are very intelligent, but the problem is your willpower. You're too nervous and timid around most things, and that makes it much more easy for someone to influence you with the Force. You have to overcome your fear and nervousness in order to increase your mental strength," I tell him.

"What makes us different from them?" Hiccup questions.

"For your group, here's why you have a good chance of resisting a mind trick," I explain. "Gothi, you are wise in experienced, so your understanding of things and your mentality is strong enough," I tell her, and she smiles, a hint of Viking pride shining through as she looks at Gobber, who rolls his eyes. "Stoick, you are the chief of Berk, and have been through many battles. As such, you often have to make tough decisions and have the willpower to handle the challenges and stress with being a leader," I said, and he nodded proudly.

"Astrid, in my opinion you are a brilliant fighter," Mara comments, and said Viking grins proudly. "And have the mindset of a warrior. You don't back down against a challenge."

"You bet I don't," she declares.

"And Hiccup, you probably have the best chance of resisting a mind trick or an attempt to influence you." Mara says, and he raises his eyebrows in surprise.

"Me? Are you sure?" he asks doubtfully.

"Of course you do!" Mara exclaims, and in the background Snotlout grumbles quietly to himself. "Just because you're a fishbone physically," she says, and his expression falls to that of sarcasm. "...has nothing to do with this. You've spent most of your life being made fun of and brushed off to the point it hurt, but even so you still persisted, even when everything seemed hopeless after the Kill Ring," she says.

Stoick glances down in guilt at the mention of everything Hiccup went through, and a few of the others also have a hidden sense of guilt within them.

"If you can persist through that, then a mind trick would be nothing," Mara says with a smile, and he smiles back, feeling a little sheepish.

"Thanks," he says gratefully, although slightly embarrassed.

"Boring!" Ruffnut suddenly yells, interrupting the moment, and everyone sighs in exasperation. "When can we start using the Force? I wanna throw things!"

"Cause destruction like never before!" Tuffnut adds.

"That's not how the Force works!" Mara exclaims irritably.

"Muttonheads," Snotlout muttered.

They glance at each other in confusion, suddenly depressed. "So, we aren't learning how to use the Force?" Tuffnut asks.

"Oh for the love of Thor- are you even listening?!" Stoick demands angrily.

"They don't listen to anything," Hiccup says.

"He's right, they don't listen for squat." Gobber chimes in.

"All right all right, enough of that," I say firmly. "We're getting started, so we'll started with practicing mental defense."

"How are we going to practice that?" Fishlegs questions.

"We gonna do that 'picture' lesson?" Mara asks me quietly.

"Yes, you know what to do," I tell her back, then moving towards the others. "Alright. I want everyone to imagine something in your mind, like a house, an island, dragon, whatever. But don't say what it is you're thinking of."

"What is it?!" Tuffnut exclaims. "Wait wait wait, don't tell me! Uhh, is it a yak? Yak dragon?!" he questions loudly.

"Will you shut yer mouths already!" Gobber yells.

However I was already walking over to the twins, slightly irritated. There was only so much annoyance I could put up with, and they obviously weren't going to learn what we're teaching them. I just don't see it happening.

So much for Jedi patience.

Striding up to both of them, I raise my arms and place my fingers on the foreheads, quickly closing my eyes and focusing on the Force. With a simple command, I have them fall asleep, their eyes immediately closing and they fall to the ground, unconscious. Everyone looked on in surprise for a few moments.

"Well that is certainly useful," Gobber remarks.

"At least they're quiet now," Astrid says in agreement.

I sighed in exasperation, returning to my original position. "Even a Jedi can only have so much patience," I commented. "Do you all have an image thought of? Are you thinking firmly about it?" I ask them.

"Yeah," Hiccup replies, and the rest of them nod.

"What's this for?" Fishlegs asks.

"Mara and I are going to try and read your mind to figure out what it is you're thinking of. You have to prevent us from seeing that image," I told them.

"How are we supposed to know when you're doing that?" Snotlout demands.

"You'll feel it," Mara assured him.

"Who wants to volunteer to go first?" I ask.

Most of them are hesitant, but Hiccup eventually steps forwards, along with Stoick. "I'll go first," he says.

"So will I," Stoick adds.

"Alright, cool," Mara says, moving to stand in front of Hiccup, while I move towards Stoick.

"How do we keep you from seeing it?" Stoick questions with confusion.

"The best way in my opinion is to think of it as a strength contest." Mara offers. "Imagine my mom's mind as a large boulder, and you're trying to keep it from rolling further down the hill. Only, this is a contest between your mind and mom's."

Stoick frowns thoughtfully before nodding in agreement. "Sounds simple enough," he says.

"Well I can't exactly push boulders," Hiccup mutters.

"You'll think of something," Mara says confidently, and we both steel ourselves.

"Are you two ready?" I ask, and they both nod back. "Good. We're starting now."

At the same time, Mara and I both raise our hands towards their heads and close our eyes, focusing on the Force. I sense for Stoick, and after easily finding him, begin pushing into his mind, although gently. I can feel him stiffen slightly in surprise before he starts resisting, although shakily at first. He's most likely trying to get used to the feeling, but so far he's doing alright. Of course I'm going easy on him, since my full power would dominate him in a few moments, and that would be dangerous and shocking for him. I press harder on his mind, and feel him start to push back. The image he's thinking of begins coming into view, so I continue applying the same amount of pressure. He then shoves back hard with a lot of strength, forcing me away from the image.

I pull out of his mind then, and once I exit he gasps, slightly exhausted and catches his breath. I cross my arms and watch him, mildly impressed at how well he did on his first try.

"You were imagine the villager here on Berk," I told him, and he sighed in frustration.

"So I failed then," he says with a frown.

I shake my head. "Quite the opposite actually, you put up a very good fight for someone who's never experienced that before," I told him. "The strength behind your final push is something that regular people usually take days, maybe weeks to accomplish."

"That was a strange feeling," he said with a frown. "How's Hiccup doing?"

I frowned thoughtfully and we turned to look at Hiccup and Mara. He was staring straight at her, grimacing every so often while Mara stood there calmly with her eyes closed, hand outstretched. I could sense he was putting up quite a decent fight, although Mara still outclassed him, even without using her full strength. It's to be expected considering none of them are Force sensitive. Eventually, she lowered her hand and opened her eyes while he gasped, stumbling back slightly. Stoick luckily caught him with a hand, helping him stand upright.

"Easy son," he says.

Hiccup catches his breath for a few moments before wiping his head, a small amount of sweat having formed. "Oh gods... that felt so strange," he said.

"How did he do?" I asked Mara.

"Really well actually, almost fought me off," she replied.

"Almost?" Hiccup said glumly.

"Come on, don't take it personally Hiccup, I've been training with this stuff since I was three," she said with a small grin.

"Is that right?" he replies sarcastically.

"Well, she isn't wrong," Astrid comments.

"Your image was the cove Hiccup," Mara said.

He sighed, but managed a small grin. "You missed Toothless in it," he admitted proudly.

"That's good! That means you managed to fight me off before I could see all of it!" Mara exclaimed with a grin.

"Not too many people can do that, nice work," I complimented.

Stoick slapped him proudly on the back, and he stumbled slightly.

"Although I wasn't going to hard," Mara added, and I rolled my eyes.

"Way to bring down my self confidence," Hiccup deadpanned.

"You always have to have the last word don't you Mara?" I asked her, and she shrugged. "All right, who's next?"

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

 _Oryx._

The name continuously rang in my head as I sat on the meditation ledge outside of the Temple, staring at the sky with a troubled gaze. The monster that I've been seeing in my visions turns out to possibly be one of the most powerful and evil being in the Universe, maybe even on par to the Ones. And he was now coming for us, our galaxy. Why else would I be receiving visions of him, if not to prepare for his inevitable arrival? The questions is, why is he coming for us?

Revan told me that the Yuuzhan Vong, or as they call themselves, the Hive, are essentially made for the purpose of darkness. They thrive off of death and destruction, and they seemingly enjoy it at a horrifying level, yet at the same time despise anything that is technology. How could such a race of beings even be born in the first place? If creatures like the Hive exist, what other dangerous things or powerful individuals could be out there, watching us with sinister intent? It was a terrifying line of thought.

How the kriff does Darth Sidious even know about Oryx and the Hive? clearly he's searching for something, which is probably them since Thrawn is on the case. Absolutely ridiculous.

And what was it Revan said they sought to destroy? A mechanical god? Force, what other kind of kriffing ridiculous stuff could exist out there? I didn't want to think about it.

Is it possible that the mechanical god had something to do with the Cybertronians? From what Satele wrote, they have their own sort of god who created life for them named Primus, but no one has ever seen. Maybe that's who Oryx is searching for... yet at the same time something tells me that isn't it...

A convor chirping nearby gets my attention, and I look up to see Morai flapping her wings, coming to a landing on a nearby ledge and watching me.

"Do you know who Oryx might be searching for?" I ask her.

She cocks her head to the side for a moment before closing her eyes. I sense a presence roll up to me and let myself open to her. All I get is a brief flash of an image, showing a gleaming white sphere, floating through space. Her presence pulls away and I give her a confused look.

"What was that?" I ask her. Unfortunately, she begins to fly away.

"Wait, stop!" I stand up and reach out to her, but she merely continues to flap her wings, eventually disappearing into the distance. I watch her go and let out a sigh, sitting back down on the rock, staring back out at the sky again.

Then there's also the matter of Elita One underneath the island within the caves... the kyber around her felt stranger than what I was used to. Kyber was supposed to be a form of energon, just changed over time right? Maybe that's what it was in the cave with her; energon. The lifeblood and fuel of the Cybertronian race. Revan told me that she wouldn't wake up yet, but if not, when would she? She's already been in stasis for six thousand years. Can Cybertronians really live that long of a lifespan?

So many questions, so few answers.

My comlink suddenly beeped, startling me for a moment. I quickly fished it out and, upon seeing it was from Ahsoka, I accepted it. Her hologram soon appeared, and she looked up at me.

"Hi Soka," I greeted. "How's life on Berk?"

 _"Doing fine,"_ she replied. _"They were actually in the middle of being invaded by another tribe known as the Outcasts when we arrived, but we eventually helped fight them off. It's been busy over here."_

"Everyone alright?" I ask in concern.

 _"Everyone's just fine, but during the conflict Mara and I actually encountered an Outcast who could use the Force,"_ she said and I widened my eyes slightly in surprise.

"What? Really?" I ask in bewilderment.

 _"Yeah. He's not too skilled with it, obviously being self taught. He did manage to put up a fight with Mara surprisingly, however he had taken her by surprise so she won easily,"_ she said. _"Me and Mara just finished giving several of them a lesson on how to combat Force sensitives."_

I nodded my head. "Okay. That's a good idea considering we won't be here all the time," I said.

 _"No we won't,"_ she agreed. _"Speaking of which, how have things been on your end? Did you find an answer to your visions?"_

I sighed. "Yeah, I did."

 _"You don't seem very positive about this,"_ she noticed.

I was silent for a few moments before glancing back at her. "Well, here's what I have to say: There's a Cybertronian under the island, probably the most powerful and dangerous being in existence is coming to annihilate us, and Palpatine is insane," I said quickly.

She blinked for a few moments, taking in what I said before staring at me incredulously. _"Wait, what? Let me get this straight. Underneath the island, there is a Cybertronian just trapped there. Then you said that some powerful creature is coming to kill us, and what exactly is Palpatine insane for? Aside from the_ obvious," she says.

"Alright," I say, going to break it down. "Far into the crystal caves beneath the island, a Cybertronian named Elita One was trapped here and put into stasis when transporting the kyber from Ilum to Ahch-To. She was one of the ones who met the Prime Jedi."

She nods, taking it in with more understanding. _"Alright, I get that... Force. A Cybertronian living under out feet this entire time?"_

"Apparently," I replied.

 _"Ok... next part?"_ she asks.

"Palpatine is a completely and utterly insane," I deadpanned.

 _"I said the other part,"_ she deadpanned.

I shook my head. "No, that's why he's insane. When I was in the caves, Revan's spirit contacted me."

 _"He did?"_ she asks in surprise.

"Yeah. I told him about the visions I've been having. Turns out, he knows exactly who I was talking about, even fought them before," I told her.

 _"Who?"_ she questions.

"Beyond our galaxy, some race that thrives on darkness and death called the Hive are coming for our galaxy. Their leader is the one in my visions, and his name is called Oryx, the Taken King," I informed her. "Ahsoka... the things he is capable of... it is horrifying just to hear."

She narrows her eyes in obvious concern. _"What is it Jarik? I can sense fear coming off of you. You're rarely afraid,"_ she says worriedly.

"Oryx... compared to him, even the Sith Emperor Valkorian would be afraid." She widened her eyes in surprise at this, and I continued. "Oryx might as well be the face of evil. He wields darkness on a scale of unimaginable size, and can even take a persons soul, changing them into his personal, mindless, chaotic servants."

 _"...what?"_ she whispers in shock.

"I've been having these visions of him because he is coming Ahsoka. Not just for us, but the whole galaxy. Everyone we know, and everything we know of will be wiped out if he wins!" I tell her, the fear I saw on Revan felt within me.

She's silent for several moments, taking it all in.

"Palpatine knows about Oryx and the Hive, or at least to some extent. It's why he's had expeditions leading out beyond known space. I thought he was searching for Snoke, but if he's looking for Oryx... then we're all doomed," I said grimly.

 _"Do you know how long we have until Oryx arrives?"_ she asks quietly.

I shook my head. "No. For all we know it could be right now, months, years, maybe even decades."

She ran a hand over her montrals, obviously worried and slightly afraid about the whole thing. _"Force... as if we didn't have enough problems."_

I managed a half heartedly chuckle at that. "As if," I agreed.

 _"If this... Taken King does invade us, let's hope it doesn't happen for a long time,"_ she says. _"We're in no way prepared for an invasion on a galactic scale, not for years. The Galactic Empire has to be ended soon if we're to prepare for this properly."_

"Let's hope so," I said grimly in agreement. "We'll have to return to them soon."

She nods back in reply. _"We'll be back at the Temple tomorrow. I don't know how easy it'll be to keep Mara and Zenna separate,"_ she points out.

"See you then," I replied, and the transmission ended. I put the communicator down and looked back up at the horizon, watching as the twin suns began their descent in the sky.

I can only hope this Rebellion can eventually defeat the Empire. Because when Oryx comes, and we aren't ready...

I don't even want to think of what will happen.


	73. Ch 72 - Always Two There Are

**Ahsoka POV...**

"We're leaving already? But we just got here, like, three days ago!" Mara protested.

"Welcome to a galaxy at war Mara," I replied, walking up the hill to where the Knight Hawk was parked near the cliff. I could see Jarik in discussion with Stoick and Gobber from this distance. "Things are very challenging right now."

"What makes it different than before?" she questions.

I turned to look at her. "Before, everything was small, with us gathering intel while also giving out missions to small rebel cells. Those days are over," I explain. "The Rebellion is growing, and the Empire is becoming more desperate to wipe us out because of it."

"Last time dad's identity was exposed by Thrawn we hid out here for months," she pointed out, still not entirely understanding.

I sighed, rubbing my forehead. "Last time, the Empire knew nothing about what any of us were doing, and we preferred to keep it that way. But now that we're more involved with the Rebellion, and since Vader knows I'm alive, there's no point in hiding."

"So why not stay hidden from Vader until his search for us lessens a bit?" she suggests.

"Vader won't give up his search for me or Jarik," I told her seriously. "In all honesty, being on Ahch-To for too long can put Berk and the rest of the planet at risk from the Empire. Darth Sidious and Vader are powerful, and they would sense us and track us here eventually."

She sighs in obvious disappointment, but nods her head in understanding. "Alright mom," she says sadly.

I put a hand on her shoulder with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry Mara, but this is the way things are for the time being," I replied.

With that being said, we turned and headed towards the ship, approaching Jarik and the others, who glanced our way at our approach. "We ready?" he asks.

"We are," I replied with a nod.

"This has been a fast visit, but I still must thank you for the help you gave us during our time of need against the Outcasts." Stoick says gratefully.

"It was no problem," Mara commented with a small smile.

"Just be wary of Calder though. He is far from a truly proficient Force user, but is still a very dangerous opponent against any other person," I reminded them.

"Ah, we've got some tricks of our own. We'll be fine," Gobber comments, waving a hand.

"Wait! Wait up!" a voice suddenly yells from above us.

We all look up to see Toothless and Stormfly descending through the air towards us, Zenna flapping alongside them. Hiccup and Astrid were on the backs of their respective dragons, and they quickly landed, Zenna quickly rushing towards Mara with alarmed chirps. Hiccup and Astrid then followed, heading towards us. Mara gave Zenna a quick hug on her head and scratched her behind the neck, and young dragon rumbling against her.

"You guys are leaving already? But you just got here!" Hiccup said in bewilderment.

"That's what I said!" I exclaimed in exasperation.

"War is a tough deal Hiccup. Especially when fighting against an Empire with essentially a small batch of scraps," Jarik said.

Stoick nods his head in agreement. "I can understand that."

"There's also another concern we have, that staying on Ahch-To for too long at one time could risk endangering you," I added.

"How? I thought nobody else knew about us," Astrid questioned in confusion.

"Sadly, the Emperor is the most powerful Force user in the whole galaxy right now, and his senses are tremendous." Jarik explained. "Since we're practically at the top of their most wanted list, they'll be searching for us constantly. Eventually he'll find us, and will bring the full might of the Empire on everyone."

"Still can't believe the power these, 'Sith' have." Stoick says with a concerned frown.

"How long... would we last if the Empire were, to ever find us?" Hiccup questioned with a hint of worry.

Me and Jarik share a look before I replied. "Minutes. All they have to do is bombard you from orbit with a single Star Destroyer, and the whole island of Berk would be completely destroyed."

They all widened their eyes in alarm and disbelief, and Toothless rumbles sadly, gaining some general understanding of what we were talking about.

"Well... that would be a problem," Gobber commented.

"You think?" Mara retorted sarcastically.

"Guess the name 'Star Destroyer' sounds appropriate," Hiccup deadpanned.

"Oh yeah," Jarik said in agreement.

Mara continued petting and scratching Zenna, the young dragon refusing to let go of her, clinging to her legs. "Uh, a little help?" she said sheepishly.

Astrid sighed but stepped forwards with a smile. "Here, I've got her. Come on Zenna," she said, pulling her away from Mara. Zenna squawked in alarm and clung even tighter, but with the combined effort of both girls, they eventually managed to separate them. Astrid continued the comforting petting and scratching, while Zenna gave a warble of sadness.

"I'll be back soon Zenna, promise you," Mara told her with a sad smile.

"Better make sure she doesn't sneak onto the ship this time," Jarik muttered.

"I'll catch you later then?" Hiccup asks her, and she shrugs.

"Kick some Imperial butt will ya?" Astrid adds, and she nods her head with a grin.

"Until next time," Jarik says in goodbye, and the two of us walk up the ramp into the ship, Mara following after us.

"Good luck out there!" Stoick calls after us.

"Well, in our experience there is no such-" Jarik starts to recite mockingly before a slap his arm. "What?" he protests.

"Really?" I ask with a raised eyebrow. "You really gonna say that?"

"What's wrong with making fun of that crappy line anyways?" Jarik retorts.

I shake my head with an exasperated but amused sigh, and Mara suppresses a giggle as Jarik goes off on a rant about the whole luck statement the old Jedi Order used to have.

"I mean seriously, is luck so nonexistant that the Force is really going to influence someone's game of Sabacc?" he continued, the ramp closing behind us.

* * *

 **Boil BOV...**

I watch eagerly as Rex and Zeb continue their game of Dejarik, the Lasat looking obviously frustrated while Rex grinned. During the game, Kanan and Ezra both entered the room, but I gave it no mind, watching as Zeb made his play, moving his creature forwards a few spaces. I can't help but grin, immediately knowing what Rex was going to do to win the game.

"Ha ha!" he declares victoriously. The Dejarik monster squeals as it gets taken down by Rex's monster. "Chalk another one up for the clone."

I let out a small laugh as Zeb growls in frustration and disbelief, rubbing his head. "Takes more than brawn to win this game, big guy." Rex adds.

"Maybe I let you win, old guy." Zeb retorts with a chuckle.

"You serious Zeb? What's the strategy in letting the enemy beat you on the battlefield?" I counter with a raised eyebrow. "You've got to secure that win if you want to actually beat this guy," I add, gesturing towards Rex.

Zeb rolls his eyes while Rex gives me a glare, and I shrug.

"Lock it down." Sabine suddenly says. I look over to see the astromech lock himself to the ground with his magnetics, and share a smirk with Rex. This should be good.

"Come on Ezra, focus." Kanan urges.

Ezra closed his eyes and stretched out an arm towards Chopper. So far nothing was happening, aside from a few shudders from Chopper.

"Focus. Use the Force. Look through the Force." Kanan says, and I roll my eyes. Oh, the Jarik from back in the day with laugh at the attempts to be all mystical like that. "Lift Chopper up, picture it in your mind."

Chopper now begins to shake and shudder violently, but still he doesn't lift up. Sabine watches him with a grin, while me and Rex share a glance, shaking our heads. Ezra's expression becomes more unsure despite him trying hard, and eventually he lowers his arm in a small amount of exhaustion, and defeated and disheartened look on his face.

"I can't! I- I can't do it," he stammered sadly.

"Hey, kid, while you're looking through the Force, don't forget to look with your eyes too," Rex says, pointing towards Chopper. "The droid's got his feet locked down."

Ezra widens his eyes before glaring angrily at Chopper, while he and Sabine both laugh in amusement at the prank. I give off a brief chuckle as Ezra growls in frustration.

"It's not fair!" he complains.

"Real battles usually aren't." Kanan told him.

"You know, if Jarik could hold two clone troopers in the air while clinging to the wall to avoid a squad of Commando droids at your age, lifting a locked down garbage can should be easy," I commented.

Chopper beeped loudly at me in anger, and I waved a hand. "Oh get over it, you're not nearly as insufferable as R5," I retorted, and he grumbled.

"I don't know if I could do what you said Jarik did," Ezra replied with uncertainty.

"The Jedi general I served combined the Force with his wits, and it made him a great warrior." Rex says proudly, standing up.

"Ezra's got plenty of wits. What he needs is more discipline." Kanan argues, walking towards Rex while Ezra rolls his eyes. I cross my arms and let out an aggravated sigh.

"Here we go again," I muttered.

The door opened to reveal Hera walking through, while Rex replied to Kanan's comment. "Well, then you better let a soldier handle that."

"Excuse me?" he demanded with a dangerous look.

"Sabine, I have a mission for you and Chop." Hera says, ignoring the two. Everyone was used to their bickering by now, but it was still annoying. "Thanks to Captain Rex and Boil I've found an old base where we might be able to salvage some much needed medical supplies. Zeb," she called out.

"Hmm. Huh?" he questions.

"You should go to," she replies, and he lets out a sigh.

"Better find the med supplies quick, Captain Wits is about to need them." Kanan says mockingly.

"HA!" I exclaim in sarcastic amusement. "You wish."

Rex lets out a laugh as well. "So, there's where the boy's lack of discipline comes from," he says with a frown, raising an eyebrow at Kanan. "Hmm?"

"You're saying I lack discipline?" Kanan asks irritably. Hera glances between the two and raises her hands silently in irritation as she walks away.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I said," I retorted.

"Here we go again." Ezra says, and I glance between him and the other two, nodding my head in agreement. I then notice Sabine, Zeb and Chopper entering the Phantom, and cough to get Ezra's attention.

He looks at me curiously, and I gesture for the hatch. "Why don't you scamper along with them?" I suggest.

He looks at the ladder before grinning. "Yeah, I like that idea," he agrees, rushing up the ladder to join the team.

Kanan gives a sarcastic laugh, scoffing lightly. "Funny, but a soldier's discipline can't compare to a Jedi's. It takes far more discipline not to fight," he challenges.

I throw my head back and start laughing at that comment, Kanan and Rex turning to look at me, the former with an irritated look. "Something funny to you?" he demands.

"Sorry Kanan but I gotta side with Rex on this one. The idea of Jarik having much discipline during the Clone War was a joke," I recalled, and Rex chuckles in agreement. "Yet he was still one of the greatest Jedi."

"Not everything is about rushing into battle with a lightsaber or blaster in your hand," he retorts angrily.

"Oh, so you're just going to ask the Empire to lay down their weapons and give up?" Rex questions sarcastically.

"No, that isn't what I meant!" Kanan replies defensively. "What I meant is that Ezra's got to learn to stay in the moment, be present. You got it, Ezra?" he says, turning around and seeing the kid not there. He looks up angrily as the hatch was closed off. "Ezra!" he calls out.

"Now if you two are done arguing like an old married couple, or better yet like Commander Shan and Commander Tano, I'll be off doing my own thing while Ezra does his," I tell them with a grin.

* * *

 _ **Knight Hawk; Space**_

 **3rd person POV...**

While traveling through hyperspace to the location of Phoenix Squadron, Jarik, Ahsoka and Mara had a brief meal of simple foods together. Not much was said aside from a retelling of the events on Berk against the Outcasts, and a short discussion about the appearance of Calder and his Force power. However it wasn't too long before Jarik had finished his food, picking up a canteen of water and excusing himself to the bedroom for a nap. Ahsoka and Mara both watched him go, with looks mixing from confusion and concern.

"What's dad's deal?" she asked.

"He's just stressed out from a lot of what's been happening recently," Ahsoka replied sadly. "A lot of which involves Vader, and his visions."

"Any idea what he sees in his visions?" Mara questions.

"Not exactly," she replied. "But it is something really bad, something that'll be coming in the future. He can't keep from worrying about it."

Mara pursed her lips but didn't press further. "Well that sucks," she comments.

"I can surely imagine it does," Ahsoka replies in agreement. She could recall the state and worry that she was in when she kept receiving visions of Aurra Sing's plot to assassinate Padmé back in the Clone Wars. She stood up from her chair, also mostly finished eating.

"I'll go talk to him, see if he's alright," she decides.

"You seem to give him 'comforting' talks a lot," Mara points out.

"I guess I do..." Ahsoka admits slowly, heading towards the bedroom. "There was a lot I missed when I left the Jedi Order."

Mara watches her go with a raised eyebrow, a hint of suspicion on her face. There was something Jarik and Ahsoka both knew that they weren't telling her. She trusted both of them with her life, and always would, but she knew they were choosing not to tell her about some very important things, and she didn't like it too much, even if their reasons may be good.

She shrugged to herself and went back to eating.

* * *

 _ **Imperial Star Destroyer; Space**_

 **3rd person POV...**

The Fifth Brother stood in front of the viewport on the bridge, staring out into space with a hard gaze, sensing through the Force for hints about Ahsoka Tano and Jarik Shan. Nearby, the Third Brother was also standing at the viewport, although keeping himself a little separate from Fifth Brother, never being one for teamwork. Instead of searching for Tano and Shan however, he was in reality searching through the Force on his own, secret assignment, the Jedi more of a side item. He knew with absolute certainty of the powerful stone that lay underneath Vader's castle, and the Sith Lord's attempts to unlock it, but getting there was the problem.

One did not enter Lord Vader's property without a death wish, and even then officers or Imperial's did not return alive from being summoned by him. The problem Third Brother tried to figure out was how to sneak down to Vader's castle on Mustafar without being caught...

"These mystics are unnecessary. I don't know why Lord Vader insists on sending them." Konstantine's voice spoke quietly to Agent Kallus in obvious irritation, unintentionally catching Third Brother's attention.

"Agent Kallus, I may have something," an officer reports, and both Imperial officials head towards the console. "A power surge at a decommissioned medical station in Sector 11. Could be Rebels."

This also draws the Fifth Brother's attention into the conversation as well, and he frowns thoughtfully, striding over towards the officers. Third Brother knew he could sense the rebels being the cause of the power surge, but aside from his perception in the Force, he detested his fellow Inquisitor. The man was nothing more than a brute, overconfident in his power and authority, with not much skill in combat aside from his use of the Force.

"Could be anything, a malfunction or even scavengers." Kallus adds with doubt.

"No, I sense the ones we seek." Fifth Brother suddenly booms from behind them, and both Kallus and Konstantine whip around in surprise, slightly startled. Third Brother also approaches, frowning behind his mask.

"One of your disturbances, I assume. Very well. Admiral, set a course for this medical station." Kallus decides in resignation.

"Your assistance is unnecessary, Agent Kallus. I shall go alone." Fifth Brother declares confidently.

"You will not be going on this alone Fifth Brother," Third Brother states, walking after him.

Fifth Brother turns around the glare at the other Inquisitor. "You question my strength and competence, Third Brother?" he demands angrily.

"Yes, I do." Third Brother retorts, glaring behind the mask as he walks by. "You are as clumsy as you are stupid."

Fifth Brother scowls furiously at the Third Brother, but doesn't challenge him. Despite his arrogance in his strength and power, he knows the Third Brother to be much more dangerous than he is, which in the Inquisitorius rankings makes him his superior. He follows after him with clenches fists, while Kallus and Konstantine both share a slightly worried look with each other.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

Jedi never received dreams. They received visions. It was rare to receive one though, and even rarer to receive a positive vision at that. So as I slept for my nap, I saw a short vision, surprise surprise, and it wasn't very good for me to see.

 _Floating in space was a Republic Medical Station, however it was obviously abandoned a long time ago. Then I got to see inside the station, several hallways dark and gloomy, the ceiling falling apart and a whole bunch of mess. In the hallways, I saw a single figure slinking through, garbed in completely black clothing with a pointed helmet, their figure appearing more feminine. While not feeling very powerful at all, I could definitely sense the dark side coming from them... as well as something familiar. The figure approached a boy on the ground in an orange jumpsuit with very dark hair, with a bluish tint I recognized as Ezra._

 _They then turned around, opening up their face mask, but it was no help, as their face was still shrouded in shadow from the dark hallway. Then a crimson lightsaber blade was activated, lighting up their face..._

I opened my eyes, looking up at the ceiling with a sigh. I then sat up in bed and rubbed my face, mumbling to myself some choice words about the Force for showing me annoyingly depressing and worrying visions all the time. But there was something that couldn't be ignored, and I could still feel it. Whatever that was, Ezra and who knows who else could be in possible danger from this new Inquisitor... yet something is striking familiar about er presence, I can't understand why.

The door to the room opened, and I looked up to see Ahsoka enter, a look of concern on her face. "You alright?" she questions.

I frown thoughtfully before replying. "Yeah, I'm fine but... I don't know about Ezra."

She narrows her eyes, immediately getting the situation. "What did you see?"

"I think he may be in trouble, possibly captured by an Inquisitor," I told her. "At an abandoned Medical Station."

* * *

 _ **Republic Medical Station**_

 **3rd person POV...**

Ezra lifted the grate off of the vent, pushing it out of the way with a loud, echoing clang.

"Chopper!" he called out, raising my head above the grates. He climbed out and then offered a hand to help Sabine out of the vents as well. She turned on her flashlight, and the two rushed down the hallway in the direction Chopper was supposed to be.

"Chopper, where are you?" Ezra yelled again.

The sound of Chopper got their attention, and they looked down the hallway to their right, seeing a red light in the darkness, from which came Chopper's echoing voice. However whatever it was, certainly didn't look anything like Chopper.

"Chopper?" Sabine asked in bewilderment.

What was supposed to be Chopper, but actually wasn't floated a little bit closer, and they could see that it wasn't Chopper at all, rather some strange little floating droid, making creepy little noises and staring at them with a beady, glowing red eye, pincers on its arms snapping lightly. Behind the droid, a figure stalks forwards slowly, not yet noticed by the two rebels.

"What is that?" Ezra asked warily.

"It looks like a... probe droid?" Sabine guesses.

The droid then floats upwards and moves behind it to perch on a woman's shoulder, which Ezra and Sabine now took notice of, immediately suspicious and wary. The woman was clad in all black clothing, with some armor pieces covering her torso, and a long pointed helmet on her head, a mask covering her face. On her waist was a short skirt, and she looked at them.

"My pet told me you were here. I've been searching for you for some time," she spoke, her voice slightly altered by the mask.

"A, bounty hunter?" Ezra guessed hesitantly.

"Guess again," she replied mockingly. A moment later she pulled out a lightsaber and activated it, the crimson colored blade bathing her mask in a red glow. The droid on her shoulder snapped its claws together threateningly.

Ezra gasped but pulled out his own lightsaber a moment later, a fierce glare on his face. As the woman slinked closer to them, lightsaber held in front of her with the droid floating behind her, Ezra and Sabine backed up warily.

"You're an Inquisitor." Ezra immediately deduced.

"Oh, good, I don't have to explain it to you," she purred, clenching her hands with long fingernails shaped like claws in satisfaction. "So, you know what comes next!" she adds gleefully, reaching out for them. Two more probe droids suddenly appear from behind her back as well. Ezra scowls at her, but Sabine raises her blasters.

"Run!" she exclaims, letting loose a few shots at the swiftly approaching droids. They rush down the hall, turning around a corner and facing the droids, Sabine firing her blasters at them. Ezra tries to swing at one with his lightsaber, but the droids are very quick, evading the blaster shots and his lightsaber, while the Seventh Sister stalks forwards toward them.

Ezra swings his lightsaber and rushes past the droids, charging for the Seventh Sister. He swings his lightsaber at her, but she easily deflects it and retaliates with another strike, forcing Ezra to block with a grunt. She then shoves him away and activates a second blade, the lightsabers spinning feature going into motion, forcing Ezra back.

"Like Kanan said, it's never a fair fight," he recalled uneasily.

A few feet away, Sabine continues to try and shoot at the droids, but one latches onto her arm, shocking her with electric bursts. She grunts in pain and slams her arm against a broken piece of machinery, forcing the droid away with a small shriek, and she tries firing at them again. Seventh Sister swings her lightsaber at Ezra, but he jumped back, and then jumps on top of a crate with a groan to evade her wildly swinging lightsaber. She then whirls around and kicks him in the chest, sending him flying back to slide next to Sabine.

"We need to find Zeb and Chopper." Sabine says, and he gets up with a groan, rubbing his head.

"Yeah, that way," he decides.

He gets up, and the two turn around the corner, running as fast as they can before coming to a quick stop, and Sabine gasps in shock. Standing before them is a large, bulky figure also wearing armor colored black and dark grey. On his head is some sort of strange, wide brimmed helmet, and his skin is an unnatural gray. He also activates a red Inquisitorial lightsaber, a savage grin on his face.

"Not who we're looking for," Ezra says frightfully, and they run back down the corridor they came from, turning left. "How many of these guys are there?"

"Two!" Sabine yells back.

As Seventh Sister stalks after them, she glances down the hallway to see what made them turn around in such a way and scowls to herself, seeing the Fifth Brother. Still, she persists, finding capturing the Jedi and the Mandalorian much more important than dealing with her fellow Inquisitor. Ezra and Sabine reach a blocked doorway, and after a few seconds she manages to get the door to open. A quick glance behind them shows the Seventh Sister approaching fast, despite walking slowly.

"Go, go, go, go." Sabine yells.

They try to run down the corridor, passing by another hallway, but before they could get much further a door in front of them opens to reveal another figure, standing before them with a black mask on. Ezra widens his eyes in horror, recognizing who it was, and they also activate a lightsaber, colored red.

"Well well," he says darkly, voice altered from the mask.

"Are you kidding me?!" Ezra exclaims.

Sabine glances back down the one hallway still left open to them and runs down it. "This way!"

Ezra runs to follow after her, but before he could go through that hallway he's suddenly stopped in his tracks. He grunts in surprise, eyes wide as two of the probe droids suddenly yank him off of his feet, dragging him back to where the Seventh Sister is waiting. Sabine takes notice and runs back to him in horror. "No!" she exclaims.

One of the droids latches onto his arm, but he shakes it off and looks up, seeing her approach. He then notices a control panel on the wall and raises his lightsaber. "Sabine, run!" he cries, jabbing his lightsaber into the panel with a grunt.

"Ezra!" Sabine cries, the old doors slamming shut before she could reach him. Ezra turns around with his lightsaber raises as the Seventh Sister approaches, the Third Brother and then the Fifth Brother turning around the corner of the hallways behind her. She presses Ezra against the door, restraining him with the Force while she approaches, arm raised.

"Such a noble act, just like a Jedi," she comments.

"I'm learning," Ezra grunts. The three probe droids latch onto his two arms and shoulder, while Seventh Sister takes his lightsaber from him, holding it in her other hand.

"But not quite enough?" Seventh Sister asks tauntingly.

Just then, the Fifth Brother rushes forwards, raising his lightsaber with a savage look to his eyes.

"Fifth Brother!" the Third Brother yells furiously, rushing forwards to stop him.

Ezra widened his eyes in fear, but before the lightsaber could slice through his head, Seventh Sister raises her own blade to block his own, glancing back at him in irritation. Fifth brother glares at her for interrupting.

"I'm surprised to see both of you here _."_ Seventh Sister comments in displeasure.

"The kill is mine!" Fifth Brother exclaims angrily with a scowl. The arm holding his lightsaber is then grabbed by the Third Brother, and he gets shoved against the wall with a fierce glare, yellow eyes hidden behind the mask.

"You clearly don't know how to hunt Jedi don't you?" he states condescendingly.

"I know well enough!" Fifth Brother retorts.

"Clearly not, considering how short-sighted you are." Seventh Sister adds, and Fifth Brother growls at them both. "We will use the boy as bait to draw in the others. Now, find the girl!" she says swiftly.

"No!" Ezra protests, but he is ignored.

"I'm watching you to make sure you don't leave any loose ends," Third Brother says with a warning tone.

The Fifth Brother growls angrily, glancing between them but relents, heading off down the hallway he came from. Third Brother stalks behind him, and two of the probe droids on Ezra's arms swiftly follow the two Inquisitor's. Ezra grabs the last droid and tries to yank it off, but to no avail, and Seventh Sister stalks forwards.

"You and I are gonna have a talk, and if you're good, maybe some of your friends will survive," she says with a purr, stroking Ezra's face her her sharp fingernail claws, and Ezra pulls back in a mixture of fear and disgust.

* * *

In the station's command center Ezra was being held prisoner, with binders clamped around his wrists. He was sitting against an old power generator, while the Seventh Sister crawl around above him like a spider, holding his lightsaber in her hand tauntingly. He glared at her as she crawled off, kneeling in front of him.

"You handle a lightsaber well apprentice," she remarks.

"Well, I've got some time if, you wanted a lesson," Ezra says tauntingly with a smirk.

The Seventh Sister then opens up her mask, revealing a Mirialan woman with yellow skin and dark red facial tattoos. What was strange about her appearance was that aside from her irises, her eyes were completely black instead of white, the Sith yellow in her irises giving the only color, something that unsettled Ezra. She gave him a small smirk as she observed him.

"You have great potential, but perhaps it is I that might teach you, as your master never achieved the rank of Jedi Knight, did he?" she asks tauntingly, sitting in a chair as her probe droid perched on her shoulder.

"Maybe not," he admitted. "But he took out the last Inquisitor, so, I think I'll just stick with him!" he says confidently with a grin.

She widens her eyes in mock surprise. "Yes, the death of the Grand Inquisitor was a surprise to all," she admits, activating Ezra's lightsaber. "Yet, it does present the rest of us with, new opportunities. There are many hunting you now, all intent on killing you, and your master. Does that frighten you?" she asks, kneeling in front of him and holding his lightsaber to his neck.

"You don't frighten me. The Second Sister was more of a threat than you could be," Ezra says back with a smug grin.

Seventh Sister frowns, standing back up. "Yes, perhaps so. Her frightening nature is rather impressive, yet her success rate shows otherwise. She was unable to capture Mara Jade as a mere baby, instead leaving her to be a problem," she comments. "I would have just killed the youngling there."

Ezra glares at her, scoffing lightly. "If you think you can kill me or Mara, you're so wrong. you would've already killed me if you had planned to," he retorts.

Seventh Sister grins at him. "Kill you?" she asks thoughtfully. "I have no plans to kill you... yet."

* * *

Elsewhere in the medical station, Fifth Brother and the Third Brother were slowly marching down the hallways, both probe droids floating beside them. As they came to an intersection, they suddenly stopped, glancing down the hallway as the droids continued onwards. They could sense the fear of two individuals, and beneath his mask, Third Brother grinned.

"Your fear betrays you rebels," he stated, marching forwards, and the Fifth Brother follows him.

Taking cover behind several crates, Sabine and Zeb both press their backs against them. Zeb glanced at Sabine, and she raised a detonator, activating the trap they set in place. In the middle of the hallway, both Inquisitors stopped and glanced around, just barely able to make out the faint sound of beeping. Third Brother narrowed his eyes.

"Fools," he muttered quietly to himself.

"Come on!" Zeb whispers harshly to her with a huff. Sabine presses the detonator to set off the explosion, but to her alarm it doesn't work. She presses it again more frantically.

"It's not working!" she whispers in a panic.

In the hallway, Third Brother holds his arm out, and the four thermal detonators detach from the sides of the walls. With a simple gesture, he sends them flying at Sabine and Zeb, forcing the two from their cover with wide eyes.

"Run!" Sabine exclaims.

The detonates explode in the air, knocking Zeb into a storage room while Sabine is slammed into a wall, hitting her head. She falls to the ground unconscious, her helmet rolling off her head. Through the smoke and bits of fire, both Inquisitors stride forwards with seeking eyes, spotting Sabine's fallen form on the ground.

"Bring the lasat with us, I'll take her," Third Brother orders.

"Why not let the droids take care of the other?" Fifth Brother demands.

I trust probe droids about as much as I trust a Jedi," Third Brother states with distaste, moving to pick up Sabine. He slings her over his shoulder and walks away towards the command center.

Fifth Brother scowls but does as he is told, walking into the storage room with narrowed eyes, glancing around. Behind a stack of crates, Zeb peeks his head out, having recovered from a slight black out, and a little dazed. Seeing the Fifth Brother, he widens his eyes in alarm.

"Oh, karabast," he mutters to himself.

"You cannot hide forever lasat," Fifth Brother states, looking around the room.

Moving as quietly as he could, Zeb slowly pulls out his bow rifle and aims at the Inquisitor. However before he could pull the trigger, his weapon is yanked out of his grasp, and the crate he was hiding behind gets thrown to the side. Fifth Brother strides forwards, moving to pull out his lightsaber. Thinking fast, Zeb yells and charges forwards, swinging his fists. Fifth Brother backpedals in a small amount of surprise but scowls, shoving Zeb's arm away, and then countering with a punch.

Zeb staggers back from the punch to the face but charges forwards again with a war cry, going to tackle the Inquisitor. Unfortunately, the Fifth Brother merely raises his arms and uses the force to slam Zeb against the far wall, knocking him out cold. Fifth Brother walks up in front of him, gazing at his unconscious from with a distasteful frown. He then grabs Zeb by the leg and starts dragging him out of the room, headed for the command center as well.

* * *

Back in the command center of the station, Seventh Sister was sitting in her chair, holding an arm out to Ezra and calling upon the Force to read his mind. He was groaning, resisting her attempts to gain what she wanted while she just frowned in disappointment.

"Why can you just not cooperate?" she asked. "Why do you compel me to inflict pain?"

Ezra groans in pain again, and she slides forwards, resting her hand on his face while he glares at her. "You know we'll find the others, so why not just tell me where they are?" she questions in an attempt to persuade him.

"Because, unlike you, I can shut up!" Ezra replies through gritted teeth. "You're like a broken protocol droid!"

"Shhh." Seventh Sister replies softly, holding her finger to his lips. She then stands back up, one hand behind her back while she gazes down at him thoughtfully. "Hmm. You hide your fear well. Poor child; if only you had the power to protect your friends," she says in mock pity with a smirk.

"Shows what you know. I'm growing more powerful every day!" Ezra retorts.

"Unfortunate there's no-one left to train you. The Jedi of old are dead," she remarks, turning around.

"Not all of them!" Ezra declares proudly.

"We know about Jarik Shan, and Ahsoka Tano." Seventh Sister informs him with a smirk.

Ezra blinks in surprise, worry and alarm seeping into him. Jarik Shan was known to the Empire so that wasn't a surprise... but Ahsoka was supposed to be unknown. How did they figure out about her?! "Who's... Ahsoka Tano?" he questions slowly in feigned confusion.

Seventh Sister sighs. "As pretty as you are," she starts to say.

Ezra raises his eyebrow in bewilderment. "What?" he asks.

Seventh Sister then activates her lightsaber, swinging it dangerously close to his face. "I only need you alive, that doesn't mean in one piece. Now, where is Jarik Shan, and Ahsoka Tano?!" she demands, pointing her lightsaber at him with a real glare on her face.

Ezra narrows his eyes, staring back at her with determination. "I'm not telling you anything," he says confidently.

"You will in time child. But my patience is growing thin. You are going to tell me the location of Ahsoka and Jarik, or start cutting," she warns him, her lightsaber inches from his throat.

He glances at the red blade uneasily but still glares back, refusing to say anything, although in her irritation, Ezra could sense somethings about her she otherwise would have kept hidden.

"Why do you want them so bad?" he retorts, narrowing his eyes. "You seem like someone with quite the grudge."

The Seventh Sister's eyes gleam at that remark, and despite her annoyance and anger with him she manages a small smirk. "Well, call it an old, clan rivalry..." she purrs.


	74. Ch 73 - Friends Long Lost

**Mara POV...**

"You know I really wanted to see what dad has got going," I commented.

"Oh, if things go as usual, we'll probably be right in the middle of it," mom replied.

"I don't really believe that yet, considering we're being sent to find the medical supplies," I argued with a frown. We had just come out of hyperspace a few minutes ago to this old medical station, and after a quick check through the Force mom could confirm that Ezra and a couple others were here, as well as three Inquisitors. Apparently they had managed to get themselves all captured by the Inquisitors, and so while dad was going to come up with a plan to rescue them, me and mom were sent hunting after the medical supplies.

Fantastic.

"Didn't you change your attitude about how you would view your missions?" mom asked me with a raised brow.

"Yeah, after the whole Vader thing," I admitted. "But it's still hard to shake off the side of me that wants to get into the action."

"Well, I can't blame you with that. Took me nearly two years in the Clone Wars to grow out of that," she replied.

We turned down a corner and looked at the ground, widening our eyes in surprise. Unless I was mistaken, lying on the ground in the middle of the hallway and several pieces of rubble, was Chopper.

"Is that Chopper?" I asked in alarm.

"I think it is," mom replied.

We quickly rushed to the droid and crouched beside him. Mom checked him for any damage and then fiddled with his circuits for a few seconds. Chopper than began coming back online, and the two of us helped lift him upright. He beeped wildly in alarm, spinning his dome around with his mechanical arms out in a defensive pose, before looking at us both in surprise.

"Yes, its us Chopper. What happened here?" Ahsoka asked.

Chopper beeped at us again with an anxious tone, and I raised an eyebrow at him. "A probe droid? Was it Imperial?"

He whistled at me and I held up my hands in surrender, rolling my eyes. "Alright alright, fair point. Any idea where the others are at?" I asked.

Chopper swiveled his dome around, letting out a defeated series of beeps, sinking on his axles.

"Don't worry Chopper, we'll find them. But we have to retrieve the medical supplies first," mom stated.

He rumbled along in agreement, and we headed down the hallways again, mom leading us in the direction that the medical supplies should be stored in. Oh it certainly helps in exploring old Clone Wars bases when you have a war veteran as a guide.

Mom then stopped, gesturing for us to be quiet, and I got the message, pressing myself against the wall while she peeked around the corner with narrowed eyes. She could sense something approaching, and now that I was looking for it, I could sense it to. Chopper continued his grumbling and beeping, oblivious to the situation, so I quickly reached out with the Force and yanked him back to me. He beeped loudly in surprise, but I gave him a kick, glaring at him.

"Quiet! Someone's coming!" I whispered harshly.

I crept up beside mom, and she glanced back at me, a hand on her lightsaber. The sound of heavy feet approaching could be heard, and a few pieces of pipes or broken machinery down the corridor were banging around. We gave each other a nod, and then leaped out, activating our lightsabers. I rolled on the ground in a crouch, raising my blade while mom pointed hers down the hall. We both widened our eyes in shock and horror at the sight that greeted us.

"Zenna?!" we both exclaim in bewilderment.

The young Nadder raised her head and squawked happily, rushing towards me, completely uncaring of the lightsabers aimed at her. Chopper gave a scream of alarm, zooming behind the wall while Zenna quickly tackled me to the ground, nuzzling me and purring. I pushed her head away and got back to my feet with an incredulous expression on my face.

"Are you kidding me? What are you doing here?" I demanded.

"Zenna!" another voice yelled.

We both looked up again in disbelief as Hiccup ran around the corner, followed up by Astrid moments later. They widened their eyes in relief at the sight of Zenna.

"Zenna, don't go-" Astrid starts to scold before stopping in shock. Hiccup also takes notice, widening his eyes in alarm.

Mom and I both stare at the two of them, Zenna nuzzling my leg, oblivious while Chopper peeked back out to look at what was happening. Mom sighed, lowering her lightsaber, deactivating it and giving the two Vikings a fierce glare.

Hiccup and Astrid both chuckled nervously, the former rubbing his head. "Uhh... w- we have a perfectly reasonable explanation for this," he stammered uneasily.

I crossed my arms with an irritated glare, while mom took a few steps forwards, hands on her hips with the glare only a mother could have for her kids. She's used it on me plenty of times.

"Oh, do tell," she replies dryly, in a sarcastic manner.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

I climbed up the side of the hanger wall, using the cracked walls and different grooves of the design to clamber up the otherwise slick surface. Luckily this place was beyond crap by now, so nothing would be slick or shiny, allowing for easy hand holds. Reaching the top of the wall, I glanced out at the roof, finding a small piece of a broken platform and pipes sticking out, which would allow me to hang from the roof to put my trap into place. Preparing myself, I then used the force to enhance my jump, and leaped out across the ceiling, just barely managing to grab onto the remains of the hanging platform with my mechanical arm. Pulling myself up, I then crouched on the platform, observing the hanger, with the Phantom parked nearby.

My comlink beeped, and I accepted the call from R5, who was still in the Knight Hawk, ready to take off with the ship in a moments notice and open fire on the Inquisitors.

"You ready R5?" I asked him. He beeped back in confirmation, and I nodded my head with a grin. "Good. Let's get this show on the road," I answered, closing the transmission.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

Seventh Sister was still pointing her lightsaber at Ezra's throat with a glare when the door opened, causing them to both look at who was entering. Third Brother walked in, throwing Sabine roughly onto the ground beside Ezra, and she landed on her hands and knees, glancing back with a glare. Fifth Brother came in next, a struggling Zeb in his grasp before he was also thrown down beside Sabine and Zeb, although his back hit the control panel. He scowled up at his captor, moving to get up.

"You touch me again and-" he threatened, before a lightsaber was pointed directly at his face.

"Ah ah ah," Third Brother said chidingly, pointing the saber at his throat. Zeb growled angrily but conceded, sitting back down beside Sabine. Smirking to himself, Third Brother deactivated his lightsaber and crossed his arms.

"What has the boy revealed?" Fifth Brother questioned.

"Nothing I wish to share!" Seventh Sister responded in agitation, turning towards Ezra. "Contact your rebel friends and bring them here, that's all I ask!"

"Let me think about that..." Ezra replied mockingly. "Ah, no."

"Contact your friends!" Seventh Sister demanded with a glare, shoving the lightsaber closer to Ezra's throat.

"I'm not talking to you right now!" Ezra retorted. "Sabine, Zeb, what happened?"

"We tried to fight, but we never had a chance," Sabine replied sadly.

"I still have some choice words for you," Zeb told the Fifth Brother with a glare. The Inquisitor curled his lip in a disgusted sneer.

"There will be more pain and suffering, if you do not contact your rebel friends." Third Brother warned.

Before any of them could offer a retort, Ezra's comlink crackled into life as someone made contact. _"Spectre 6, come in. Do you read? This is Commander Aven."_

Ezra, Sabine and Zeb widened their eyes upon recognizing Jarik's voice, but kept quiet, realizing that he was there to, although how he found them, none of them knew. The Inquisitor's however did not recognize the voice, even Third Brother, having not properly spoken to him while in their duel.

"Answer him." Fifth Brother ordered them.

"Err, Commander Aven, yes, yes, I can hear you." Sabine stammered quickly in reply.

 _"We missed your check-in,"_ Jarik replied. _"Because of the current quality of our ships, am I correct in assuming that mechanical difficulties have gotten your craft stranded, leaving you in need of help with repairs?"_ he questioned firmly, voice sounding just like a proper fleet commander.

The three of them glanced up at each other, and Seventh Sister narrowed her eyes. "Answer him," she said simply.

"Commander, we, uhh, we can handle everything. No need for you or the others." Sabine said confidently.

A lightsaber was suddenly activated inches from her face, and she widened her eyes in alarm. Fifth Brother grabbed her by the head and lifted her up, pointing his lightsaber at her throat with a fierce glare. Zeb and Ezra stared in worry, and Zeb growled lowly in his throat.

"No. Commander, we changed our minds." Ezra replied quickly. "We could use some help. Bring Kanan and... better bring Ahsoka and Jarik too."

Very well. We'll rendezvous in Bay 6. We'll take care of your problems, so don't worry. Make sure to keep your chin up, for any sign of trouble." Jarik told them, closing the transmission. The three rebels all shared concerned glances, while Seventh Sister allowed herself a small smirk.

* * *

 **Ahsoka POV...**

I was mad, in several ways that I could not believe. Fortunately for Hiccup and Astrid, I usually kept that kind of anger contained nowadays, but they would still be getting an earful.

"And what could you two have possibly been thinking when sneaking onto the ship?" I demand. "Even worse, you actually left the ship into unfamiliar territory! What would you have done if you were left behind?!"

"We didn't mean to, Zenna rushed along after you!" Astrid protested. "We tried to stop her, but then the door closed, and we were trapped in your ship!"

"Then why didn't you come out and tell us right away? It takes a couple of minutes before we're able to leave the planet properly. You would've had plenty of time to tell us!" I exclaimed.

"Well, we-" Hiccup stammered, trying to formulate a response before sighing in resignation. "We didn't want you to worry you guys, since the Empire is such a big deal for you."

Mara scoffed. "Yeah, that was a brilliant idea," she commented sarcastically. I had to agree with her.

"We did warn you to watch Zenna and make sure she didn't attempt something like this again," I reminded them. "Yet somehow she still managed to slip past you and into the ship?"

"She's really fast! We weren't expecting her to do that!" Hiccup protested.

I sighed in frustration, pinching the bridge of my nose before looking back at them. "Alright. Is anyone else with you?" I asked.

"No, it's just us," Astrid replies.

"Are you sure about that?" I pressed with a glare.

"Nobody else ran into the ship after us, I swear!" Hiccup exclaimed sincerely.

"Well there's some good news," I muttered to myself, shaking my head while crossing my arms. "Well you couldn't have picked a worse time to sneak onto one of our missions," I said grimly.

"Why's that?" Astrid questioned.

"Inquisitor's. Three of them," Mara answered for her.

"What are Inquisitor's?" Hiccup asked in confusion.

"Jedi hunters," I told them simply, looking around the hallways.

They were both surprised and alarmed, widening their eyes. "Jedi hunters?!" they both exclaimed. "You mean they also use the Force and can fight other Jedi?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes. And they are very dangerous, so don't even think about getting within a hundred feet of them," I told them seriously, turning back around and leveling them with a glare. "And I mean it, or else you will die. These aren't some simple Outcast soldiers you're dealing with."

"Ok, we understand," Hiccup said, nodding his head.

"So, what do we do now?" Mara asks me, glancing down at Zenna, who kept looking up at her with expectant chirps.

"We still have to find the medical supplies, and then we're out of here," I told her.

"Medical supplies?" Astrid asked.

"Chopper, stop hiding and come out already," I sighed in exasperation.

Chopped grumbled to himself in irritation, but complied, rolling out from behind the wall. Zenna squawked in surprise before narrowing her eyes with a growl, while Hiccup and Astrid both gasped in shock. "What is that thing?!" Astrid exclaimed.

Chopper beeped back some rather rude things, keeping well clear of Zenna, feeling uneasy around her. I rolled my eyes while Mara groaned. "An astromech droid," she told them.

"What's an-" Hiccup starts to say.

"Not important, we have a job to do," I interrupt sharply. "Mara, keep a close watch on Zenna. And you two, do not, leave our sight for any reason whatsoever!" I told them sternly, with a warning glare.

"I don't think that'll be very hard mom," Mara comments, glancing down at Zenna, who was still chirping happily at her, occasionally rubbing her leg.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

"Once we have the rest, we'll no longer need these three. We'll dispose of them, slowly," Third Brother stated menacingly, and Seventh Sister grinned at the idea. Ezra, Sabine and Zeb all glanced at the Inquisitors in worry, but kept the courage to continue glaring at them fiercely.

Fifth Brother and Third Brother marched behind the rebels, while Seventh Sister walked along the side of the convoy. She stopped before the door control panel and opened the doors, walking through. The hanger bay doors also opened, revealing the black emptiness of space out beyond, a blue, transparent ray shield protecting them all from its vacuum. The group walked into the hanger, and the Inquisitor's started glancing around as they waited for the rebel ship to arrive, taking notice of the Phantom nearby.

Ezra however was frowning in confusion. "Chin up... chin up, what does that mean?" he whispered to himself, happening to glance up. "Oh..."

He widened his eyes in realization, and a hint of relief when he spotted Jarik crouching on a hanging platform, offering him a wave with a grin. Ezra turned towards the other two and cleared his throat, gesturing with his chin upwards. Sabine and Zeb follows his gaze, also widening their eyes upon noticing the Jedi Knight hanging from the ceiling. Unfortunately for them, Seventh Sister's probe droid also noticed them gazing at the ceiling, and then so did the Third Brother. He looked up, widened his eyes in surprise before glaring furiously.

"Shan!" he yelled, pulling out his lightsaber. Fifth Brother and Seventh Sister also looked up, and just then, Jarik jumped down from the ceiling, activating a blue lightsaber.

"Go!" Sabine yelled, and the three rebels rushed away from the Inquisitors.

Jarik fell to the ground, and before the Inquisitor's could react, he brought his arms back, slamming them into the ground with a large amount of Force energy, blowing all three several feet away on impact. He stood back to his feet while the Inquisitor's regained their bearings, and Ezra took the opportunity to pull his lightsaber back to him with the Force. Jarik activated his green lightsaber, holding both blades in his hand with a confident grin.

"Now, who'd like to go first? How about you Third Brother?" he challenged.

Third Brother growled angrily, moving to stand on his feet and reactivated his lightsaber, which was turned off from the Force attack by Jarik. Before he could attack though, Seventh Sister suddenly interjected.

"Eager for a duel, just like always," the female Inquisitor commented, standing back to her feet and brushing her shoulder off. "It's like you haven't even changed a bit."

Jarik frowned, turning around to face the Seventh Sister, keeping a close watch on the Third Brother. Fifth Brother was still groaning, picking himself up from the floor. When Jarik stared at the Seventh Sister for a few moments, he gasped in shock and disbelief, widening his eyes in horror. He recognized this Inquisitor... particularly through her completely black eyes. And there was only one other Mirialan he knew in the whole galaxy who had eyes like that.

"It can't be... Vifi?" he asked slowly.

Seventh Sister grinned wickedly, activating her saber staff, allowing the red glow to light up her face, accentuating her expression. "It's been a while Jarik," she purred. "I've been waiting to re-introduce myself. How is Ahsoka by the way?"

Jarik's expression slowly hardened, and he raised his blue lightsaber. "Carrying out the other part of the mission," he said, activating his comlink. "R5, now!" he exclaimed.

During the whole interaction, Ezra, Sabine and Zeb had rushed for the Phantom, and Zeb was currently powering it on, getting ready for liftoff. "Where's Chopper?!" Ezra questioned.

"I don't know! Is he still in the station?!" Sabine replied in alarm.

Just then, the Knight Hawk suddenly floated into view in front of the hanger bay, R5 taking aim with the ship's blasters gleefully and firing away in the direction of the Inquisitor's. Third Brother widened his eyes in alarm underneath the mask, and quickly brought up his lightsaber, deflecting the heavy laser bolts with a grunt. Vifi turned around in surprise, raising her lightsaber when a shot was aimed at her, but was unprepared to block it, being sent flying a couple feet from the force of the bolt.

Jarik rushed forwards in her direction, raising his lightsabers and slashing down. Vifi rolled out of the way and attempted to slice at his back, but he easily twisted to block her strike, pushing her back.

"Why would you join the Sith?!" Jarik demanded angrily, shoving her away.

"Unlike the Jedi, the Sith show promise, and greatness! We should we be forced to follow along restricting rules of a failed Order?" Vifi retorted, charging forwards. She delivered a few swift strikes, but Jarik deflected them with his lightsabers, getting into a blade lock with her.

"Like the Sith are any better. You're Palpatine's slave, and you always will be by following him." Jarik argued.

"Not how I see it, although I must say you have gotten quite... handsome," Vifi purred, smirking at him.

"Thanks for the compliment," Jarik responded with a small grin, before shoving her lightsaber to the side and kicking her in the chest, sending her rolling across the ground with a pained grunt.

The door to the hanger then opened up again, and out ran Ahsoka and Mara, followed by Chopper, Zenna, Hiccup and Astrid. Ahsoka was carrying a crate of medical supplies, running towards the Phantom. Spotting Zenna and the two Vikings, Jarik widened his eyes in shock and disbelief. "W- what? What are you doing here?!" he exclaimed.

"Sorry!" Hiccup yelled back.

Fifth Brother had finally managed to pull himself to his feet, and brought out his lightsaber, running for Ahsoka's group with a yell. Hiccup and Astrid stared fearfully at the approaching Inquisitor, giving out shouts of fright, and Zenna squawked in alarm. Luckily, Mara brought out her lightsaber and dashed forwards, blocking the Fifth Brother's swing and stopping him in his tracks. The Inquisitor scowled, pressing harder against Mara, who grimaced, realizing he was a lot stronger than her. Thinking quickly, she separated and backpedaled, causing him to stumble forwards before she leaped up, kicking him back.

"You two, get in the ship now!" Ahsoka yelled from the Phantom, she and Chopper already on board. Hiccup and Astrid hastily complied, Zenna flying after them.

Meanwhile, the Third Brother finally had enough, and with a savage roar, threw out an arm towards the Knight Hawk. The ship was pushed back slightly, throwing it off balance. It wasn't enough to cause any harm or damage at all, considering Third Brother wasn't powerful enough for such a feat, but it was enough to stop it from firing at him. With R5 distracted temporarily, Third Brother rushed at Jarik, leaping at him with a yell.

Jarik sidestepped the attack, but Third Brother reacted quickly, spinning around and lashing out with his saber in a wide arc. Jarik brought up both of his lightsabers and caught the blow, shoving him back. He then swung out with his blue lightsaber, and the Third Brother hastily deflected the attack. Vifi then charged forwards, bringing her lightsaber down on Jarik's head. He raised his green lightsaber, catching her attack and then rolling forwards, getting out from between the two Inquisitor's. He popped up to face them, a hard expression as he glanced between both Inquisitor's, his heart plummeting with feelings of betrayal and sadness as Vifi's fate.

"Jarik, we're all clear! Come on!" Ahsoka yelled from the Phantom.

Jarik glanced back to see everyone onboard the ships, and then thrust his arms out, shoving both Inquisitor's away with the Force. He deactivated his lightsabers and ran for the Phantom, which was headed for the shield to exit the hanger, the Knight Hawk already waiting out there. Vifi and the Third Brother got back to there feet, chasing after him.

"No!" Vifi growled in a rage, running for Jarik as fast as she could.

Jarik jumped into the ship, and they were ready to blast off and escape the hanger. Before they could however, the ship stopped in its tracks, being held by some unseen force. Everyone looked out in alarm to see all three Inquisitor's with their arms out, holding the ship in place and keeping it from escaping. Vifi groaned, gesturing towards the doors with a fierce scowl on her face, and the hanger began to close, which would trap the ship inside.

"The doors are closing!" Zeb yelled back.

Sabine pulled out her blasters and fired at the Inquisitor's, hoping to distract them. It worked partially, as Fifth Brother stopped holding the ship in order to deflect the blaster fire, Third Brother trying to do both things at once. That meant Vifi was doing most of the work, despite the Third Brother also adding in effort.

"I can't hold them doing most of this myself!" she yelled to the others furiously.

"This is ridiculous!" Hiccup exclaimed.

"Zeb, now's your chance!" Jarik said.

Grinning, Zeb gunned the engines to maximum power, and the ship shot for the exit. Vifi was pulled along while trying to hold it back, sliding across the ground with a scream. She looked up, watching them escape with a fierce glare, scowling in rage. She and Jarik locked eyes, before the Phantom's door closed, and they blasted out of the hanger just as it closed.

"We made it," Ezra breathed out in relief.

"I can't believe that worked," Zeb remarked, glancing back. "Thanks you guys, I don't know what we would've done without you."

"It was no problem," Ahsoka replied with a small smile.

"Uh, who are these two? And... what is that?" Sabine asked in bewilderment, gesturing to Hiccup, Astrid and Zenna.

"Uhh... I'm Hiccup," he responded sheepishly.

"And I'm Astrid. That's Zenna," Astrid added, gesturing towards the Nadder, who squawked. All three of them could help but continue glancing at Zeb with wide eyes, unsure of what to think, which Zeb took notice of.

"What're you looking at?" he questioned with a frown.

"Uh, nothing! Nothing," Hiccup quickly replied, looking away innocently.

"So, where did they come from?" Sabine asked the others.

"'They,' are right here you know," Astrid said with a frown, crossing her arms. Sabine raised an eyebrow at her, but secretly gained a small liking for her personality.

"Yeah, I was about to ask that," Jarik said with a frown, and Hiccup swallowed nervously. "What in the kriff are you doing here?"

"Uhh... long story," Hiccup mumbled.

"They already told us dad," Mara told him reassuringly.

Jarik sighed, pinching his nose in frustration before looking away, glancing back in the direction of the medical station. A few moments later, he turned to Ahsoka, and she noted the heavy look in his gaze with concern.

"There's something we need to talk about later Ahsoka," he said sadly.

* * *

 **Boil POV...**

I was watching with some amusement as Kanan and Rex battled it out in a game of Dejarik. Somehow, they had managed to take their arguments and dislike of each other, and transfer it into playing the game, to which me and Hera honestly could not be more relieved. Kanan's monster then threw down one of Rex's, and he let out a victorious grin.

"I win!" Kanan declared.

Rex rubbed his head and offered a small smile to Kanan. "Looks like you can be disciplined when you put your mind to it," he commented, and I rolled my eyes.

"What? Wait, are you trying to say you're teaching me a lesson?" Kanan asked incredulously. Hera sat up with a grin on her face, continuing to mess around with her datapad.

"There are many ways to find victory." Rex replied.

"And with the right mindset, you can win almost any battle," I added from experience.

"I'm not sure if I like you clones more or less now." Kanan remarked, and we simply grinned at him. The hatch above us to the Phantom then opened, and we all looked up. "Speaking of lack of discipline," Kanan said in irritation. "Ezra, we need to talk... wait, who are these people?"

I raised an eyebrow at the sight of Ezra climbing down the ladder, followed by a skinny, small boy with a prosthetic foot and strange clothing, and a young girl with blone hair tied up in a braid, wearing a skull spiked skirt. Then some winged creature flapped down with a curious chirp, and we all stared at the newcomers with strange expressions.

"And what is that thing?!" Kanan added in bewilderment.

"Uhh..." the skinny boy started to say, obviously nervous and a little uneasy.

"Pay no attention, I've got this," Mara said, climbing down after them, and then the rest of the group in the Phantom also climbed down, which included Jarik and Ahsoka. Mara escorted the winged lizard and young kids to another room rather quickly.

"This way, this way," she said.

"Alright, we get it," the boy replied sarcastically.

We all watched them go with wide eyes before turning back towards the group, specifically Jarik and Ahsoka. "Okay, what the kriff happened? And where did you guys come from?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"It's a long story," Ahsoka sighed.

"Well, we've got time. But, disregarding all that... weirdness," Kanan said, glancing in the direction Mara and the others headed off too. "Ezra, you and I needto have a talk," he said firmly.

"Yeah, we do, about the two Inquisitors we just ran into." Ezra replied worriedly. "As well as the Third Brother."

"Inquisitors?!" Kanan asked in alarm, and we all shot up with alertness and worry in our eyes, Kanan and Hera glancing at each other.

"Yes, the Third Brother and two new ones," Sabine informed us. "We got lucky, Jarik saved us; without him... things could have been bad," she said gravely.

"It was a good thing we were passing by," Jarik said.

Zeb climbed down the ladder, placing a crate of medical supplies on the ground. "Those Inquisitors are nasty business," he said, rubbing his head. "Kanan, why didn't you tell us there were more of them?"

Kanan's eyes were wide in shock and a hint of fear, and I could see that he was at a loss of what to do.

"You couldn't have known beyond what you already did know," Ahsoka told him gently.

Kanan sat down, deep in thought as he worried about the situation, and Hera approached him. "Commander Sato is going to need a full report on this," she said.

"Well, we did get the medical supplies... some of them." Ezra told us. It was obvious he was still shaken up.

Hera rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. "That's good news. I'll meet you three on the command deck."

The group exited the room, but before leaving, Ezra turned back towards us, a grim look on his face. "Ahsoka, they knew about you," he says in concern.

Ahsoka frowns but nods her head in understanding. "Alright. Thank you for telling me," she replied.

Once they were gone, we all gathered in a circle, Hera resting a comforting arm on Kanan's shoulder. "Did you know there was more than one?"

"No, I didn't. Did you guys know?" Kanan questions Jarik and Ahsoka.

"We knew that there was at least six Inquisitors," Ahsoka said. "I defeated the Sixth Brother years ago, and Jarik has encountered a Fourth Sister. Beyond that we're unsure, but there could be many more. A Seventh Sister proves that."

We all shared looks of worry and dread at the information, and Kanan closed his eyes. "We really have no idea what we're up against," he said quietly, a hint of despair in his voice.

There was no need for words to understand the grim situation we were in. Jarik then turned towards Ahsoka, a haunted, sorrowful look in his eyes. "Ahsoka, there's something you need to know about the Seventh Sister," he said quietly.

She turns to him, noticing his expression. "What is it?" she asks.

"Seventh Sister is... she," he breathes out slowly, closing his eyes. "Vifi is the Seventh Sister," he said.

Ahsoka widened her eyes with a horrified gasp, bring a hand to her mouth as her eyes began to well up with tears. Me and Red also widened our eyes in shock, having never met her, but knowing who Vifi was.

"Vifi?!" I asked in alarm.

Jarik only nods, an expression of grief on his face.

"Who's Vifi?" Kanan asked cautiously.

Ahsoka slowly backs up, struggling to keep the tears from her eyes. "No..." she whispered. I watched her sadly as she turned and slowly walked out of the room, Jarik following after her with a hand on her shoulder, most likely to comfort her.

"Did they know Vifi before?" Kanan asks us.

I sighed, turning back to face him. "Yes. Vifi was... a good friend of theirs," I told them.

"More than a friend," Rex added. "She was their clan mate at the Temple, when the two were younglings."

Kanan widened his eyes in shock and realization, looking back to where the two Jedi disappeared to. "Oh Force... that must be awful," he murmured quietly.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

I had led Ahsoka back towards our room on the Knight Hawk, laying a comforting hand on her back to whole way. Once we reached our room, we sat down on the bed, and she finally let herself loose with a small amount of tears streaming down her eyes, an occasional sob coming out. I hugged her tightly to comfort her, resting my chin on her head and closing my eyes tightly, also struggling to hold back some tears.

"I can't believe Vifi... I can't believe she's an Inquisitor," Ahsoka whispered through her sobs.

"I'm sorry Ahsoka," was all I could say in reply.

"All our friends... why do bad things happen to everyone we're close to," she continued. "Barriss died, Anakin is Vader... and now Vifi," she sobbed. "Why do they all end badly?"

"I... don't know Ahsoka," I told her quietly. "I wish it never had to be this way..."

She latched onto me tightly, wrapping her arms and legs around me in a desperate hug while I held her, sharing in our grief for our friends who were lost, fallen into darkness or death.

* * *

 _Sad moment for the two of them. No matter what, many of their friends continue to have the worst happen to them, and now one of their clan mates is an Inquisitor, along with Anakin as Darth Vader. This is harder on Ahsoka than it is for Jarik, as she was much closer to Anakin than he was, and the loss of Vifi just makes it even worse._

 _A picture of their youngling clan can be found on my DeviantArt page if you're curious._


	75. Ch 74 - Stragglers

**3rd person POV...**

While Jarik and Ahsoka were both mourning over the loss of Vifi to the dark side, Mars had taken Hiccup, Astrid and Zenna on a brief tour of their own ship, showing them around. It was also a way to try and keep them out of trouble, particularly Zenna.

Of course, R5 still wasn't pleased at the sight of the dragon, and neither was Zenna at the sight of R5. Mara had to pull Zenna away from the droid, who brandished an electric prod in warning before rolling away with an irritated grumble. Hiccup and Astrid still couldn't get used to the idea of droids.

"Those things are weird..." Astrid said quietly.

"Don't let R5 hear you say that. He has a temper," Mara commented.

"Didn't you say astro... mikes-?"

"Mechs," she corrected.

"-mechs, didn't you say they were just machines and weren't alive?" Hiccup asks in confusion.

"Yeah they aren't alive," Mara agreed. "Droids don't have souls and are not living beings like us, but with enough programming and time they can gain a personality. Best way to describe it is how you guys used to feel about dragons," she said.

They both nodded in understanding. "Okay, that makes a little bit more sense," Astrid says.

Zenna chirped up at Mara for what seemed to be the millionth time that day, and she sighed. "You are such a handful," she muttered.

"You have no idea," Hiccup replied in exasperation.

"Oh I might," Mara argued back.

They decided to head to Mara's room on the ship, passing by Jarik and Ahsoka's room along the way. Mara stopped briefly at the closed door, able to sense sadness and grief from them. She couldn't help but worry immensely for their well being.

"You alright?" Astrid asked.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. It's Mom and Dad I'm worried about," she replied.

The two Vikings furrowed their brow before realizing. "Oh right, Force sense," Hiccup muttered. "What's wrong with them?"

"Something about the Inquisitors backthere really upset them, I don't know." Mara replied sadly. "But they'll probably talk about it later."

Entering Mara's room, the Vikings glanced around while Mara flopped onto the bed, Zenna investigating things curiously.

"This your bed?" Astrid asked.

"What do you think genius?" Mara replied with an amused grin.

Astrid glances away sheepishly before feeling the material. "It's so soft..." she murmured.

"I don't think I've ever seen stuff like this," Hiccup added in wonder.

"Are wooden boards really all you use as a bed?" Mara questioned with a raised eyebrow. "No mattress, no blanket, no nothing?"

"Just a pillow really," Astrid responded, pressing the mattress with her hands. "I'm kinda jealous."

Mara snorted in amusement. "No wonder you Vikings have such a temper. I'd be the same if I had to sleep on wood every night."

Hiccup and Astrid both snickered in amusement, not able to argue with that. Just then, Boil appeared at the doorway, leaning against it with an inquisitive look.

"Oh, hey Boil!" Mara greeted politely. The two Vikings looked over at him.

"Mara," he replied. "So, who are the new kids?"

"Okay. This is, uh, Hiccup, and Astrid," she said, gesturing to the two respectively.

"Hello," Hiccup greeted politely.

Boil raised an eyebrow. "You know this one doesn't seem like much of a fighter," he commented with a grin.

"Hey," Hiccup frowned, and the two girls couldn't help but laugh in amusement, and Astrid lightly punched him on the shoulder.

"Well, he isn't wrong," she replied.

"What did I just do yesterday?" he argued.

"Flew around on a dragon?" she retorted.

Boil chuckled in amusement. "Ha! Already you guys remind me of a few friends."

"Oh, really?" Astrid questions.

He nods his head. "Yeah. Jarik and General Kenobi for instance. Oh, those two had mouths..." he trailed off.

"Well, there is Jarik's sometimes, admittedly big sense of humor." Hiccup stated dryly.

"Don't forget the wit." Mara adds with a grin, scratching Zenna's neck. "We've all had wit."

"Yes you have," Boil easily agrees, noticing the dragon. "Not to be rude but uh... what kind of creature is that?"

Zenna gives off another chirp, and Mara answers. "A dragon," is all she says.

"Dragon?" Boil asks in confusion.

"Yeah, a Deadly Nadder to be more precise. They're pretty common on-" Hiccup starts to say, before Mara clears her throat, giving him a look. He corrects himself quickly. "...around where I'm from," he trails off, remembering the secret about Ahch-To.

"And where are you from?" Boil asks slowly, having noticed the tension and gestures from Mara.

The two Vikings glance at Mara and each other hesitantly.

"It's... not our place to say," Astrid finally says quietly.

Boil gives them all a look and Mara speaks up quickly. "What we're trying to say is that we're keeping their planet secret, since we don't want to cause problems. It's better to talk to mom and dad about it if you want to know more, and if they'll tell you."

Boil eventually nods. "I suppose I can understand. I'll probably wait on that though, give them some space for the moment."

There was silence before Zenna breaks the tension by giving a loud squawk and jumping off of Mara, rushing towards one of the cabinets in her room. Mara rolled her eyes.

"She's impossible," she comments.

Boil scoffs. "Can't be any worse than R5."

"I still can't believe those kinds of things even exist," Hiccup remarks.

"What, astromechs?" Boil says with a confused frown. "They're just droids."

"Yeah, and we never realized things like droids were even possible to make." Astrid added.

Boil looked between the two in bewilderment, and then glanced up at Mara. "Secret planet," she reminded him.

A few moments later Boil widens his eyes and nodded slowly in realization. "Ohhh... so its that kind of planet."

"Yeah, that kind," she replied.

"What do you mean, 'that kind?'" Hiccup asked in confusion.

Boil coughed into his hand. "You live on a primitive planet," he stated bluntly.

"Primitive?!" Astrid exclaimed incredulously, taking slight offense to that comment. Hiccup rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"What?" Boil asked defensively.

"Come on Astrid, after seeing our stuff you're seriously gonna take offense to that?" Mara asks with a raised eyebrow.

"She has a point," Hiccup admitted.

Astrid glanced away sheepishly, her previous anger gone instantly. "I guess," she admitted.

Boil gave a small chuckle. "Oh, well I don't know about your world, but I'm sure Wolffe would have some high opinions about it," he remarked, recalling a fond memory.

"Why?" Mara asked.

"He once had to go on a mercy mission to Aleen, and he hated every second of it. They basically worshipped their two droids like gods," he said with an amused chuckle.

"I would've loved to see that," she said with a small grin.

"Who's Wolffe?" Astrid asked.

"A clone commander, like Boil," Mara answered.

They both widened their eyes. "Wait, you're a clone?" Astrid questioned in surprise.

"Yeah," Boil asked with a small frown. "Oh come on, how can you know about clones when you apparently don't have tech like we do?"

"Well, they tell pretty good stories," Hiccup said sheepishly, rubbing his neck and gesturing to Mara.

"Mostly Dad, but yeah," she says.

"Still weird hearing you call Commander Shan 'dad,'" Boil remarked with a face.

"To be honest, I'm curious to know more about what Jarik and Ahsoka were like during their war," Astrid admits, looking at Boil curiously.

"We've already told plenty of stories," Mara said with a confused frown.

"Yeah well, sometimes an outside perspective helps," Hiccup admits. She just shrugs in response.

"Well, in that case..." Boil says with a gleam in his eyes.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

 _I continued to go through my practice forms, swinging the lightsaber in unison with the others perfectly. I loved these types of classes, they were always so fun! I'd get to use my lightsaber, and if we were lucky I could have a duel with someone, usually winning of course._

 _"Well done Jarik," the instructor congratulated, and I smiled happily._

 _"Thank you master," I replied._

 _He moved on, observing the others of mine clan. "Make sure your stance is strong Weron," he continued._

 _Weron shifted his feet, face set into concentration as he performed the swing again._

 _"Kurhran, you're stance is wrong again," the instructor said. "Keep the lightsaber up and swift. Focus on the Force, not your blade."_

 _"Yes master," he replied sheepishly._

 _Ahsoka did the move fast and efficiently, but using her preferred reverse handgrip. I made a face at it, still not sure how she can hold it like that so well._

 _"Nicely done Ahsoka, but don't rely on the handgrip too much," the instructor continued._

 _She huffed but did as she was asked, and I smiled to myself in amusement._

 _"Good Rylla, but there is always room for improvement," he added._

 _Rylla nodded in understanding. "Thank you master," she said politely._

 _Vifi then did the move again, performing it rather well in a more ferocious manner, but accidentally slipped, causing her to stumble off balance slightly. Luckily, the instructor managed to steady her upright._

 _"You had good power behind the strike, but make sure your footing is more firm, and don't use too much fury in it," the instructor told her._

 _She simply sighed in her usual annoyed tone before nodding reluctantly. "Yes master," she mumbled._

I opened my eyes, coming out of the memory in an instant. Seeing Vifi again after so many years brought back memories. They were happy memories, but the realization of what she had become and what I could never have again just made it sad and bitter instead of happy. We were all very close back then, despite what the Code said about attachments. I suppose that's what gave me and Ahsoka are more, "rebellious" streak against the council when it came to our feelings for each other. Certainly on my part after Ahsoka left for sure.

Vifi was... well, she fit the stereotype of a moody teenager quite well in my opinion. Sure, she enjoyed hanging out with us and having fun just like the rest of us, but she always had the dry, sarcastic and dull mood more often. It was sort of her personality, and we were all cool with it.

I suppose that she would've been the most likely to turn to the dark side when I think about it. Doesn't make it hurt any less, or wish it had never happened. Maybe there would be a way to bring her back, but until I figure that out, she's going to be a slave to Vader and the Emperor, with Vader a slave as well. Palpatine is the one to really blame.

Freaking Jedi arrogance. I roll my eyes.

Glancing over at Ahsoka again in the bed, I lightly brush her face gently before moving my legs over the side of the bed, and stand up. Walking around it, I grab my cloak from the rack and swing it around myself, giving her one last look before exiting the room and closing the door. She was certainly taking it worse than me, and who could blame her? First her master, and now one of her best friends?

"...and I was in the middle of a firefight, with Commander Shan pinned down nearby..."

I stop and listen for a moment, before rolling my eyes with an exasperated sigh. Oh Boil, Boil Boil Boil... what are you doing now? Turning around, I head in the direction of where Boil was talking and notice a lot of bodies packed into our main common room. I blink in surprise, noticing Boil, Mara, Hiccup and Astrid and Zenna there, but not just them. A few members of the Ghost crew, namely Ezra, Sabine and Zeb were there as well, along with Rex. And there were listening to Boil tell a rather engrossing story.

"A party of droids snuck up behind us, and they were about to attack." Boil continued, and I groaned quietly, remembering the story, leaning against the doorframe. "So, thinking quickly, I pulled out a droid popper and armed it, tossing it over to Jarik. He glanced over in surprise, but still caught it anyways. Just as the droid was about to whack him with its blaster, the popper exploded, disabling the droids, which collapsed on top of him! He was so confused!"

There were a few chuckles and grins of amusement, particularly from Mara and Ezra. Hiccup I could tell was critically thinking about how droids and droid poppers would work, while Astrid was invested in the war story.

"Heh, I like this guy," Zeb says to Ezra, nudging his shoulder.

"Funny, but I have some much better stories from the 501st to tell," Rex challenges with a grin.

"Oh really? I'd like to see what sort of playhouse you made compared to our castles," Boil retorted teasingly.

"Trust me, we own the castles." Rex says.

Just then I cleared my throat to get everyone's attention, and some of them look over in surprise in alarm, namely Boil for sure. He looks over at me sheepishly.

"Well, that story is very true. But you left out just a tiny, little detail," a commented wth a raised eyebrow at Boil. "Our positions were reversed."

There was silence for a few moments before more laughter busted out, especially from Rex and Zeb, while Boil grumbled to himself, rubbing the back of his neck, face red in embarrassment. I simply gave him a cheeky smile.

"Really Boil?!" Rex said between laughs.

Boil rolled his eyes in irritation, but I could see the hint of a smile on his face, and came over to pat him on the shoulder. "Well, plenty of other stories to tell, you'll get your shot in the spotlight," I told him.

"You mean like the story where General Kenobi got beat up by a Zygerrian?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, those kinds of stories."

"Where's mom?" Mara suddenly asked, appearing out of nowhere with Zenna right beside her, chirping at me in delight. She tugs on my cape with her mouth and I grimace, pulling it away. Nearby, Astrid seemed to be in a discussion with Sabine, the two probably bonding over their warrior spirit or whatever. Hiccup was also talking to Ezra, about who knows what.

"She's just resting," I told her. "We had a lot to get over."

"About what?" she asks. "You guys seemed really upset."

"We'll tell you later," I said, before remembering the three stowaways. "Speaking of being upset," I grumbled, turning to the culprits. "I think the three of us need to talk."

As if they could hear me and feel my eyes on them, they both turned around to look at me sheepishly, before excusing themselves and walking over. Sabine eyed us weirdly, with a hint of wariness but didn't bother with it. Getting an unspoken message, Boil walks over to the others, leaving us alone.

"So..." I started, crossing my arms. "Why exactly are you here again?"

"Well, if it makes you feel any better Ahsoka already gave us an earful." Hiccup said.

I thought for a moment but shrugged. "Ok, I guess I'll spare you that. But still why are you guys here?"

"Zenna dashed onto your ship before the door closed, and we followed after her." Astrid told me.

I rolled my eyes in exasperation, giving said dragon a look. "Oh Zenna," I sighed.

She chirped up at me innocently in response.

"Well, you know that Stoick is going to be thundering when you get back there right?" I ask them with a raised eyebrow.

Astrid and Hiccup both pales, glancing at each other nervously, and Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh gods, we're so dead," he says nervously.

"Best to get you guys back as fast as possible then," I said firmly.

"Dad, can I spend more time with Zenna though?" Mara asks, and I look over at her in bewilderment.

"What?" I ask in confusion.

"Come on, she's really attached to me, she needs this!" she presses.

"I know you and Zenna are close but-" I start to say.

"She's just gonna keep finding ways to sneak onto our ship every time we leave, I barely see her because of all of this as it is," she argues.

"She does have a good point," Hiccup adds.

I open my mouth to argue but stop, thinking about it closely before shrugging. "Alright, fine."

They all blink their eyes in surprise and share bewildered glances. Even Zenna gives off a slightly confused chirp. "Wait, really?" Mara asks.

"Yep. So, you'll take them back instead," I tell her.

Mara widens her eyes in understanding before narrowing them. "So, we're still taking them back..."

"Not me and Ahsoka, just you. you can handle that right?" I tell her. "It already takes a few hours to get back through lightspeed, so that should give you enough time to spend with Zenna and these two," I say.

Astrid raises an eyebrow but says nothing.

Mara thinks it over before shrugging. "Ok, whatever."

I give them all a grin. "Great! Get ready to face Stoick's wrath!" I say way too cheerfully.

The three of them groan in apprehension.

* * *

 _Yay I'm back! Hit a little bit of writer's block with this chapter, and also needed time to sort out my ideas, but I'm good now. Hurricane actually didn't really do crap where I live, so nothing serious happened for me in terms of power._

 _Next chapter will involve the Brothers of the Broken Horn episode, starring our favorite pirate!_


	76. Ch 75 - Brothers of the Broken Horn

**Mara POV...**

The flight back to Ahch-To took a couple of hours as expected, and while Zenna was being all cheerful and happy about being around me, the other two were just getting anxious and filled with dread. Hiccup of course was pacing, as he usually did when he was stressed or anxious, while Astrid was sitting on the bench nearby. R5 was piloting the ship, though my parents were still with the rebels.

"Are you done pacing yet?" I asked him with a raised eyebrow.

He stopped and looked at us, obviously distressed. "You'd think after getting yelled at for so many years I'd be used to it by now, but nope! Still feels like a death trap!"

Astrid winced slightly at that remark, obviously still feeling some small amount of guilt for Hiccup's treatment while I just rolled my eyes. "Come on, it's not like he's gonna kill you. At the very worst it can't be as bad as how he yells at Tuffnut and Ruffnut," I said optmisitically.

"That's because those knuckleheads don't really care," Astrid pointed out in a deadpan.

My face fell and I gave her an irritated look. "Yeah, like that's gonna help his anxiety," I said dryly.

She simply shrugged in apology.

"Yeah, I know he's gotten mad before but this, is really bad! We literally snuck onto your ship and blasted off into Thor knows where." Hiccup argued. "My dad isn't exactly one who would go easy on something like that."

"Okay, I get your point," I admitted. "But worrying about what he'll do won't make it any better, it's still gonna happen, and you'll be fine afterwards, so just stop worrying. There's no point. Take it like a man!"

Astrid nodded her head slightly in agreement. "I guess that's true. Best to just face your mistakes head on."

"Oh I wish I could feel the same as you guys," he muttered.

Me and Astrid shared a look. Meanwhile, Zenna continued frolicking around the room, eventually taking interest in a shelf of datapads, and picked one up in her mouth. Looking over, I widened my eyes in alarm and rushed over there.

"No Zenna, don't bite that!" I cried out in horror.

* * *

I guess Hiccup did have plenty of reasons to worry. Despite being Stoick's son, and Astrid being the star Viking teenager, Stoick showed absolutely no mercy in his rage when we got there. The yelling went on for a couple of minutes, and even Zenna was flinching in fear, hiding behind my legs and trembling nervously. He even started to turn on me, for what I don't know, maybe just to unleash more of his pent up Viking rage. Luckily, I was saved when my communicator went off, signaling a message from dad. Even Stoick decided to let that slide, although with a reluctant grumble, and I quickly scurried away.

Zenna tried to latch onto me, but I gently pushed her away, promising that I would see her soon, reaching out with the Force to let my message and affection for her be clear. Getting back inside the ship, I glanced back at Hiccup and Astrid as Stoick continued his yelling, not envying them one bit. Once the ramp was closed, I opened the transmission and a hologram of my dad showed up.

 _"There you are. Thought you'd never answer,"_ he comments.

I rolled my eyes. "Ha ha, very funny. Stoick was mad, so I was a little busy."

He raises an eyebrow but simply shrugs in acceptance. _"Eh, I expected that,"_ he says. _"I was just calling to let you and R5 know to meet up with us on Garel. It'll be a temporary hideout for the rebels until they manage to find a more permanent home."_

"Ok dad, see you there," I replied, moving to end the message.

 _"And don't be late!"_ he adds in before his hologram disappears.

* * *

 _ **Garel City Spaceport, Garel; Lothal Sector**_

 **Jarik POV...**

Back during the Clone Wars, I was part of a foursome which consisted of me, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, and Anakin. We were probably the most well known Jedi team for the Republic, and it was certainly obvious through us being the poster boys, or in Ahsoka's case, girl, for them. Citizens cheered us on, the Separatists knew to be wary of us, and we brought lots of successful wins in the war. However, we were far from perfect.

Like arguing for example. Obi-Wan and Anakin excelled at it, while me and Ahsoka added to the fire with our young teenager attitudes.

Watching Kanan, Rex and Ezra argue with each other about who gets to do their practice with the Padawan made me wonder if that's what it looked like from an outside view of us. Ezra had just gone through some blaster training, Chopper moving around some crates with a Stormtrooper helmet. Me and Ahsoka were both sitting on top of the Ghost, looking down at them from our vantage point when Kanan came out. We also got a good view of their short argument between each other, sensing their frustration. Because the two of us were such high profile targets, we were both wearing our cloaks with the hoods up to protect from any stray camera or droid that zoomed by us.

"They really have issues with each other," I commented.

"Especially Rex and Kanan," Ahsoka added, from where her head was resting on my shoulder. "Even when they get past their differences, they still bicker and try to prove themselves better than the other."

"Now that's a familiar sight," I recalled with some amusement.

She chuckles lightly. "Yeah. Obi-Wan and Anakin bickered like nobody's business."

"Obi-Wan certainly had the wit."

"Which you inherited from him," she said. "And also his thinking face, where he holds his chin."

I made a face at that comment. "Really?" I ask in exasperation.

"Nothing wrong with the truth Jarik," she says with amusement in her tone.

"Yeah? Well you picked up your smart mouth from Anakin," I retorted back.

"I already had a smart mouth," she frowns.

I shook my head. "No you didn't, you were just snippy, and way to eager for excitement. There's a difference," I argued.

"Are you really saying I never had a smart mouth before becoming a Padawan? Because that is a complete lie." Ahsoka says back firmly. "You, on the other hand, never had the best jokes before becoming a Padawan."

I looked at her in bewilderment. "What?! I made you guys laugh!" I protested.

She smiled sheepishly. "Sometimes it was a pity laugh," she said in mock sorrow.

In response I jerked my shoulder away, causing her to yelp as he head fell, and she collapsed on her back onto my legs.

"Jarik!" she exclaims angrily.

I just laughed at her, but she then shoved me with her hands, and I landed on my back with a grunt. We then wrestled with each other, rolling across the roof of the Ghost with the occasional giggle, overall just having a good time. I couldn't remember the last time I had felt so joyful like this. Eventually, I managed to bring us to a stop, leaning on top of her, a grin on my face. She playfully tried to shove me away, but I pushed her hands back down after a few moments. Collecting ourselves, our giggles died down as we stared at each other with smiles on our faces.

"I haven't had that much fun in a while," Ahsoka admits.

"Eh, must be a gift. I have always been a great jokester," I emphasize, and she rolls her eyes.

"Just stop talking," she retorts.

We slowly move our heads closer, intending for a kiss. We were literally starting to touch lips when the clearing of someone's throat ot our attention, and we both looked up, our expressions shifting to slight annoyance.

"Well, this is quite a sight," Boil says with a smirk, leaning against the turret gun's window.

"Do you mind?" I ask Boil, not very amused.

"Oh no, don't mind me. Go on," he says with a simple hand gesture.

I narrow my eyes in irritation, and Ahsoka sighs, sitting back up, gently moving me away. I cross my arms and manage a small, disappointed pout.

"What do you need Boil?" she asks slowly.

"Oh, right," he says, like he just remembered why he came up here. "Hera just called a meeting, and she'd like the two of you to attend if possible."

"Alright, tell her we'll be there," she sighs, and I share the sentiment.

Life in a war never gives us much time for ourselves.

"Yes commanders," he says with a small salute, sort of mockingly, and then continues to stand there.

"Don't make me throw my lightsaber at you," I threaten him when he doesn't move. He quickly scurries away back into the ship after that, knowing I would follow up on my threat, because I have thrown my lightsaber at the men when they were being irritating.

Non-lethal setting of course.

"Well that ruined the moment," I complained.

Ahsoka shrugs in a 'what-can-you-do' fashion. "Yeah, well, when we agreed to help out with the rebellion we knew time wouldn't be in our favor."

Unfortunately she is very right in that assessment.

* * *

In the Ghost's common room, the Spectres were all gathered around the holotable, which was projecting a hologram of Commander Sato while the two of us stood more in the back, like usual. We were more advisors than actual participants to them, unless the mission is really important.

Inquisitor of Vader level important.

 _"As we speak, the frozen planet of Rinn is facing an energy crisis."_ Sato reports, showing an image of a generator, and then the planet itself. _"When their supply of fuel cells is gone, the settlements will not be able to power the heaters they need to survive."_

"They'll freeze down there." Sabine says sadly.

"Since we're on Garel, we should check out the black market." Ezra suggests.

"Bound to be generators or something we can get our hands on." Kanan adds in agreement.

 _"See what you can find, without delay."_ Sato orders, and then his hologram disappears, ending the transmission.

"Gear up, everyone. Time to go make friends with the locals." Hera tells the group. Everyone moves to head out, but before Ezra could leave Hera and Kanan stop him.

"Except you, Spectre-Six. I asked you to clean the ion scoring off the Phantom's exhaust ports. Twice!" Hera says sternly, hands on her hips in a scolding-mother-like fashion.

"But I had Jedi practice. And blaster practice!" Ezra protests in exasperation.

"Well, now you have scrubbing practice." Hera says with a gleam in her eyes. Chopper starts to laugh as he rolls by, which Hera takes notice of in displeasure. "What are you laughing at? Uh-uh. You're gonna help him!"

Chopper stops, and then turns back around, grumbling to himself. Hera moves to follow the others, but then takes notice of us still standing there.

"Ahsoka? Jarik? You not coming?" she asks curiously.

"We'll sit this one out Hera. Not really worth the risk for us," I respond.

"Our presence would cause more trouble than it would be worth, especially since you won't really need us on it," Ahsoka adds.

Hera nods in understanding, and then leaves the room, while Kanan turns to Ezra. "We'll discuss this later?" he asks sternly.

"Can't wait for that." Ezra replies sarcastically, walking away.

Boil stops by us for a moment, giving us a look. "You couldn't come? Like, undercover work or something? *I know you went undercover as a boyfriend and girlfriend back in the War," he says.*

Ahsoka and I both widen our eyes slightly and give each other sheepish glances. "I guess..." she mumbles, her lekku turning a shade of purple.

"How did you-" I start to say before shaking my head in realization. "Anakin," I muttered. "Anyways, back then we weren't exactly being hunted down by the whole galaxy with our faces plastered on every wanted billboard," I pointed out.

He shrugs. "I suppose that's a good point," he agrees. "Although I have to admit, all these small missions are a little boring for me. I was bred for battle, not simple black market supply shopping!" he whines.

"You lived in a barren desert doing nothing for fourteen years." Ahsoka deadpans.

"Hey, we had the thrill of chasing joopas to use for fun," he replies defensively. "I want an exciting, dangerous mission! I can do more than this!"

"Yeah, well until that day, dear soldier, you can continue going on your blue milk runs," I replied with a small grin.

He rolls his eyes but exits the room, and we watch him go in silence. I thought he was gone, until-

"I heard you wore a fancy gown on that mission!" Boil yells from across the ship.

Ahsoka's lekku turn a very deep purple, showing just how embarrassed she was, and she turns away, grumbling to herself.

"It wasn't a gown... it was just a simple dress," she mutters.

The only thing suppressing my laughter was the fact that he was also embarrassing me as well.

* * *

Sometime later Mara and R5 both arrived on Garel with the Knight Hawk, and luckily a spot was open right next to us to land, so I helped to set up the reservation for the ship, keeping its real identity secret of course. We met up with her in the Ghost's docking bay, going to head into the ship, although there was one thing I had to clear up first.

"So, did anyone else sneak onto the ship?" I asked her.

"No," she replies.

"Zenna didn't come on while you weren't looking?"

"No, she was still outside when I closed the ramp."

"Did you check the ship to make sure nobody else was there?"

"Yes! Nobody snuck onto the ship!" she finally exclaimed in exasperation.

I narrow my eyes at her for a few moments before nodding. "Alright, good."

"Don't have to be so skeptical with me," she whined.

"Well, considering the fact that Zenna snuck onto the ship twice now, and then afterwards both Hiccup and Astrid followed, without us knowing, I can be allowed some suspicion," I argued.

She shrugs in reply. "Fair enough," she agrees.

"Glad you finally resolved your argument," Ahsoka commented.

"It wasn't an argument," I said with a frown.

"Nope. It was an interrogation!" Mara says, grinning at me.

I roll my eyes while Ahsoka chuckles in amusement. "Hah hah, very funny."

While we were talking, the three of us reentered the Ghost and were now in its common room. Mara looked around with a frown of confusion. "Hey, where is everybody?"

"On a mission. It's nothing too big, they're just searching the black market for some generators." Ahsoka explained.

"They're for a frozen planet running out of fuel energy." I added. "And everyone went, except for..."

I raise a hand dramatically, and right on cue, Ezra and Chopper both burst into the room, headed in the direction of the Phantom's entrance. Seeing us however, he stops in surprise, slightly nervous.

"Oh! Uh, hey guys... Mara," he greeted sheepishly.

"Sup," she replies simply.

"Where are you off too in a hurry?" Ahsoka asks him.

"Huh? Oh, umm, just, going to grab the right tools for the ion scoring problem."

Lie.

"Uh huh. You mean in the Phantom?" I ask.

He nods his head. "Yes- I mean, no! No!" he corrects himself in alarm. "No, just over in the uh, the storage room."

He stands there sheepishly, offering an innocent grin while Chopper rolls past us, grumbling as usual. Mara simply raises an eyebrow. "You're terrible at lying."

"L-lying? What do you mean?" he questions in feigned confusion. "And for the record, I grew up on the streets, so I would say I'm a good lier."

He then widens his eyes, as if stunned that he actually said that. Ahsoka shakes her head in amusement.

"Lying on the streets to survive, that's one thing. Lying to people who know you, that's another," she tells him with a knowing smile. "Trust me, I should know."

He sighs in defeat, hanging his head. "Alright, you win. I was actually planning to take the Phantom with Chopper and help out Vizago. He sent a distress call out to us."

Me and Ahsoka share a look, but knowing Ezra's determination and knack for going against the rules, we decided to just let him do it, finding stopping him to not be worth the trouble.

"You sure it was Vizago?" she asks him.

"The signal came from his ship, so yeah." Ezra answers.

"Alright, sure," I told him.

He blinks in surprise. "Wait, you're letting me go? Just like that?"

Mara eyes us weirdly. "Yeah, like that?"

"Can't be too much of a problem if it's just Vizago. Isn't much he could really do, considering your partnership with him on a business standpoint." I tell him.

Ezra beams at us. "Ok, great! Thank you so much!"

"Really? Why don't you ever let me do stuff that easily?" Mara complains.

"Because we're your parents," Ahsoka stated. "Pretty self explanatory."

"So, you guys wanna come with?" Ezra offers.

Ahsoka and I both shake our heads quickly. "Oh, no no no, no we can't do that."

"Why not?" he questions.

"Do you even know how much we're worth to the Empire?" I ask rhetorically. "Because he'd give us up for that, and trust me, its a lot."

"Can I go then?" Mara asks hopefully.

We both turn to look at her, the answer already in our gaze, but she interrupts before we could start.

"Come on, like you said there isn't much Vizago could do. Plus, I could help keep these two out of trouble," she suggests, gesturing to Ezra and Chopper.

By Ezra's expression, and the way Chopper was grumbling, they took offense to that. But, seeing as how Mara made an admittedly good point, we relented.

"Alright, but be careful." Ahsoka told her.

"Thanks mom!" she beamed happily.

With that being said, the three of them rushed down the hall towards the Phantom, and I shared another look with Ahsoka.

"We just sent two teenagers and whiny rust bucket to answer a crime lord's distress call." I stated.

"Yes we did," she replied.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

So, Ezra has never really had a proper lesson when it comes to flying a ship. That was quite obvious from how our takeoff was wobbly, at least until we got to orbit. Needless to say I wasn't trusting his flight skills that much, but he refused to get out of the pilot's seat.

"You seem distressed." I observed.

Ezra gives me a strange look. "What do you mean by that?"

Chopper beeps at me, and I raise an eyebrow. "Kanan and Rex are bothering you?"

He sighs. "Well... not exactly," he admits. "It's just, they keep trying to control what I should train to be. Forcing me to choose being either a Jedi or a soldier."

"Huh. Well I suppose that's not helpful," I admit. Chopper beeps at Ezra accusingly, and he quickly replies.

"No, I'm not running away from my problems!" he says defensively. "I am simply helping someone with their problems. There's a difference," he finishes with a confdient smile.

"Doesn't mean you can't do both at the same time," I point out.

"Hey, I'm not running away from it, simple as that!" he protests. Chopper beeps doubtfully.

Not much further out, we catch sight of a freighter floating through space on its own. There weren't any other ships as far as I could tell, and there was no damage done to it either. I had to wonder just what exactly seemed to be Vizago's problem.

"That's Vizago's ship, all right." Ezra confirms. "I wonder what happened."

He then turns on the communicator, sending a signal to the ship. "Vizago! Cikatro Vizago, do you read me?"

There was no answer other than static, so he just closes the transmission, and Chopper beeps questioningly at us.

"Well, of course, we're going to board the ship." Ezra replies.

He flies us up to the freighter, and lands sideways onto the ships hull, on top of the docking tube. Ezra then puts on his helmet, and the three of us enter the ship, Chopper giving off an occasional grumble. The corridors on the freighter all just seem dull and lifeless, and I couldn't really hear a sound at all. Weird.

We creeped along, and I glanced at Ezra. "Why are you even wearing that ridiculous helmet?"

"What? I gotta be secretive," he defends himself, and I roll my eyes.

We quickly turn to the task at hand, and I reach out with the Force, taking notice of how there seemed to be no life signatures anywhere.

"Vizago must be in trouble. Why else wouldn't he answer his com?" Ezra asks rhetorically.

As we passed through the corridor, a door suddenly slammed down behind us, separating us from Chopper. I looked behind us in concern.

"We should probably open the door for Chop," I told him.

"He'll be fine," he replies dismissively. "As far as I can tell nobody is even on the ship. Besides, he's gone through worse."

I glance at the door with a doubtful look before following after him. "If you say so," I replied.

Continuing along the hallways, we decided to head for the bridge. Ezra was about to turn around a corner, but I quickly grabbed onto his shoulder before he could continue.

"Careful," I warned him.

I stopped him from running straight into a large droid, which he yelped in surprise at, quickly backing away and pulling out his lightsaber. I just walked past him and inspected the droid, noticing a line of more on both sides of the hall.

"They've been shut off," I told him.

"Well, that means something is definitely not right. He wouldn't just leave his security droids off like this," he says with a frown, opening his face mask.

Continuing down the hallway I open the door to the end, revealing the cockpit. Immediately, we were blasted by some cantina music, as well as the grunting of a man working on some mechanics. I raised an eyebrow in bewilderment, moving forwards with Ezra.

"Vizago? Vizago, is that you?" Ezra asks.

The guy underneath the console grunts again, slowly getting to his feet. Standing up is a Weequay man, who looked kind of like a pirate in my opinion. He brushed himself off and gave us a drunken grin. Wow.

"Uh, not exactly!" he says, and stares at us curiously. "Well hello there!" he exclaims enthusiastically with a wild grin.

Ezra backs up a step warily, pulling out his lightsaber blaster and aiming it at him, although the pirate; who else could it be, doesn't seem concerned at all.

"Allow me to introduce myself," he continues, shutting off the awful music. "I am Hondo Ohnaka, proud owner of this fine, but eh, currently, inoperative vessel!"

I raise an eyebrow in familiarity with the name. I'm sure I've heard that name somewhere, maybe from mom or dad, but I can't recall what it was for. I'm not too sure.

"Where's Vizago? This is his ship," Ezra questions cautiously.

"Ah, you know Vizago? Well, then we have a mutual friend!" he says with exaggerated movements. "Yes, it was his ship. But we were enjoying a friendly game of sabacc, and..." he hesitates, and I narrow my eyes at him. "Well, now it is my ship."

"Vizago bet his ship with you?" I ask doubtfully.

"Right after his droids, which are now also mine!" he says cheerfully, pulling out a remote. "Watch. I turn them on. I turn them off. I love that."

while he was speaking, he pressed the button on the remote, and the droids started to activate, before he turned them off again.

"Yeah, okay, I- I guess that could happen." Ezra says, putting his lightsaber away. The guy certainly had a way with words and stories, along with the perfect personality but he still seemed a little off when describing it. I'll keep an eye on him.

"You know about me, but who are you two?" Hondo asks curiously.

Me and Ezra share a look, and he takes off his helmet. "I'm Lando Calrissian." he says with a charming smile.

Hondo gasps in awe. "Lando! So at last I meet the semi-famous Lando Calrissian!" he exclaims, slinging his arm around Ezra's shoulders and leading him forwards. I follow behind them. "A tad younger than I pictured, but to be so young and flying to my rescue proves that you must be the scoundrel I have heard of."

"Yeah. I mean, I am pretty good." Ezra replies with a sheepish smirk.

"He's pretty good," Hondo mutters before turning to me. "And who is the little lady? I must say you look quite the beauty, if I do say so myself."

I discretely roll my eyes, deciding not to bother commenting about him commenting on my looks. He's a pirate, that's what they do.

"I'm Ashla, Lando's girlfriend!" I say with a charming smile, grabbing hold of Ezra's arm, acting like an infatuated person. I did it so well even my parents would have trouble not believing it, although obviously they won't.

Ezra sputters in shock before swallowing, quickly nodding along. "Y-yeah, she's my girlfriend! Just met a couple of weeks ago while I, uhh..." he stammered.

"He just finished smuggling a shipment and was hanging out at a bar, where he helped rid me of some, _very_ irritating morons," I added, sending Ezra an expression that just screamed 'I-love-you.'

Admittedly it was funny seeing how uncomfortable this was making Ezra, although he had no reason to complain. He tried to flirt with Sabine when he first joined from what I heard.

He gasped again. "How romantic! Oh, I certainly must say you got yourself quite there girl there huh? Hahaha!" Hondo laughs.

"Sure did," Ezra replies through gritted teeth, faking his smile.

"Well my friends, are you looking for a crew?" Hondo asks. "Good news. Hondo is hiring!" he says happily.

"Uh, I already have a crew. Although our droid was with us earlier..." Ezra replies, looking back down the hall. I finally let go of his arm, and he sighed in relief. I just rolled my eyes in amusement.

"Oh, you lost your droid? I lost my whole crew, thanks to the Empire." Hondo remarks, and I immediately noticed the sincerity and sadness in his voice. "I once was a captain, you know. Oh, the stories I could tell. So many of them true."

Just then, the scanners started going crazy, and just outside the window we could see an Imperial lightcruiser approaching swiftly. I was immediately on alert, mentally preparing myself for the possible confrontation.

"Uh, yeah, you want to tell a story? Tell one to the Empire while I try to get the power back on." Ezra tells Hondo, quickly getting to the console and sliding underneath it.

"I'll try and get the engines running," I added, dashing towards another terminal, messing with the buttons and using my mechanical know how that mom has taught me to a certain point.

Hondo clears his throat and activates his comlink, contacting the Imperial ship. "Hello? How can we help you?"

 _"Attention, transport. You have breached an Imperial checkpoint,"_ the officer responds sternly.

"Hyperspace would be good!" Hondo tells us worriedly.

Not a moment later, the lightcruiser opens fire on us, green laser bolts striking the hull of the freighter. I could only hope they don't accidentally hit the Phantom.

"Seriously?! They didn't even give us time to answer!" I complained.

"I think I got it!" Ezra exclaims, and I slam my hand onto a glowing button.

The ship begins to power up when Chopper comes barreling through the door with a yell, headed straight for the astromech port. He plugs in, and the ship blasts to full power, the hyperdrive coming online.

"Well, Lando, it looks like we are off on an adventure!" Hondo exclaims joyously, and we burst into hyperspace, leaving the Imperials behind us.

* * *

After the brief skirmish with the Imperial vessel, we had been zooming through hyperspace, just sitting in the cockpit. Hondo once again tried to imply the offer of us joining his little 'crew,' and help him 'push' a few crates, which Chopper revealed were coincidentally carrying the power generators the rest of the team was looking for. We quickly struck a deal for two of the generators, as well as half the price of a third if we were to help him, and were on our way. We came out of hyperspace and landed at a trading outpost station. The ramp lowered, Hondo standing up front, while Ezra and I pushed our own crates, Chopper next to me.

Hondo walked forwards, and we prepared to follow after him when Ezra stopped us. "Hey look, I think you two should stay here in case there's any kind of trouble."

I raise an eyebrow at him while Chopper beeps back at him. "Any particular reason why?"

"I know we're already in trouble Chop and, yes, there's a reason." Ezra replies. Someone has to stay with the ship to make sure we have an escape route, and incase this turns out to be a trap."

I shrug in acceptance, understanding his reasoning. "Alright, fair enough."

"Thanks. Keep your com channel open," Ezra says, pressing a button on his own comlink.

"Hurry it up Lando! We are on a schedule!" Hondo yells from up ahead by the doors, getting impatient.

Ezra rushed up to meet Hondo again, and I watched him go, shaking my head slightly. I wanted to be a part of the action, but at the same time didn't really care for a meeting with some other crime lord or smuggler, whoever was buying. That part of the job was usually left for dad to do. Plus, it was likely they were going to be captured. They honestly were not an impressive sight at all, so it's best for me to be the rescue girl.

Chopper and I stood there silently as time passed, and I drummed my fingers against my arm from where they were crossed. I then gave him a brief glance.

"What's up?" I asked casually.

He gave a slow beep in response.

"Yeah, I can agree with that. He is stubborn," I replied.

Just then my comlink started to beep, and I answered it, receiving an immediate response from Ezra. _"Looks like you got us captured. It would be nice if we had some backup!"_

I rolled my eyes with a small laugh at how he was emphasizing the situation, as well as showing his agitation. I honestly expected this to be a high possibility, considering the fact that from first glance they had no protection, just two random people with valuable items to easily overpower. Also, I didn't trust Chopper enough to stage a proper rescue; I'm sure he'd try, but I'd like to test my own luck.

The droid himself grumbled in agitation and popped out his little arms, grabbing onto the crates and rolling forwards at high speeds. I quickly jogged after him in slight surprise, running alongside the furious droid.

"Woah, don'y you have a plan?!" I exclaimed.

He beeped back loudly, and I stared at him in bewilderment. "Just ram the crap!? That's your plan?"

Chopper continued to charge forwards, beeping his confirmation.

"Yeah, well I'm adding to it!" I yelled to him.

* * *

I was crouched on the front of the utility platform which was carrying the fifth generator as Chopper pushed it along at high speeds, the floating platform rendering any friction irrelevant. Flying through the hallways surprised lots of different people who were there, and they all quickly leapt out of the way with shouts of surprise or annoyance.

"Sorry! Excuse us! Coming through!" I quickly yelled.

"Turn left!" I then yelled to Chopper, who complied without hesitation, turning us down another corridor that wasn't crowded, having very little people there. I managed to stay on despite the sharp turn with a little application of the force, and also grabbing onto the side. I then waved my hand, opening the hanger bay doors to where Hondo and Ezra had gone into. Chopper charged forwards as fast as he could go with an insane yell, and I managed a small laugh.

"Ahh! Blast them!" some ugly, fat and disgusting red guy yelled, rushing forwards with two henchmen.

The thugs opened fire on us, but I leaned my head to evade the bolts. Just as Chopper was about to crash into the rest of the power generators, I leapt off of the cart and flipped through the air. Immediately, chaos ensued as the crash sent crates flying everywhere, smashing into the thugs. I landed on my feet, and Ezra jumped up, sweeping the legs of another guy out from under him, causing him to go flying.

Hondo watched the man fall to the ground and then got to his feet. "Thank you for stopping by!" he exclaimed, jamming the button to some control as he leapt to the side.

The platform he was just on then started to shift, and another thug sat up, rubbing his head. His reprieve would be short lived however, as the cart suddenly shot towards the exit, bringing the guy with it. He screamed in terror as he was thrown past the blue shield, dying out in space. I grimaced, but otherwise gave no reaction. Even I've seen worse.

"Die you pirate scum!" the fat guy yelled in a rage, firing his blaster at us, the remaining thugs joining him. We all ducked behind flipped carts and crates, taking cover from the blaster fire.

"Well, this is fun." Hondo commented casually. "So, what's the plan?"

"I don't know, ask the droid," Ezra replied with a smirk.

Sure enough, Chopper had wheeled behind a thug that was getting up nearby, passing unnoticed. The thug took aim at Ezra and fired, but he just jumped up, swinging his arms underneath him and holding them up perfectly, so that the blaster shot broke his binders. Ezra landed on his feet and grinned.

"Hey! Get my blaster!" he called to Chopper.

As the thug prepared to fire again, Chopper electrocuted him and then grabbed Ezra's lightsaber, rolling back in our direction. He tossed it to Ezra, who caught it out of the air and then shot Hondo's bindings.

"Can I please just beat the crap out of these guys already?" I asked, sort of tired of the nonsense.

Ezra knew what I was implying. "In front of him?" he asked doubtfully, gesturing to Hondo. "I thought you were supposed to keep a low profile!"

"The heck is he gonna do?" I shot back with a raised eyebrow.

"What will I do? Ha!" Hondo exclaimed, throwing his head back before frowning in confusion. "Uh, what are we talking about?"

"Fine!" Ezra grumbled.

"Now you die Hondo Ohnaka!" the fat guy yelled again.

I vaulted over the crate and then charged for him, a grin on my face while Ezra fired back. The guy took notice of me and yelped in fright, scampering off to the side. He grabbed one of his henchmen and shoved them at me, right as I was leaping through the air to kick him. Instead, the thug received a full kick in the face, knocking him unconscious and sending him several feet.

Another thug charged at me, firing his rifle, but I ducked my head and rolled towards him, jumping up at his face. I quickly brought my knee up to slam it into his face, and then grabbed his arm, throwing him onto the ground. While this was happening, the fat guy had shoved an overturned cart he was hiding behind towards Ezra. Hondo had shoved him out of the way, but was then slammed by the cart and thrown onto the conveyor belt. The controls to the belt had been smashed, so he was then sent hurtling towards the open vacuums of space.

"Hondo!" I called out in concern.

The fat guy was then shot from behind by an electrical burst, causing him to fall and throw a container he was carrying into the air. To my bewilderment it was Chopper who shot him, having chased the guy with two blasters in his claws. The container the fat guy was carrying landed on the cart Hondo was seated on, and he grinned happily.

"I'm rich!" he exclaimed excitedly, before glancing behind him with wide eyes, about to be thrown out. "I'm dead!"

Just as the cart was sucked into space, Ezra reached a hand out, grabbing Hondo with the Force before he could fly out as well. Hondo gave brief startled cries of surprise, and I also raised an arm, helping Ezra out. We deposited Hondo back into the hanger, and I lowered my arm with a sigh, the fight being over.

Of course, Chopper continued to chase the red, ugly fat guy all the way back to his ship, firing his blasters wildly, to which he then entered the ship and blasted off, soaring out into space as fast as he could. Hondo ducked underneath the ship with a yell, and then watched it fly away before turning to us.

"Well, that was easy," he remarks, laughing. I shook my head, and we headed back over to the pile of generators.

"My friends, my friends. You might not be Calrissian, and you might not be... well, whatever you said," Hondo started, and I crossed my arms. "But I know one thing you are. You two, are Jedi!" he concludes with a laugh.

Ezra looks surprised, but honestly, why was he? He just used the Force to save him.

"Why didn't you two tell me you were Jedi?" Hondo questions us. "You know, I am an old Jedi sympathizer," he chuckles. "I know. I wouldn't believe me either, but one of my best friends was a Jedi."

He then frowns to himself. "I'm pretty sure we were friends," he says with uncertainty.

I widen my eyes in realization, now understanding why I had felt some familiarity with his name before! Mom and dad once told me about him from the Clone Wars. They weren't friends exactly... but they were acquaintances, on decent terms. Most of the time.

"Now I remember where I've heard your name from!" I exclaimed.

"Eh?" Hondo asks.

"Wait, you know this guy?" Ezra asks.

I rolled my eyes. "Of course not stupid," I retort, and he grumbles to himself while Chopper laughs, and I turn to Hondo. "Do you remember Jarik and Ahsoka?"

"Jarik...? Oh. OH!" he exclaims, his eyes beaming and he laughs. "Of course I do! We had quite the history together! Ah, the things we did..."

"So let me get this straight. You were friends with Jarik and Ahsoka?" Ezra asks with wide eyes.

"Of course I was! We fought off Grievous together!" he says proudly.

"After you held Ahsoka captive," I recalled with a pointed look.

He coughs nervously. "Yes, well, that was of the past! It all worked out in the end!" he finished happily. "To meet even more Jedi..."

"Well, she is, but I'm not really a Jedi, yet." Ezra tells him.

"Well, then be a pirate Jedi! We will make an excellent team!" Hondo says enthusiastically.

"No thanks," I reply.

He ignores me. "But first, tell me, what is your name? Your real name."

"Ezra Bridger," he replies.

Hondo pats him on the shoulder, and to my surprise I can sense genuine sincerity from Hondo. Guess he does have a soft spot for Jedi. "Thank you, Ezra Bridger. And you?" he asks, turning to me.

I hesitate to answer, more for my reputation and then just go with it. "Mara Jade."

He gasps in a mixture of shock and awe. "The famous Mara Jade? Your reputation precedes you!" he exclaims.

Ezra gives me a weird look, and I shrug in response. "Hey, my parents aren't the only ones with a large bounty."

* * *

A lot later, we were all back on the ship, heading for Garel so that we could return to the rest of the crew. I was mostly just hanging around the ship, wandering aimlessly in my thoughts while Ezra and Chopper were elsewhere. Hondo was really pushing the offer for them to partner up with each other, but it didn't really concern me. I knew that despite his current troubles, Ezra woudn't stay with Hondo. He valued the Spectres, his family, too much.

Shots from the bridge broke me out of my thoughts, and I groaned in disbelief. what was the problem now? I ran at full speed in the direction of the bridge, and once I got there, I noticed a group of the security droids activated now, and advancing towards Ezra, firing their blasters at him. He was fumbling for the remote to turn them off, but I just rolled my eyes. Striding forwards, I activated my lightsaber, and with one clean swing, brought them all down to pieces. The droids were packed closely enough together that it was possible.

Ezra stared at me with wide eyes in bewilderment while I deactivated my lightsaber and put it back on my belt. "You overthink things too much," I stated simply. "Where's Hondo?"

He sighs. "Long story short, Hondo actually shoved Vizago into his own brig, so I freed him, hoping to make a compromise. Instead, he stole the remote and activated the droids, while Hondo escaped, and Vizago chased after him."

I blinked in surprise before crossing my arms. "I knew his story didn't feel right."

Ezra's comlink then turned on, and Chopper's voice beeped frantically at us. Ezra clenches his hands and throws them into the air in agitation.

"What could've possibly gone wrong now?!" he exclaimed.

We ran back down the hallways in the direction of the Phantom where Chopper was, bumping into a large green man with horns on his head along the way. I assumed that was Vizago. Looking at the docking entrance, we watched as Hondo flew the Phantom away.

"Well, looks like you get your ship back, as promised," Ezra says with a grin.

"Yes, but I lost all my credits! And my generators!" he exclaimed angrily.

"Technically, they were my generators," Ezra spoke up sheepishly.

Vizago leveled us with a glare, and I sighed to myself. It wasn't moments later that all three of us were in an escape pod, Vizago standing outside the door. He closes is on us while Ezra waves at him, and then we were blasting off to Garel.

"Well this was... interesting," I remarked.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

The Spectres had all returned from their mission, and when they learned what Ezra had done, Kanan and Hera were furious, although we did let them know Mara had gone with him. Now though, what came back on the Phantom was certainly not a sight I was expecting at all. The Phantom had docked with the Ghost, but we didn't sense Mara or Ezra on board. The rest of the group had gathered in the cargo bay to confront the teenagers, but instead got...

"I am Hondo Ohnaka! Proud owner of that fine ship I just flew in on!"

Ahsoka and I shared a look with each other as we entered the cargo bay, watching from above.

"Actually that is, my ship," Hera responded with a glare.

Hondo coughed. "Yes well... I am the one that flew it here!" he defends himself.

 _"Same old Hondo,"_ Ahsoka told me, and I hummed in agreement. We then both decided to head down and greet him, as we actually knew the guy, unlike the others.

"Where's Ezra and Chopper? And Mara?" Kanan demands in a no nonsense tone.

"Oh those three! Don't worry good friends, they'll be here soon! They're perfectly fine!" Hondo says cheerfully, holding what looks like a container full of credits. I'm sure that box has plenty of stories to tell.

"You expect us to believe that after you just show up in our ship, which they were using?" Kanan accuses. Hondo laughs nervously.

"Actually, Hondo is right on this one. He wouldn't have done any harm to them," I said, marching forwards with Ahsoka by my side.

"how do you know that?" Sabine asks incredulously.

Hondo eyes the two of us for a moment before his eyes light up in recognition, and he gasps. "Could it be... oh my. Hahahahaha!" he laughs joyfully. "Jarik! Ahsoka! I can't believe you came all this way to meet up with me!"

The Ghost crew all stare at us in surprise. "Wait, what?" Kanan questions in disbelief.

"You actually know this talking pile of garbage?" Zeb asks in shock.

"Too well, to be honest." Ahsoka answered.

"Haha! Oh we were great friends!" Hondo exclaims, coming by to sling an arm around my shoulders, while I raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh the three of us go way back! We fought off the army of General Grievous together!"

"After you attacked our ship and took Ahsoka captive," I reminded him.

He coughs into his hand. "Yes well, we aren't all perfect are we?" he asks rhetorically, stepping back and gesturing to us. "But I mean, look at you two! All grown up into adults! I like your hairstyle, very rogue quality. And my dear Ahsoka, age certainly has improved your beauty," he says flatteringly.

"I don't believe this," Hera muttered to Kanan in astonishment.

"Well it certainly wasn't kind to you," Ahsoka replies with a small smirk.

Hondo laughs in amusement, throwing his head back. "You certainly haven't changed! You know, I like you two! By the way how is Kenobi? Is he still around?"

I roll my eyes. "Alright, to be honest Hondo, what happened to Mara, Ezra and Chopper?"

"Uh, right to the point I suppose," he mutters with a frown. "Well, if you must know, they helped me face off against a villainous crime lord on his own ship!"

I glanced at Ahsoka with a sigh. "Here we go again."

"It was an incredible tale of adventure-"

"Hondo please, no stories," Ahsoka said seriously. Movement from the bottom of the ramp then got our attention, and everybody but Hondo watched as Mara, Ezra and Chopper came up the ramp.

"But its a good one I'm telling you! Young Ezra, and young Mara were standing tall in the face of the villainous Vizago throughout the whole incident! They withstood a massive atta-" he exclaims dramatically before noticing their presence. "My friends!" he yells, slinging an arm around Ezra's shoulder. "I was just talking about you! I was about to tell the tale of how the three of us rescued the generators from the evil Vizago!"

Ezra shoved his arm off with a light glare while Mara crossed her arms, a little annoyed but also amused. She caught our stares and shrugged her shoulders with an eye roll.

"Yeah, that's not true. You stole the generators and then my ship," Ezra accused.

Hera and Kanan share a look before smirking in amusement while Hondo gasps in feigned horror. "You wound me!"

"Chopper had the Phantom on autopilot," Ezra stated.

"Well that's another version of the story I suppose," he replied in rebuttal. "I'll tell you what: you can keep my generators. They are my gift to you," he says, turning towards the exit.

"Well this was certainly interesting." I commented.

"Yes it was!" Hondo exclaims, turning back around to face us. "To think you went all this time without coming to see me! It saddens me!"

"Hondo, I know you well enough to know that you've been perfectly fine." Ahsoka replies, crossing her arms.

"Yes, I suppose so," he says in agreement, before lowering his tone of voice a little bit. "If I must be honest though... it is a wonderful sight to see the both of you still alive," he admits with genuine sincerity.

We stop slightly in surprise, but soften our expressions, and I allow a small smile on my face. "It's good to see you as well Hondo."

He nods before whipping around quickly, his sincerity quickly replaced by his usual old self again. "Goodbye!" he exclaims.

What a day.

* * *

 _* = Future Forces of Destiny chapter I'm writing soon, I think it'll be quite fun! :D_

 _Ahh the nostalgia in this chapter... so wonderful and sad at the same time for the happy married couple. And Hondo was always a fun character, though to be honest writing him was really hard actually._

 _This was a much longer chapter than I anticipated so I skipped past some scenes to keep it from being insane. Hope it worked out well enough!_


	77. Ch 76 - Getting Closer

**Jarik POV...**

Sitting on my bed in the Knight Hawk, I continued to fiddle with the object in my hands, which was Ahsoka's old padawan braid. I had a lot on my mind, as usual, and it was shown in how I often spent some time alone to think. There was just a lot of troubling things to worry about. Sidious, the Empire, and now Oryx. Of course I had to prioritize, and the Empire was the most obvious threat right now, constantly ruling with an iron fist in an oppressive government, run by a Sith Lord who only wants more power for himself. But the threat of Oryx and the Vong out beyond what we could see kept coming back to me as well.

I ran my thumb along the braid, feeling the small bumps of the metal beads and thought back on how simple life used to be. The Clone Wars were a difficult time, but even that still felt relatively simple. Fight the Separatists, take a break at the Temple and train more under Master Kenobi, then receive our next mission in the War. I didn't have to do too much of the thinking, Ahsoka and I both having Obi-Wan and Anakin in our team, as well as the Jedi Council to come up with assignments for us.

Now, there was no Council. No Order, no Republic. Just us. I may not have liked the council but they did provide shared thinking, so that plans weren't burdened onto a select few. Ahsoka, Bail and are pretty much the founders of the Rebellion, and until it truly becomes a galactic movement, most of the burdens fall to us in order to keep it together, and decide how to approach the next challenge. Quite stressful.

Sighing, I got to my feet and moved over to the desk, placing the braid beside the holocron, as well as my lightsabers. I eyed them for a couple of moments before the door opened, and Ahsoka walked in. I gave her a look, noticing her exhaustion.

"Well you look tired," I stated.

"Been going over Phoenix Squad's next operation," she says. "The Empire is blockading the planet Ibaar, and they're planning to send relief supplies."

I nodded my head. "Yeah, I remember finding out about that. Glad to see it's finally at the top of the to-do list."

She flops down on the bed, laying sprawled out with a sigh. "I'm beat."

"Same," I replied, falling back onto the bed beside her as we both looked up at the ceiling. "Call me selfish, but I'm kind of glad we have to stay out of view of the Empire. Give us an excuse for more rest time."

Ahsoka gave a small chuckle. "True. And I don't blame you."

"Oh what would our masters say?" I asked rhetorically.

"Obi-Wan would scold us no doubt for being late, and then put some blame on Anakin," she recalled with a fond smile.

"Anakin would just pretend to be upset," I said bluntly.

We continued to lay there on the bed for the next few minutes, just enjoying the comfortable silence until she glanced at me.

"If you're gonna keep laying in the bed, take off your cloak please," she says in exasperation.

I frown at her. "What? Does it really bother you that much?"

"If you're in the bed, yes," she retorts.

I rolled my eyes but did as she asked, slipping my arms out of the cloak and then unclipping it, tossing it to the side. "Better?" I ask dryly.

"Put it away properly," she added.

I groaned, getting up and reaching down to pick up the cloak. I walked over to the other end of the room and placed it in its proper spot, turning around to move back to the bed, standing before her with my arms crossed. "I swear you can be such a mom sometimes."

"Well, technically-" she starts.

I raise a hand to stop her. "Don't even say it."

She grinned at me mischievously, and I laid back down on the bed beside her with a sigh. "What's Mara doing?"

She shrugged as best she could. "Spending a little bit of time with Ezra and Sabine before they go off on their blockade run. Then I don't know."

"Probably would mess around with R5 afterwards," I said. "Sometimes it's hard to remember that she's still a kid. Thirteen at that."

Ahsoka let off a quiet sigh. "Some things just can't be helped."

There was more silence before I shifted to look at her better. "Well, I'm going to get some shut eye. Then I've got more work to worry about afterwards."

She groaned. "Work work work..." she muttered. "Can't we just have one moment together?"

"We are having one," I replied with a raised eyebrow.

"I mean, serio- oh, right," she corrected herself sheepishly.

I hid my laugh, but she noticed and smacked me on the arm in retaliation. "You're so rude."

"Love you Soka," I replied with a grin.

She rolled her eyes but gave a small smile and quickly pecked me on the cheek with a small kiss.

"I can say the same to you Jarik."

* * *

 **Third Brother POV...**

The sudden appearance of the Seventh Sister, or 'Vifi,' as Shan has called her, had her travel along with me and the Fifth Brother. As if I had enough trouble dealing with the big brute, now I had to put up with the Sister as well. At least Second Sister knew when to keep herself quiet, although I still have to acknowledge her as a superior, even more now. With the Grand Inquisitor gone, she had taken his place at the head of the Inquisitorious.

I shook my head with an irritated growl, leaving the bridge to my personal quarters as the two continued their bickering. Seventh Sister had demanded to tag along us, having had some history with Shan and Tano, and unfortunately Vader allowed it. She may be smarter than the Brother, but she also exudes superiority, which I have had to reprimand her for and put her in her place.

Entering my quarters, I locked the door behind me and made sure the security camera's were not recording, and then pulled out a communicator. The transmission was received, and an image of the tall, pale woman and the creature appeared.

 _"How goes the search Third Brother?"_ the creature demanded.

"Slow," I replied bitterly, and he hissed angrily. "But I have learned more of Vader's castle, and my plans to retrieve it are becoming more clear."

 _"You must hasten at once!"_ he cried. _"No more delay's! The universe is weak at the moment, and we must-"_

 _"Calm yourself my friend,"_ the woman placated, but her voice was a creepy whisper. _"You understand that our agent is in a difficult position. Situations like these require... delicacy."_

I hid my surprise. I thought she warned me to complete the job quickly?

The creature scowled. _"Delicacy, is becoming less affordable."_

 _"You know of my father's interest in Shan,"_ she replied. _"His orders from the Sith, while annoying, could prove beneficial in the long run."_

He was silent for a moment before turning to me. _"Very well,"_ he growled. _"But remember, failure cannot be tolerated."_

"Do not show me such doubt. I am perfectly aware," I said angrily in return.

Before I closed the transmission, I managed to catch a glimpse of the woman's face. There was a gleam in her gaze, one I couldn't make out. It was unsettling.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

Since Sidious and Thrawn we're so invested into what I now believed to be Oryx, I've been working double time to try and pinpoint any messages sent between the two. Any information I could uncover would be beneficial, and if Thrawn was at the helm, I know it would be good.

There was still the possibility that Sidious was also looking for Snoke, but it was slim, as I had no idea if he knew of the dark sider. I wasn't really sure what to call him, since he stated he wasn't a Sith, but was definitely not some simple dark Jedi either.

Anyways, information about Thrawn and the Seventh fleet was always good. The beep from my computer intercepting another heavily encrypted message was even better. I set to work trying to decrypt it. There was a mix of audio and written files, and anytime I tried to have a go at the audio it would usually play static, being too jumbled and messed up to make out. With the written messages it also revealed similar results, with abstract characters or blank spaces coming up instead of anything coherent. Still I persisted. They would never have something so hard to uncover be complete junk.

It must've taken about an hour or more, but eventually I had managed to break through to something actually important. Narrowing my eyes at the screen, I listened to what parts of the message I could make out.

 _: ...unexpected... roaming the Unknown Regions... believe I... trail... :_

I frowned when that was all it could give me for the audio. What the context is, besides them searching the Unknown Regions I have no clue. And while it's been a while time since I've interacted with him, I believe the voice to be Admiral Thrawn. With that in mind, I switched to the written message and began to read what the program had decrypted.

 _Our search out beyond known space has not shown much yet of interest, but we are covering ground. Recent activity on our scanners also indicates that there may be something nearby within a few parsecs. We are identify what it is or find any signal, but it has moved several times, going in different directions. This unusual behavior for an object in space leads me to suspect that it is actually some sort of ship. It is my suspicion that this object may be what we are searching for, perhaps a part of the Yuuzhan Vong, yet it continues to stay beyond our reach. Mapping unknown space for safe travel is difficult._

 _-Thrawn_

After reading that message, I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms, unsure of what to think. However what I did know, was that this is very big news. I've researched Thrawn, and while the Empire itself doesn't have the best view of him (I wonder why), he is very good at his job. He rarely, if ever, makes mistakes, evident by how easily he had revealed my true identity a few years ago.

Whatever Thrawn was tracking had to have been another ship. If it is the Yuuzhan Vong, I don't know, and it seems like he isn't completely certain either. But if it is, the fact that he is closing in can be a good thing or a bad thing, more so the latter. From what Revan described, these guys are supposed to be the worst of the worst. And if they are found or feel threatened by Thrawn, they could retaliate.

And then they would begin their invasion, before anyone is prepared. Even if Sidious knows what's coming, I'm not sure even the Empire would be able to fight off a being as powerful as Oryx. And I highly doubt his whole reason for taking control of the galaxy and forming an Empire, with galactic military might was strictly to protect us all. It's possible that could be a reason, and it does make sense, but his longing for power and control over everyone is greater than his desire to protect the galaxy by keeping people safe.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. This whole deal with Oryx... we can't plan a strategy and face it alone, and Sidious certainly wouldnt help us. Eventually we'll will have to warn the Rebellion; or Republic, if we defeat the Empire beforehand, and the galaxy as a whole.

Even if it invites massive panic and chaos.

The door then opened up and Ahsoka walked in. I turned in my chair to look at her and she sat down on the bed, facing me. She takes notice of the computer showcasing the encrypted message.

"I take it you intercepted another message from the Seventh Fleet," she deduced.

I nodded. "Yeah. How is Phoenix Squad doing?"

"They've made some attempts at the blockade, but it's proven unsuccessful so far. However, Rex offered an idea, so Hera, Sabine, Zeb and Chopper are currently looking into someone he's been in contact with. Supposed to have a prototype of some heavy hitting ship," she explains. "They're meeting them right now. Rex and Boil are with the rest to make another run for the blockade."

"Well, I hope they end up successful. Force knows how desperately Ibaar needs those supplies," I remarked.

She nods her head. "That they do. So, what does the message say?"

"Thrawn believes he's getting close now. Their scanners have picked up movement within their range."

Her eyes lightened up slightly in interest. "Is it them?"

"He doesn't know, although he suspects it is the Vong. All he knows is that it's a fast moving object that changes direction, and he's been tracking it."

She was visibly confused. "If he's identified and is tracking something, then he should be getting some signal broadcast. Electric radio waves or something of the like that would identify it as a vessel," she pointed out with a frown.

"He would, but it doesn't have any signals," I replied.

"No signals at all? How can a ship hide their signal? Even cloaked ships broadcast some level of energy readings into space," she says in disbelief.

I'm guessing the only reason he even noticed it is because of how it moved, not that it was moving," I theorized. "Plenty of asteroids and comets move through space at high speeds, but our scanners usually ignore them, because they try and look for a ship's energy readings."

Ahsoka slowly realizes what this could mean. "Revan told you that technology Oryx and the Vong uses is organic."

"Exactly," I confirmed with a nod.

"That would change things up a bit. A biorganic ship... I never even thought that to be possible," she says, stunned.

"I'm not sure anyone ever has."

She breathes out slowly. "We really do have no idea what kind of force we're dealing with, aside from Oryx himself."

"Yeah," I replied quietly with worry in my tone. "Ahsoka... I'm not sure how much longer it'll be until we have to inform others about this."

She nods her head. "I've been wondering the same thing," she admits, and seeing my surprise, she explains. "Right now, the galaxy is in chaos, constant fights and battles raging all over, no matter the reason. Even though the Imperial Navy is the strongest the galaxy has ever had, second to the Great Galactic War, we're more vulnerable than we ever could have been."

"I agree with the Navy, but what exactly makes this the most vulnerable time for the galaxy?" I question.

"War," she replies. "All the people rebelling, or who disagree with the Empire has created massive disorder. Palpatine has to use much of his forces if he wants to keep the populace. Despite the massive size of his armies, he can't fight the people he governs, and invaders from beyond."

I nod in understanding, realizing what she meant. "And this would give Oryx the perfect distraction for an invasion."

"And without the Jedi Order, we have no one to sense any incoming threats, and no one who could hope to challenge the Vong, much less Oryx," she adds. "They lost sight of what being a Jedi truly meant, but they were the galaxy's best protection. Everybody knew to respect the power the Order possessed."

"That's true. The Jedi Order was a shield for the galaxy, regardless of who was around." I said in agreement. "If we're going to tell someone, it'll have to be someone we can trust, and who won't cause a panic."

We share a look with each other, already knowing who fit that description. "Bail," we both said.

"We'll have to eventually let Mara know too. She's going to follow in our footsteps, which means she'll be involved with facing the Vong whether we like it or not," I pointed out.

She nods her head sadly. "Yeah. It'll be hard though. Worrying her about such a huge threat is not something I'd wish to put her through at this young age."

I scoffed. "Believe me, I can relate. I still don't want her to do a bird of what she's done, but you've been good at reminding me that she can't stay young forever."

"It's something that has to be done," she says in agreement.

* * *

After our conversation, we sent a message to Senator Organa to request a meeting with him about this important subject. We let him know he doesn't need to be here in person, but if he's available we asked him to contact us. He was a busy man with the senate after all. Him and Senator Mothma, another good friend of Padmé. The two of them were secretly allied with the Rebellion, but they kept their Senate positions in order to help with the governing of the galaxy in any way possible.

After sending the request, we simply had to wait before we would get Mara and inform her and Bail about this whole mess.

During the wait, Phoenix Squadron came back from their mission victorious, having delivered the supplies needed. The Imperials still had control of the planet with a blockade, but the people living there had supplies to last another few months comfortably. Enough time for the Rebellion to try an attempt on liberating them from the Imperial occupation.

Boil had a blast working the turrets of the Ghost, and had taken down several TIE Fighters. He wasn't a pilot, but he had no trouble admitting he'd be perfectly happy as the gunner of a ship if he had the chance to continue blasting enemies to bits. Mara conversed excitedly with him, as well as with Ezra and Sabine about the mission.

As for Hera's team, they had returned with a prototype ship called a B-Wing. She and Sabine flew it, and had delivered a powerful strike against one of the lightcruisers using lasers that combined into one massive energy beam. From the looks of the recording I saw it was pretty impressive, and would definitely be useful. The only downside is that such a powerful weapon requires a lot of energy to fire, and it would be very expensive to mass produce a ship like that. So unless the ships creator could find a way around that, we were gonna have to remain with just one.

About half a day after sending our request to Bail he had replied, telling us he had managed to free himself an hour at most in his schedule. So now me and Ahsoka had brought Mara into our room, ready to tell her about Oryx, and what lied beyond.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked curiously.

"We'll get to that in a moment. We're going to inform Bail as well, so we're waiting on a message," I told her.

"Really?" she asked in surprise and some confusion. "I'm guessing that the Empire's done something really bad."

"In a way." Ahsoka told her vaguely.

The transmitter then began to beep, signaling an incoming call from Bail. After making sure the room was secure from eavesdroppers, I accepted it, and Bail's hologram flickered into being.

 _"Hello my friends. It is good to hear from you again,"_ he greeted.

"Senator," Ahsoka replied in greeting, and we all nodded our heads respectfully.

 _"So, what was so important that you desired to tell me about? I'm guessing it relates to the Empire."_ he assumes.

"The Empire is involved for sure, but that's not the full reason why we called." Ahsoka told him.

 _"What seems to be the issue then?"_ he questions.

Me and Ahsoka shared a look before I took a deep breath and spoke. "For some time I've been receiving rather troubling visions, and monitoring secret Imperial chatter. My visions have eventually been confirmed, and the messages I've intercepted only add to it. Have you heard of the Seventh Fleet?"

He nods his head. _"The fleet itself I'm not familiar with, but its commander has been a widely known subject, due to his status as a nonhuman."_

"Thrawn leads the Seventh Fleet right?" Mara asks.

"He does, and he's a brilliant tactician and strategist." Ahsoka says.

 _"I'm uncertain of his current whereabouts, but you've been intercepting messages sent by Thrawn?"_ he asks.

"Yeah. He's actually on a very secretive mission for Palpatine himself, searching the Unknown Regions." I explained.

Bail blinks in surprise. _"That's odd. Imperial vessels never venture out there. What is he searching for?"_

"And what does this have to do with your visions?" Mara also asks.

Here it goes. "Me and Ahsoka have discussed this for some time, and we've decided to tell you now. I believe is an invading force coming, from far away. And the Emperor has sent Thrawn in order to find this group. What he plans to do, I don't know. But this force, this army, comes from beyond our galaxy."

There was silence for a few moments, both Mara and Bail looking at us incredulously. "You serious dad?" Mara asks in surprise.

"Uh huh," I replied.

 _"Beings from beyond?"_ Bail says to himself, stunned. _"That's, hard to fully believe. How can you be sure of this?"_

"We can't really explain that right now, but this invasion has been confirmed, and the latest message we intercepted from Thrawn further proves it." Ahsoka tells him. "When this will happen, we don't know. But within the next few years, these... creatures, they will come for us."

"Something tells me that 'us,' doesn't really mean... _'us,'_ Mara said nervously.

"The whole galaxy will be under assault. And they don't exactly plan on taking us alive," she says grimly.

 _"The whole galaxy under threat?"_ Bail says, brows raised in disbelief. _"How powerful of an invading force are you talking about?"_

"We don't know the size," I admitted. "But we know enough about this race of creatures. They go by two names; the Yuuzhan Vong, or the Hive. Their leader is called Oryx, and he's been plaguing my visions for a while."

"Why am I just now learning about this?!" Mara complains with wide eyes.

"We didn't want to worry you sweetie," Ahsoka apologized. "There was already enough to deal with in terms of the Empire."

 _"If this is true, how can you be certain they will invade our galaxy? Surely it would be possible to come to terms with them through diplomacy,"_ he suggests.

I shook my head, immediately rejecting his idea. "I'm afraid that's not an option Senator. The Hive's only interest is death and destruction. They worship it, drawing power from darkness beyond even that of a Sith. Labeling them as monsters would be a compliment."

"Well that sounds fun," Mara said sarcastically. Me and Ahsoka both knew she was only using sarcasm as a cover to mask her fear at the notion of creatures such as we were describing even existing.

Bail was at a loss for words. _"How much about the... Yuuzhan Vong... do you know?"_ he asks quietly.

Ahsoka and I told them about everything we knew, and reassured them that this was the real deal, and confirmed to happen. We spoke about Oryx and would we believed him to be capable of, as well as what we knew of their technology and strengths. We also informed them about Thrawn's messages to the Emperor, and that he was now currently tracking what he believed to be a Hive vessel, although he was uncertain of its true nature due to the lack of energy readings. Mara listened with wide eyes, surprise and a hint of fear shining through. Bail took it all in stride at first, but as we continued he became more and more concerned, coming to believe we were speaking the truth.

When we were done, he ran a hand through his hair, exhaling softly. _"The whole galaxy... soon to be invaded by these... Hive creatures,"_ he said softly.

"I'm afraid so," I said sorrowfully.

 _"Who else know's of this?"_ he asks.

"No one. Just us, Palpatine, Thrawn's fleet, and whoever else they may have told." Ahsoka says. "We held off from speaking about this because we already had enough to worry about with the Empire, and this knowledge would prove a distraction. And if the public were to learn about this invasion, there would be massive panic."

He nods in understanding. _"You were right to keep this information secret, and I shall do so as well. If the galactic populace were to learn of this threat, panic would ensue, causing chaos. We'd end up destroying ourselves before they do."_

"Which is why we told you as well. Worrying about an invasion we can't stop is not something we can do alone, and this gives you time to prepare for the possibility as well," I told him.

He nods firmly. _"I shall do my best,"_ he promises.

"Wait a minute," Mara says. "Okay, so I get that the Empire is bad and all, and I'd like nothing more than to see it gone. But from what you've told me," she says, pointing at me and Ahsoka. "The Imperial Navy is probably the most powerful force the galaxy has seen. Couldn't the sheer size and power of the Empire be enough to repel the Hive?"

"Believe it or not, but the galaxy is more vulnerable now than ever before," I replied, and she blinked in confusion.

 _"How do you mean?"_ Bail asks, also confused.

"The Empire does have one of the strongest military fleets, that's true." Ahsoka agreed. "However, the population is in disorder. So many people either dislike or are rebelling against the Empire. Palpatine constantly has to use his forces in order to keep the citizens in line, meaning the Empire can't mount a proper defense. And without the Jedi Order anymore, the situation is even more critical."

I then decided to step in. "The Jedi Order was very powerful, and everyone knew to respect them for it. It shined like a beacon of hope and protection, not only to the galaxy, but also beyond our own. And now that the Order is gone, no one is left to sense incoming threats, or truly challenge the Vong's power. THey were the last line of defense, and now they're gone."

"Essentially, the galaxy's current state couldn't be more perfect for Oryx to take advantage of for an invasion." Ahsoka summarized.

Bail sighs sadly, and Mara looks down, also saddened. However they both understand the reasoning behind our words. _"That is true, now that I think about it. We are in a delicate situation."_

"Unfortunately," I agreed.

 _"I'm afraid I must be off now, as duty calls. Thank you for sharing this news with me my_ friends. _"_ Bail says. _"It is most troubling, but hopefully we can formulate some plan of defense against this invasion, either by defeating the Empire before it comes, or worst case scenario, come to a reluctant agreement with Palpatine. I don't think even he would want to see us all dead from these invaders."_

"A Sith Lord choosing the lesser of two evils," I scoffed in some amusement.

"Until next time Bail." Ahsoka told him, and he ended the transmission.

"So, what are we gonna do when Oryx invades?" Mara asks nervously.

"Let's not think about that right now. There's still a long while before that happens." Ahsoka told her reassuringly.

"But I thought you said it would be soon, in a few years," she recalled.

"We don't know when it will happen," I told her. "It could be several years, maybe even a few decades before they truly arrive. Either way, it's a long ways away before then, so there is no need to worry so much about what will happen."

"For, it's best to remain focused on the present." Ahsoka added. "Don't tell anyone else about this unless we give you permission to do so, okay sweetie?"

"Ok," she eventually replied, seeming a little bit more comforted, although still unsure. "Thanks mom, dad."

* * *

 _Man things are getting difficult and nerve-wracking, but hey! Now Senator Organa also knows about the situation, so he'll be able to offer some support to them when necessary. Third Brother is reporting about his progress with Vader's castle, and now Thrawn has just discovered what may very well be a Hive cruiser... we'll just have to wait and see. :O_

 _For those who have been asking if I could do crossovers with other things as well, I'm not gonna do those right now. I'm busy with school, and the Shaniverse already had a lot of different franchises in it already, with lots more to plan and write out. Adding even more stuff without planning it first, much less knowing what the franchise is even about would only hurt the story, not improve it. So sorry, but I won't be adding those extra things unless I've thought it out for a long while, personally like it, and figure out a way to make it fit._

 _Next chapter is the Blood Sisters episode, with an interesting twist! :D_


	78. Ch 77 - Blood Sisters

**_Author's Note (If you're uninterested in my Avatar Xover, you can skip this):_**

 _I just have to get this off my chest. :P_

 _If you've ever watched and have been a big fan of Avatar, then you probably know about the show called "The Dragon Prince," which is on Netflix. Draws inspiration from Avatar and is also made by the same creators, I think._ _Anyways, at first I wasn't too interested, but I decided to check it out, see what it's like. Before I knew it I was starting the eighth episode, and actually rather enjoyed it!_

 _Then of course my brain starts wondering if it's possible to incorporate this into the Shaniverse, which while cool, I'm not gonna do. At least not now, for several reasons. Firstly, it just came it, and there's only nine episodes. Second, I already have a lot of other franchises to work on and catch up with, so there would be no need for me to add to the pile. But if you guys are interested in seeing some form of crossover with that eventually (although it wouldn't be for a long time), just say so, and I'll try and make it happen._

 _An idea I had was that it's on the same planet as Avatar (Reylea) but it's another continent. The Four Nations are on one half of the world, and Xadia is on the other side. But this is merely an idea, and if I do decide to do that, it won't happen for a very, very long time._

 _Okay, next chapter!_

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

For the last day or two, I've been spending some time with the Ghost crew, helping out with their errand missions on Garel. Mom and Dad stayed on the Knight Hawk, which continued to fly around the Lothal Sector in order to keep from being in public view for too long. It meant we'd have to buy fuel more frequently, but it was necessary to keep hidden from the Empire, our ship having become too recognizable now. The Ghost was also recognizable, but really just to those who were looking for it, and also due to that model of a ship being much more common than ours.

Also, they were staying on the ship to plan out strategies and future moves against the Empire, as well as worry about Oryx. I'm still a little stunned by that bomb being dropped, and a little hurt that they kept it from me, but I understand their reasoning perfectly for keeping it secret for so long, since it would just make me worry. Which it has. Oh well.

Anyways, today Hera had given me and Sabine a simple assignment, and we were heading over to her right now. I could sense that she was still a little bit mistrustful of me, more so of my Dad, but I suppose that can't exactly change in an instant, so whatever.

"So what do you think we're gonna be doing?" I ask her curiously.

"Hera will tell us, when she tells us," she replies stiffly, giving me a look. "Why is she having you come on this mission anyways? I thought you're at the point of being too recognizable."

"That' mostly my Dad, actually," I replied, and she rolled her eyes.

"Go figure," she muttered.

"Besides, she probably just wants me to help you out for this."

"I don't need any help with my missions," she responds defensively, a small frown on her face.

I sighed, but we eventually came up to Hera, who was standing by Ezra and Chopper. Looks like Ezra wanted in on the mission too. "You said you had another mission; what do you want me to do?" Ezra asks eagerly.

"Actually, this one's for them," Hera said, gesturing to us.

Sabine took a few steps forwards and elbowed Ezra in the gut with a smirk. He yelped in pain and backed up, Chopper beeping in laughter.

"Ow! Hey!" Ezra complained.

"Better luck next time Ez," I said with a grin.

"Ez?" he replied, in confusion and annoyance. "Don't call me-"

"There's a courier coming in who has secret information," Hera interrupts, briefing us on the mission details. "I need the two of you to pick him up, and transport him to Havoc Outpost."

"Sounds easy enough," Sabine says confidently.

"From Mom and Dad's experience, there's always a catch," I say warily.

Hera nods her head in agreement. "If it was easy I'd send someone else, much less Mara along with you. This information is important, and we have to get it through. Make sure to keep a low profile."

"If we're keeping a low-profile then why did you ask Mara to tag along?" Sabine demands, and I frown at her.

"Uh, excuse me; who's the girl that found you guys in a bar for that giant kyber crystal mission?" I recalled with a raised eyebrow, planting my hands on my hips. Sabine stares at me, obviously agitated.

"Ahsoka believes that Mara is perfectly capable of blending into a crowd, and has enough skill to avoid Imperials if necessary." Hera argues calmly. "If she believes Mara can handle it, then I believe her too."

I smile proudly at Sabine, and she sighs, nodding in reluctant agreement. "Fine. Don't worry, you can trust me."

I cough into my hand, and she glares at me.

"Us," she corrects, and Ezra muffles a quiet snicker, which luckily for him she doesn't notice, turning back to Hera. "Whats this courier look like?"

"I don't know. But they'll respond to this code phrase;" she replies, transmitting something through her datapad to Sabine's comlink.

"Got it," Sabine says with determination. She puts on her helmet, and after giving Hera a nod, starts to walk away. I follow after her, clasping my fur cape around my shoulders and pulling my hair into a ponytail. I don't wear my hair in a ponytail often, but I suppose it would suit me better in going undercover. I haven't been seen by Imperials with one before.

Just then, Ezra dashes up to us with his cadet helmet on, Chopper at our heels. "Leader huh? I always kinda figured you for a loner," he comments.

"I can agree with that," I add.

"Not always," Sabine replies stiffly.

"You sure make it seem that way." Ezra argues. "You spend a lot of time in your room, alone. And uh, you actually tend to eat alone, sometimes; and combat practice alone, and, go off to be alone..."

I slowly turn to look at him with a raised eyebrow. Clearly he pays a lot of attention to her, and I could sense Sabine's exasperation and annoyance at the fact. He continues to ramble on, and both me and Sabine share a small glance with each other. If there was something we could both agreed on, it's that Ezra was acting really weird, and wouldn't shut up. Didn't he once tell us he insulted the Seventh Sister; or Vifi as my parents call her, for talking too much?

Ironic.

Anyways, as we continued to walk, Sabine suddenly glanced to the side for some reason, and I followed her gaze, noticing some sort of orange and yellow symbol painted on it. Frowning, I follow her, sensing some recognition from Sabine as she continued to look at the symbol, walking towards it. Ezra and Chopper continued onwards, not noticing us missing as he still continued to ramble onwards. Sabine pulls off her helmet and kneels before it, lightly touching the paint and feeling it.

It was still damp.

"You recognize it," I observe quietly.

I could sense her brief flutter of nervousness before it's quickly squashed away, and besides a brief glance at me, gives no other outside reaction.

"Maybe..." she muttered uncertainly.

"What is that?" Ezra called out, finally having noticed us being gone.

"Nothing," she replies, putting her helmet back on. I stare at her with narrowed eyes, not believing her at all. With one last glance at the painting, I follow after them.

A brief flicker in the Force makes me start a little, and I try to hone in on it. It feels like another Force user is nearby...

As soon as I tried to hone in on the presence it faded away, and I had to wonder if I was imagining things. Maybe I just confused that presence with Ezra, since he's with us. Yeah, that's probably it.

* * *

After reaching Bay 22, where the courier was supposed to be, we stopped to look around at all the people milling about. A few shuttles had just arrived to deposit a whole group of civilians, the intercom helpfully telling us they were from Coruscant.

"So how do we find this courier?" Ezra asks.

"The code phrase is; it's a long way to Alderaan." Sabine tells us.

"Huh! One of Senator Organa's favorites," I quietly comment, so that no one else hears.

"Really?" Ezra asks in surprise, and I can sense Sabine's interest as well.

"Hmm hmm," I reply in confirmation.

Ezra then looks over and grins confidently. "I think it's this guy."

He walks over to a blue rodian that just departed from the shuttle, and I shake my head in exasperation, sensing that to not be the case. "Uh, Ezra..."

"Hey, it's a long way to Alderaan!" Ezra tells the guy with a grin.

The rodian just gives him a dull look and turns away in annoyance. "Okay..." he responds sarcastically, walking away.

"Did you really expect that to work?" I ask him.

"What? He seemed like a good candidate," he defends himself, and I roll my eyes with a sigh.

ooo00ooo

We've already been here for about half an hour, maybe more, and there was still no sign of the courier. Ezra and Sabine were continuously walking around the hanger bay, speaking the code phrase to try and get anyone's attention, but it wasn't working. Ezra even tried to tell a woman the code phrase right after watching Sabine told it to her without success. Naturally, she stormed away in annoyance and wariness, with a heavy want to get away from the two. I was just spending my time sitting on top of a pile of Imperial crates, which slowly got smaller as forklifts came by to pick them up.

I sighed in exasperation, picking my nails casually as the two desperately tried to tell the code phrase to anyone they came across. "You guys are not going to get anywhere with this," I told them.

"Yeah? Well I don't see you doing anything!" Sabine retorts angrily, and Chopper beeps in agreement.

"Wrong," I replied instantly, still not looking up. "Nobody that has passed us has been the courier. I know that for a fact."

"How would you know that? Do you know what they look like?" Ezra asks doubtfully.

I gave him a dry look. "No, but there is something else I have that let's me know."

"Like what?" Sabine demands.

I put a hand to my chin in sarcastic thoughtfulness. "Oh let's see, maybe it's the Force? I can't sense anyone who is supposed to be our courier, just a bunch of regular people!" I exclaim in exasperation.

Ezra blinked quickly, and shares a surprised look with Sabine. I send him a dull look. "Ezra, are you seriously gonna tell me that you didn't once think to try and use the Force to figure out who the courier is?"

He rubs his neck sheepishly, and Sabine lowers her head with an irritated sigh, grumbling to herself.

"Well... now that you mention it," he starts to say.

 _"Hanger 22 is now closed,"_ the intercom states, and it was easy to tell by how the whole place was empty of people.

Ezra walks over and sits down on top of a gonk droid that was sitting next to me, deactivated. "It's gonna be a long way back to the Ghost if we missed that courier," he states.

"We couldn't have! Hera had confirmation he boarded the shuttle!" Sabine protests. "Mara, are you sure you never sensed the courier in here?"

"Positive," I replied immediately, a small frown on my face.

"That just doesn't make sense," she says in frustration. "Ezra, are you sure you were saying the code phrase right?"

"Yes!" he replies in exasperation. "'It's a long way to Alderaan!'" he recites.

He suddenly yelps in surprise as the gonk droid he was under immediately begins moving, causing him to wobble on top of it. "Woah! What's the matter with this thing?!" he exclaims.

I widen my eyes in surprise at the realization. "Oh that is genius!" I exclaimed.

"Wait a minute, that is the courier!" Sabine exclaims, realizing the same thing.

Ezra quickly jumps off the gonk droid, and I stand up as Sabine walks over to us, crouching in front of the droid. "Talk about a low profile. He came in with the cargo payload. He's unit, EG-86."

"Nice to meet you EG." Ezra says, and the gonk droid beeps back at him, Chopper rolling around him. "I don't get why they'd hide such important information in this binary box break."

"The best hiding places are usually the worst," I tell him with a shrug.

"What does that even mean?" Ezra asks in confusion.

"Well, would you suspect that thing of being a spy full of secrets?" Sabine asks.

Ezra frowns, crossing his arms. "No. I guess not," he admits.

"That's too bad," a woman's voice says loudly, and we look up to see someone jump down from on top of the shuttle. "Because I would," she states.

I get into a defensive stance, wary of this new arrival. Apparently it seems like Sabine recognized her. "Ketsu Onyo," she says.

"Oh wonderful," I remark, and the two start to circle each other.

But then there was another person hopping in. "Oh, you two are here as well?!" a woman's voice yells out.

We all glance up in surprise to see a purple skinned Twi'lek jump down from on top of another shuttle, landing a few feet away. She was wearing what appeared to be a smuggler's outfit, appearing to be around Mom and Dad's age, maybe younger, and I narrowed my eyes, feeling something strange about her.

"You?" Ketsu says in distaste.

"Is this just a wonderful meet up for everyone now?" Ezra exclaims sarcastically.

"Rylla?" Sabine questions in surprise.

"Seems like we got the trio back together again huh," Rylla states with a shrug, approaching cautiously. I had the feeling she was set for the capture of the gonk droid as well.

"What a joy," Ketsu says, sarcasm oozing from her voice.

"I saw your mark, old friend," Sabine replies, just as sarcastic.

The trio begin to circle each other, with me, Ezra, and the two droids watching them, unsure of what to do. We both share a look, and Ezra just shrugs, at a loss of our next move. I guess what we should do right now is just make sure that this droid doesn't fall into the wrong hands.

"Friend? That's a generous term considering what happened." Ketsu replied.

"Uh, you three know each other?" Ezra asks, pointing between the three of them.

"Clearly," I say sarcastically.

"Still bounty hunter's I see." Sabine says, ignoring us.

"Tell me you don't miss it," Ketsu replies, before glancing at Rylla. "Although I highly doubt Rylla could considered a bounty hunter," she says, once again with a hint of distaste.

"I have morals Ketsu," Rylla replies. "I don't do jobs for despicable thugs."

"A bounty hunter with morals?" I ask quietly in surprise.

"That's a first," Ezra comments.

"It's a wonder you still make a living." Ketsu retorts.

"Don't forget who helped you hone your skills with wielding a staff." Rylla shot back.

"Wait wait wait wait... You were a bounty hunter?" Ezra asks Sabine in surprise, before looking thoughtful. "Well that explains a lot."

"I don't think Ketsu and Rylla are here for a reunion." Sabine says suspiciously.

"You know me well. I'm just here for the droid." Ketsu responds.

"Well..." Rylla says thoughtfully.

"Oh please, I know you're here for the same thing," Ketsu says stiffly.

Rylla shrugs to herself. "Well, you're not wrong."

Chopper starts to beep in alarm, and Ezra gives him a look. "Not you Chop. Him!" he exclaims, gesturing to EG.

"So, three different parties after the same thing," I mused. "This should be interesting."

"On that, we agree little one," Rylla says with a smirk, and I look at her in distaste, not liking the use of 'little one.'

"So Sabine, how do you know them?" Ezra asks.

"She never told you how we broke out of the Imperial Academy?" Ketsu asked.

"And how I found them both roaming the galaxy to try and become bounty hunters?" Rylla added.

"That was a long time ago!" Sabine protested, glaring at Ketsu. "Before you got greedy and left us for dead!"

Ketsu laughed mockingly. "You would of been better off dead, than joining this band of rebels. Even Rylla never did with her 'oh-so-sweet' morals!"

Rylla rolled her eyes at the comment.

"I didn't believe it until I saw the Empire put a bounty on you." Ketsu finished.

Ezra looked between them with wide eyes, and I tensed up even more, finding Ketsu to be the least trustworthy of the two. Something about Rylla still seemed to be off to me, and I couldn't place it.

"You gonna try and collect on it?" Sabine challenges dangerously.

"I haven't decided yet. And of course your bounty pales in comparison to that of _Jarik Shan_ ," she replies, her voice filled with venom at his name. I raised an eyebrow at that, and didn't fail to notice Rylla tensing up slightly as his name as well. Although I guess Ketsu must be a Mandalorian, if she went to the same academy that Sabine did. But why did Rylla get so tense?

"You'd be a fool to try and take the bounty of him." Rylla immediately says with a deep frown.

"Definitely a fool," I quip happily, and she turns her gaze to me, eyes narrowed. I stare back suspiciously, wondering why she was starting to take an interest in that. Hopefully she didn't recognize me...

Ketsu shrugged. "Perhaps, but then again... maybe his red-haired apprentice would be a better target." Ketsu says knowingly, also staring at me.

Everyone's eyes were on me, Rylla's gaze surprised, suspicious, and full of other emotions I couldn't read, but I could sense Ketsu's heavy glare on me before she turned back to Sabine. "The fact that you'd travel with the apprentice of that _di'kut_ is even more insulting to learn."

"Oh kriff it all..." I muttered, hand hovering over my lightsaber.

"You've got to be kidding me..." I hear Rylla say quietly to herself, and stare at her again. Seriously, why did she seem so confusing to me?

"Trust me, it's not by choice!" Sabine responds angrily to Ketsu, and I roll my eyes.

"Wow, that make me feel so good," I drawled sarcastically.

"Whatever," Ketsu replies. "I work for the Black Sun now, and I have another job to finish first."

"I can't let you do that." Sabine declares.

"Neither can I." Rylla adds.

"Who do you even work for anyways?" Ketsu demands.

"Why should I tell you, old friend?" she responds tensely, hand hovering over her blaster.

Ketsu and Sabine are both doing the same thing, as the three of them stare each other down in a three-way face off, Ketsu and Rylla occasionally glancing at me. I had a hand touching my lightsaber on my belt, ready to pull it out if shots were fired at me. Ezra was looking between the four of us nervously.

"How about we all relax before-" he starts to say.

"You there!" a stormtrooper yells, he and a patrol group of several others approaching. I quickly make sure my lightsaber is hidden from their view.

"-that happens." Ezra finished in exasperation.

"Citizens, what's going on here? There's a curfew on this hanger. You need to leave immediately!" the stormtrooper order us.

"Don't interrupt us!" Ketsu yells angrily, whipping out her blaster. She shoots down two stormtroopers, Sabine and Rylla also pulling out their blasters, and we all dash for cover behind the remaining stacks of crates, me. Ezra and the droids with each other. I peek my head out as the stormtroopers open fire, grumbling to myself for not having a blaster on hand.

Sabine peeks out and shoots down a stormtrooper before quickly taking cover again.

"Nice shot! Haven't lost your touch!" Ketsu exclaims, before moving to do the same, and takes down another trooper.

"Good thing you haven't either!" Sabine replied.

"Why don't you try another competition again? You two always seemed to get stuff done that way!" Rylla suggested sarcastically, standing up and aiming her blaster, shooting a few stormtroopers down, but her shots only hit their shoulders, or limbs, putting them out of commission. Wonder if she missed those shots.

"Stay here!" Ezra told the two droids, putting his face shield down and firing at the stormtroopers.

"Aren't you gonna help me out?" Ezra demands, glancing at me.

"Does it look like I have a blaster?!" I shoot back.

"Why not your lightsaber? They already know who you are," he suggests.

"Oh yeah, let me just tell the Empire exactly where the apprentice of Jarik Shan is while I'm at it!" I reply sarcastically.

"How about this kid!" Rylla yells, and I look over to see her toss one of her blasters in my direction.

I catch it in my hands, and peek out from behind the crates, firing back at the stormtroopers, although another, much larger group was approaching. "Thanks!" I yelled to her.

Ezra fired a few more rounds before ducking back behind cover again. "Okay, change of plans Chop. Get boxy here onto that shuttle," he says.

Chopper glanced between EG and the shuttle and grumbled to himself, before moving over to the gonk droid. He bumps into him, and starts to quickly tell him what to do, gesturing wildly with his arms.

Rylla fires off another blast, catching a stormtrooper in the leg, which forces him to fall off the crate he was perched on top of with a pained cry. Me and Ezra let off a few more rounds at the stormtroopers, and the former friends eventually split up from their shared cover, Sabine rushing over to us while Ketsu slides behind another crate, Rylla vaulting over the last one.

Ezra and Sabine glance up to check on EG and Chopper's progress while I let off a few more blasts, taking out two more stormtroopers. "Sabine! Go!" he yells.

She runs for the shuttle, climbing up the ladder and entering the ship while me and Ezra follow after, providing cover fire. The stormtroopers take notice and shift their aim in our direction. I lean my head to the side in order to evade a blaster bolt that gets to close as I climb up the ladder. Once we reach the top, Ezra and I continue to provide cover fire from the doorframe as the ship begins to lift off. From down below, I can see Ketsu and Rylla both watching us take off, the latter with an unreadable expression on her face.

However I thought I could sense a little... sadness?

My confusion at what I appeared to be feeling from Rylla didn't let me see the bolt headed for me and Ezra, and it slammed into the doorframe. It startled us enough to cause Ezra to fall out, inadvertently dragging me along with him. He yelled in alarm, but I reacted appropriately and flipped through the air, landing firmly on my feet thanks to the Force. Ezra managed to catch himself just in time too, stumbling, but landing in a crouch. We watched Sabine fly away, before Ezra pulled out his comlink.

"Hera, the mission's gotten complicated," he told her.

 _"I thought you were keeping a low profile?!"_ she replied angrily.

We watched as four stormtroopers moved to surround Ketsu Onyo, who was still down there, although to my alarm there was no sign of Rylla.

"We gotta go Ezra," I told him, and he nodded in understanding.

"Yeah well, it just went high profile!" Ezra exclaims before shutting off the transmission.

We rushed away across the roof, headed back to where the Ghost was supposed to be, while the shuttle Sabine was in moved out of sight, leaving orbit. Not much later, a large yellow starfighter lifted off, following after the direction of Sabine's shuttle.

"I hope she gets that intel secured," I tell Ezra, jumping across to another roof.

"Yeah, tell me about it. I mean, two of Sabine's older friends showing up in a shootout?!" he says back.

We were about to cross another roof, when Rylla flipped up in front of us, cutting us off from moving forwards. We skid to a stop, and she stands up, eyeing us down impassively.

"What do you want?" I demand suspiciously.

"Several things," she replies stiffly, and Ezra scoffs.

"Yeah, well considering that you faced off with us in a shootout, I don't think so," he retorts.

Rylla gives him a hard look, shaking her head. "Firstly, that was mostly Ketsu, I'm a lot less aggressive," she says defensively. "Secondly, I don't want to fight, just talk. And lastly... you still have my blaster."

I look down at the blaster in my hands, realizing she was right and shrug my shoulders. "Ok, I'll give you that," I admitted, tossing it over to her.

She catches her blaster, but then I pull out my lightsaber, holding out in front of me threateningly, as a warning. "So what could you possibly want to talk about?" I ask suspiciously, and Ezra aims his blaster at her as well.

Rylla holds her hands up placatingly, but still walks forwards, and is staring at me in a sense of wonder. "So it is true... you are Jarik's apprentice."

"What of it?" I ask her.

"Yeah, what's with all the interest in this?" Ezra adds suspiciously.

She stops before us, no fear or sign of wanting to attack us in her eyes. "I would like the chance to..." she takes a deep breath. "To talk to him... and Ahsoka. I've heard from Imperial chatter that she's still alive."

Ezra and I share a look, before returning our gaze back to her.

"Why does it sound like you know them?" Ezra questions.

"Because I do know them," she replies stiffly. "Please... can I talk to them?"

I'm surprised by the genuine sincerity in her voice, and what's even more shocking is that there seems to be a glimmer of water shining in her eyes. She seems sad... really longing for this...

After a few moments to scrutinize her, I slowly deactivate my lightsaber, placing it back on my belt. "Ok."

She sighs in relief and happiness, dropping her arms with a small smile on her face. Ezra stares at me in bewilderment. "So, we're really doing this? Just like that?"

"Yes we are," I tell him. "She seems genuine."

"I am," Rylla replies.

"Well, I'll call him up then." I say, pulling out a comlink.

"Thank you..." she replies.

I send a call to Dad; who should still be up in the ship with Mom, Force knows where, and he responds a few moments later.

 _"Hey kiddo, how's it going down there? Mission doing fine?"_ he asks me, and I notice how Rylla stares at the comlink with wide eyes, a small, inaudible gasp barely coming forth from her. Ezra takes notice of this as well.

"Yeah, the mission is going fine on Sabine's part, but there is a... complication," I reply seriously.

He takes notice of my tone, becoming concerned. _"What happened?"_ he questions.

"Umm... do you know anyone named Rylla?" I ask him, glancing at said person.

There was silence on his head for a bit, and we were all waiting tensely for a response, Rylla fiddling with her hands.

"This is awkward..." Ezra mutters.

 _"I do... where is this coming from?"_ he asks sternly.

"Well, we met a Twi'lek woman, who wants to talk to you. She's a bounty hunter and has purple skin," I tell him, offering the description in the hopes that it's right.

There was even more silence, until he finally replied. _"Return to the Ghost. We'll be back soon,"_ he replies tensely, disconnecting not a moment later after saying that.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

What Mara just told me just now, which Ahsoka heard as well since we were in the same room, was unbelievable! I couldn't believe this, it just... it just can't be possible!

Rylla... is alive!

Ahsoka and I were both speechless, some tears being brought to our eyes as we just stared at each other, sharing our shock. Eventually we managed to pull ourselves together, and not a moment later, sprang up from our chairs and dashed into the cockpit, immediately heading back to Garel.

If Mara was telling the truth, and she must be, as there is no way she could've known about that name, and description of her otherwise, than this is both unbelievable, and wonderful!

Rylla... is alive!

* * *

 **Mara POV..**

Once we reached the Ghost, we explained the situation to Hera and Kanan, and then introduced Rylla to them. Hera was obviously interested at seeing another Twi'lek out and about, and as a bounty hunter no less, but both were understandably suspicious at how she knows my Dad. And considering she has yet to tell us how she knows is another big factor.

But still, since Mom and Dad were speeding towards us, they were willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, and let them decide. So we were all sitting down in the common room of the Ghost, Rex and Boil also joining us. Zeb was off on another mission for Hera, so he wasn't currently here. Rylla was sitting in a chair by the game board, really quiet, and gazing either at the floor, or at me for brief moments.

"So you gonna tell us how you know Commander Shan?" Boil asks.

She glances up at him. "It's... complicated," is all she would say.

Boil frowns at her. "I've known him ever since his first mission during the Clone Wars, and don't ever recall seeing you. Unless you met him after the war, but I'm not sure."

"I think I'd know, although at the same time I wasn't around for everything either," I admitted.

"Well, I guess we'll all figure it out when they both get here," Kanan remarks, crossing his arms.

Right on cue, the sound of the door opening down the ship got our attention, as well as two pairs of feet running down the hallways. finally, Mom and Dad both burst through into the common room, looking around until laying their eyes on Rylla, who stares back.

Mom and Dad both let out a gasp as they met eyes with Rylla. All three of them were shocked, just staring, some tears even welling up.

"I... guess you do know each other," Ezra spoke up, trailing off at the end after a look from Kanan.

"Can you-" Dad starts to say, faltering for a moment before taking another breathe. "Can you all give us some time please?" he asks, his voice sounding a little weak.

We all glance around at each other in concern, but do as he tells us, getting up and leaving the room. Rex and Boil both give Mom and Dad a comforting pat on the shoulder before departing, and I stay a little bit longer, concerned as well. But sensing that this was a lot more personal than any of us realized, I decided to leave the room to them.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

After everybody left the room, Mara leaving last and closing the doors, me and Ahsoka slowly approached Rylla, who got to her feet. She looked so much older than I last remembered her, being a fully grown woman now. Instead of Jedi robes, now she wore an outfit worthy of what a smuggler or a bounty hunter would wear, two blaster pistols strapped to her legs.

"You're... you're alive," she whispers, tears falling from her eyes.

"So are you." Ahsoka replies, just as shocked and full of emotion.

"I can't believe it," I said quietly, approaching her. "But I'm glad."

After a few more moments, the two of us embrace Rylla in a tight hug, our relief, happiness and joy flowing heavily over each other through the Force, and she sobbed happily, into our shoulders. Eventually we parted, taking in each other's appearance.

I managed a small smile, eyes still watery from tears of joy. "After all these years... you really decided to be a kriffing bounty hunter?"

She chokes down a laugh. "Still have your stupid sense of humor I see," she retorts.

"Trust me Rylla, he never lost it. He's always getting us into trouble." Ahsoka remarks with a smile.

"Am not!" I protest, to which they both crack up in laughter. I can't be mad though, and despite my indignation there was still a huge smile on my face.

"I missed you guys so much," Rylla admitted after quieting down.

"We all missed each other," Ahsoka replies.

She nods in agreement. "How did you both survive?" she asks quietly.

I let out a sad sigh. "I was at the Temple when the order came, and we were attacked. Aside from two others, I was the only one to escape."

She looks down sadly at that.

"I'm guessing you probably know about my expulsion from the Order," Ahsoka starts to say.

"Yeah, I figured as much," she admitted in reply.

"What about you Rylla? How did you survive?" I ask her.

She crosses her arms hesitantly before replying. "I was on Agamar with Master Ando when it happened. It was my first mission, so I was terrified. But Master Ando... he sacrificed himself so that I could escape," she explains, eyes welling up slightly.

We both gaze at her sorrowfully. "I'm so sorry Rylla," I told her sadly.

She waves her hand. "Thank you Jarik, but it's all in the past. There was nothing you could've done," she tells me.

We remain in comfortable; but at the same time awkward, silence afterwards. We were all bursting with questions to ask, but at the same time we just didn't know where to start. Eventually it's broken when Rylla takes notice of the ring on Ahsoka's finger, and she widens her eyes in absolute shock.

"Y-you... You're married?!" she practically shrieks.

We wince, and Ahsoka covers her montrals out of reflex. "Not so loud! Are you trying to make me deaf!" Ahsoka exclaims.

"Sorry," she apologized sheepishly. "But you guys, you two got married?!"

"Yeah... we did get married," she replies, looking at me.

"It was great," I say, wrapping an arm around Ahsoka's shoulders with a grin, and she sighs in exasperation.

"That's absolutely shocking..." she trails off.

"Because of the Jedi code?" I ask dryly.

She gives me a look. "What, you kidding me? No! It's shocking how Ahsoka has managed to stand you for so long, much less marry your kriffing butt!"

I gape at her incredulously, while Ahsoka starts to crack up with laughter, Rylla giving me the most mischievous, crap-eating grin on her face.

"What is this, the 'insult-Jarik-reunion?!'" I exclaim.

"I think it's hilarious!" Rylla says happily.

"Well I don't," I retort, retracting my arm from around Ahsoka's shoulder to cross my arms in a pout.

"Oh don't be such a spoil-sport, you've had this coming for years." Ahsoka scolds me.

"Whatever," I grumble, causing both ladies to snicker even more.

Maybe I shouldn't have been so happy for this reunion...

* * *

 _Ohh, a reunion between old friends! I wonder if any of you saw this coming. And of course, poor Jarik gets immediately double teamed by the both of them._ _Eventually though the mood with be depressing and emotional once they have to reveal what happened to Vifi..._

 _Hoping the next chapter will be real soon! Thank you all so much for your continued support of my stories! :D_


	79. Ch 78 - Stealth Strike

_**Author's Note:** If you guys are ever interested about Rylla, on my page is another side story about her life after Order 66. It hasn't been updated too recently, and probably won't have my full attention due to the other stories I'm working on, but I'm hoping to continue updating chapters for it as well to expand on the Shaniverse even more. I'm passionate about the series, and not a day goes by where I'm not thinking about ideas for it! :D_

 _Your support makes it all the better, and I just love reading your reviews! It's crazy to think that this whole series was never a thing before the end of January... wonder if I should do anything special for a 1 year anniversary of the Shaniverse?_

 _Idk. ( ._.)_

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

For the next couple of hours, Ahsoka, Rylla and I had all spent some time to catch up together, discuss our life stories and figure out what we've been up too. It almost felt like old times back at the Temple, when we were still younglings. Mara, Ezra and Hera had all met up with Sabine and another bounty hunter called Ketsu Onyo, who was also from Mandalore, just like Sabine was. I made the wise decision to stay away from her, as she sounded a lot more violent and short-tempered than Sabine was, but luckily Mara reported that she didn't too to much to her, only glare angrily. It was a little unnerving to see that a bounty hunter; even if they were of Mandalorian blood, recognize Mara easily, so we'd have to be a little more careful with her from now on.

Anyways, Rylla explained to us how she had taken Sabine and Ketsu under her wing from a short period of time, showing them the ropes of how to be a bounty hunter alongside her partner and friend, Hayden, who was currently on another job right now. She's long since abandoned being a Jedi, having learned quickly that type of lifestyle doesn't work in the criminal world, and hasn't used the Force in many years.

It made especially good sense when she also told us about her and Hayden's brief time working with the Crimson Dawn, an infamously notorious and ruthless crime syndicate. There were some rumors several years ago about its shadowy leader, but me and Ahsoka never followed through with them as the majority of the crime syndicate went underground some time ago, after most of its main leadership was supposedly wiped out by a man named Tobias Beckett, but he's long since dead. The fact that Rylla worked with them at some point, even briefly, was shocking since everyone knew that once you work for them, you can never leave. Luckily that didn't seem to be the case for her.

 _(Ooohhh... Rylla side-story plot revealed? Hehehe...)_

Anyways, she told us a little bit about her stories, and we told her about some of ours. We even went a little bit into talking about our time on Ahch-To, however we kept up with the oath that Ahsoka, Mara and I took to never speak any aspects of the planet that involved the Force, or its name, or its location. We trusted her enough to know that she's still a good friend, and that she won't talk about it. She laughed loudly as we described the teens on the planet.

"Seriously? How does that group even work together? From what you've said about them, I wouldn't expect anyone to work together!" she says.

"I know right? It's a miracle they didn't fall out within ten minutes." Ahsoka remarks with a smile.

"More like seconds," I added.

"They've got spirit though, so I like that about them. Especially in Astrid's case," she replied.

"It'd be fun to meet them if I ever got the opportunity." Rylla agreed.

I groaned quietly. "Oh Astrid, I swear she's like the Viking version of a Mandalorian."

"Don't let that degrade your opinion of her." Ahsoka scolded lightly.

"I never really heard much about it, but I've noticed Mandalorians have a grudge against you." Rylla says. "Why is that?"

"It's... actually really complicated," I admit hesitantly, rubbing the back of my neck.

She nods her head in understanding. "If you say so. I probably won't have much time to listen to it all then," she says.

Ahsoka looks at her a little sadly. "You sure you don't want to stay?" she questions.

"I'd be great but, my calling is as a bounty hunter," she tells us sorrowfully. "But if the Rebellion ever needs the help of a bounty hunter, I'd be happy to accept a job," she offers.

"Thanks Rylla." Ahsoka says gratefully, a small smile on her face.

I scoff lightly, rolling my eyes. "A bounty hunter with morals and compassion... that's about as unbelievable as a Hutt that doesn't involve themselves in crime."

"Yeah well, first time for everything right?" she replies with a grin.

"I guess," I say with a shrug.

We laughed lightly after that, before Rylla looked at us with serious, but hopeful eyes. "You guys have obviously seen much, and traveled much. Do you know if... um, if anyone else in our clan survived?" she asks hesitantly.

Ahsoka and I both grow serious within a moment and sighed, sharing a concerned look, eyes full of sadness and regret. "We have... we encountered, Vifi..." she manages to say.

Rylla notices the tension and sadness and quickly grows concerned. "What happened? Is she alright?!" she asks.

Ahsoka gives me a glance before looking down, finding herself unable to answer. I rub my forehead sadly, a heave a sigh before responding. "I'm not sure there's any good way to say this Rylla but... do you know about the Inquisitors?"

She frowns in confusion. "Only a little, but what does that have to do with-" she suddenly stops, eyes going wide as she looked at us in horror and realization. "Wait, you're not saying..."

I nodded my head in resignation, a grim look on my face. "Unfortunately, she turned to the dark side, and has taken the name of Seventh Sister," I said, managing to keep my voice together, and Ahsoka had her head in her hands to hide the welling up of tears. It was still a sensitive subject.

Tears began to pool in Rylla's eyes, and she covers her mouth to muffle a sob, closing her eyes. "I can't believe it," she whispers.

Neither of us knew what to say, but after a few minutes we all drew each other into a group hug, sharing our sadness and grief over what happened to the rest of our clan. Weron and Kurhran were gone, we now knew, as we had sensed two of our clan bonds go out during the purge, but we didn't realize it until much later due to how weak clan bonds were. And even if she hasn't used the Force either in years, Rylla definitely has had to have sensed it too. And Vifi turned to the dark side to serve an Empire ruled by the dark lord of the Sith. It was heartbreaking.

* * *

Afterwards, we bid Rylla our farewells as she took off to rejoin Hayden to continue their lives as bounty hunters. I had to wonder if they would ever become a couple, because despite her harsh comments about how annoying he was, it was easy to tell that she was very fond of him too. Ahsoka could definitely sense it if I picked it up.

But unfortunately, while Rylla is heading back to work, this means that we have to start our work again as well. Ezra had left a few minutes before Rylla, having volunteered to go on a mission with Commander Sato's crew to look for a missing patrol. It wasn't surprising that he volunteered for that, as he seemed really bored with all the small 'blue milk runs' they've bee doing on Garel. It doesn't help that Kanan and Rex are trying to assume responsibility for his training in two different way. Boil could only watch on helplessly, but with some amusement at the continued tension between the two.

However, it was a little concerning, as my sources, as well as R5 have picked up rumors about a new weapon the Empire has created, supposedly capable of pulling entire ships out of hyperspace. They've worked on it for some time, but I didn't expect it to actually be possible to create such a device. Besides that though, a series of kidnappings has also got out attention, mine and Ahsoka's specifically. Not just because of the crime, but because of who it was against.

Force sensitive children.

Clearly the Emperor and Darth Vader did not want these children to grow up to become Jedi. And with me and Ahsoka being a very large topic of public interest and criticism on the holonet; criticism being a huge understatement, I'm sure they definitely would imagine us attempting to find these children ourselves and teach them the ways of the Force. Which we'd certainly love to do, in order to protect them and their families, but unfortunately we've just been too busy with so many other things in the Rebellion, not to mention worrying about Oryx and Snoke.

We both had a bad feeling that many of these kidnappings are being done by Vifi, and whoever else she accompanies.

I was broken out of my thoughts when Mara slams the door open to our room, and we jump in surprise. "Mara, what was that all about?" I ask her in bewilderment.

"Ezra and Commander Sato have been captured by the Empire!" she exclaims.

"Captured?" Ahsoka asks.

"They've created some kind of gravity well that can pull ships out of hyperspace!" she explains quickly, and we share a brief glance of concern.

"Does Hera and her crew already know?" she asks again.

"They're sending Kanan, Rex and Boil, but I'd like to go as well to help bust them out," she says determinedly.

I shake my head. "Not a chance Mara."

She stares at me in bewilderment. "Come on Dad, I can do this! I've done similar missions before!" she argues.

"We know sweetheart, but this time it's a lot more dangerous, and it requires something that you won't be able to give this time around." Ahsoka explains.

"Like what Mom?" she asks.

"Covertness," I said.

"You saying I don't have that?" she demands.

"Not for this type of mission I'm afraid." Ahsoka says. "You're way to small to disguise as a Stormtrooper, and on a Star Destroyer, even a prototype cruiser, you can't sneak around for long before being discovered."

"Not to mention we're starting to realize how your face is becoming more recognizable," I added.

She looks down in disappointment, and heaves a frustrated sigh. "Fine," she grumbles in resignation.

"There will be other chances, don't worry." Ahsoka reassured her.

* * *

 **Boil POV...**

"Finally! A real proper, exciting mission this time!" I exclaimed cheerfully.

"At least you seem excited." Rex grumbles beside me, inspecting his blaster pistol.

I gape at him. "Are you kidding me brother? Don't tell me you actually prefer going on this lousy pick up errands we've been doing for the last few weeks!" I sy in disbelief.

"Of course not!" he shoots back.

I look at him closely before a smirk comes on my face, and I cross my arms, giving him a look. "Oh, I see. It's because Kanan's coming along isn't it?"

He's about to retort, a glare on his face before the door to the cargo bay opens, and Kanan walks through, arms crossed with an irritated expression. Well, he certainly looks like he woke up on the wrong side of bed today.

"Look, for the record, this wasn't my idea," he says immediately.

"Just try to act like a professional." Rex replies.

"What if you two get in there and forget whose side your on?" Kanan demands accusingly, marching forwards.

Me and Rex turn to glare at him. "I would never be on their side!" Rex exclaims.

"Or wear that junky costume they call armor!" I added in disgust.

Just then Zeb walks up to us, pulling along three stormtroopers up the ramp, tossing two down so that he can grab hold of the third and drop him as well, who groans slightly. "Here are your disguises," he says.

Rex reaches down to pull off one troopers helmet, and holds it up with a look of contempt. I stare down at the armor as well, frowning at how shoddy it looks in comparison to my own armor.

"Perfect," Rex mutters.

ooo00ooo

After squeezing ourselves into the garbage that the Empire calls armor, the three of us walked down the Ghost ramp. I messed with my armor, finding it uncomfortable, although not so much as Rex. He was pulling up several pieces, trying to get it to fit, since he was not as good of a fit as I was, considering he liked to rest up more on Seelos.

"This garbage is nothing like clone armor!" he complains, pulling up a piece on his behind.

"Looks a little tight on you old man." kanan says smugly, and I raised an eyebrow at him, finding his shoulder pad to look ridiculous. rex notices the same thing, and marches over to him.

"Yeah? At least I know how to wear it!" he retorts, correcting the shoulder pad, and Kanan pulls away from him with a grimace.

Hera suddenly approaches us, with two rebel pilots in tow. "Kanan, Rex, Boil, once you're in, signal me and I'll come in with Phoenix Squadron to blast you all out," she tells us.

"How are we getting in anyway?" Kanan asks.

A noise from behind us gets our attention, and we turn around to see an Imperial shuttle being lowered down from the workshop, primed and ready to go, Sabine giving us a thumbs up from the cockpit.

"How is it the Empire lets us keep stealing these things?" Kanan asks in bewilderment.

"Oh, I thought it was the same one we used before," I admit sheepishly.

We start walking towards it, but Rex continues to fix and mess with his armor, much to my amusement. "I hate this thing," he mutters.

"Guess you should've kept working out like I did Rex old boy. You're looking out of shape," I tell him with a grin.

He glares at me. "Boil, your continued workout routine was absurd, and none of us were gonna do that anymore."

I give off a shrug, pointing out the obvious differences in our stature, as I was clearly more fit. "Your loss."

ooo00ooo

Once we boarded the Imperial shuttle, we set off through hyperspace for Ezra and Commander Sato's last known location. Chopper was coming along with us as well, given a paint job fitting for an Imperial droid. However, Sabine also decided to have fun with the walls, and had drawn a picture of me, rex, and Kanan, all in a battle pose, lightsaber out and blasters firing. Kanan it seemed was the only one upset by it.

"I don't know why she does that," he complains.

"I kinda like it. She got my ferocity right," I said proudly, and Rex nods in agreement.

"I believe it's called artistic expression," he adds with a smirk.

"Yeah? Well, my expression is wrong. I'm not happy about being on this mission!" Kanan retorts angrily.

"Really? That wasn't clear." Rex replies sarcastically.

Me and Chopper both chuckled in amusement, while Kanan shoots him a glare. "Once we board this thing, Chopper will plug in, find out where they have our people, and we get them out of there."

"We've got to disable this weapon, whatever it is. If the Empire is able to intercept our ships in hyperspace, this Rebel movement won't last long." Rex says grimly.

"I hear what you're saying, but remember this is a rescue mission first and foremost." Kanan reminds us, before the console starts beeping. "We're coming up on Ezra's last known position."

"Let's just hope we can find that ship fast." Rex adds.

Our ship immediately exits hyperspace, to reveal a small Imperial fleet in front of us. There were two Imperial light cruisers, as well as one large ship, not as large as a Star Destroyer, but still intimidating. It was a design I didn't recognize, which meant its the new weapon that the Empire has.

"Found it Rex," I deadpanned.

"Uh oh," Kanan says nervously.

Just then, the comm lines come to life as the Imperial ship contacts us, and me and Rex share a look of understanding. _"Shuttle S2-57, this is a restricted area."_

"Copy that, sir. Boy, are we glad to see you. We have a 157, I repeat, a 157." Rex says urgently.

 _"You are not cleared. This is a 675 test zone and off limits to you, S2-57,"_ the operator responds.

"Well, if we don't get any help soon, then we're gonna have a 3376 on our hands," I chime in with a grin.

"I don't think you're gonna wanna have a 3376 off your starboard side now would you, sir?" Rex adds, our voices blending together perfectly.

 _"Shuttle S2-57, requesting your emergency access code,"_ the operator responds.

"Copy that, sir. Priority protocol 7, 10, 9, 5." Rex tells him.

 _"Standby for code check."_

"Cody and I practically invented these emergency protocols back in the Clone War." Rex explains.

"Bloody useful to be honest," I add.

"Trust me, the codes are good." Rex finishes with a grin, and Kanan groans in annoyance.

 _"Copy, Shuttle S2-57. You are clear to proceed on heading 1599 to hangar 11."_

Kanan gapes at the comm, and then at us in shock, and we both grin triumphantly, giving each other a quiet fist bump. "Thank you sir," he says, ending the transmission.

"See? What'd we tell you? They don't suspect a thing," I tell Kanan reassuringly, leaning back in the chair with my arms behind my head.

ooo00ooo

Once we landed, we put our helmets on and headed for the exit, Rex still working out a few kinks in his armor. "Well, all set?" he asks.

"I guess." Kanan replies, opening the ramp door. We head down the ramp and into the hanger, and a pang of nostalgia hits me when I see how similar it is to hangers back on Venator Star Destroys. Not the same, but still similar in design, especially the lighting.

"This must be just like old times," Kanan remarks.

"Heh, just follow my lead and you'll be okay." Rex replies.

"No, you follow my lead!" he retorts.

"Excuse me Kanan, but we've got much more battle experience," I stated smugly.

I couldn't see his face through the helmet, but I knew he was throwing me a glare. We approached the doors with Chopper rolling along behind us, and the two stormtrooper guards moved forwards to block our path.

"Command deck says you need to make your repairs and depart," he orders.

Kanan then moves forwards and waves his arm. "We need to get to maintenance."

The stormtrooper stills for a moment before replying. "You need to get to maintenance."

"We can go on our way."

"You can go on your way."

With that being said, the stormtroopers back up to give us clearance, and we walk through the door and into the corridor, exiting the hanger.

"Eh, not bad, but I've seen better,' Rex comments in disinterest, and I chuckle quietly, knowing how true that was. Not to mention, General Kenobi was a master at mind tricks, which Jarik picked up on of course, although he didn't use them as much.

"Maybe I'll practice on you sometime," Kanan retorts.

"Ha! Good luck with that. He once managed to fool Asajj Ventress when she tried to mind trick him," I replied in amusement.

"What?" Kanan asks in bewilderment.

"Yes I did," Rex says proudly, remembering one of his earlier missions on Teth. He told us how he fooled her into thinking he was going to ask for General Skywalker's location, but used his first name instead, in order to warn him that something wasn't right.

Kanan groans in annoyance. "Whatever. Chopper, plug in and find Ezra and the crew," he tells the droid.

Chopper beeps before rolling towards one of the astromech sockets and plugging in. After a few moments, he unplugs himself before looking at us, beeping a response.

"Transferring him to a secure cell?" Kanan asks in alarm. "That means they know who he is. Let's go!"

We rushed quickly through the hallways, coming up to a lift elevator, which the four of us piled into. Unfortunately, something that has changed since the Republic, was the dumb lift controls.

"Hurry up, hurry up! Press the button!" Kanan whispered harshly.

"Whi- which button? I don't know where it is!" Rex exclaimed, pressing one of the buttons at random.

"Oh no," I groaned quietly, as an Imperial officer stepped into the lift with us. The door closes, and the officer glances back at us briefly, at Rex in particular.

"Your armor appears to be a little tight trooper," he comments, not too nicely.

"Aha!" Rex laughs, before grumbling indistinctly. "I'll tighten your... face, a little tighter..."

I stifle my laugh, but stand at attention when the officer glares back at us. "What was that?" he demands.

"Possible hypersickness sir, we're hoping to get him fixed up." I offer respectfully.

Unfortunately, Kanan decided to get a word in as well before I could finish. "Err, we're taking 565 here on, um, 257."

If there was no reason to worry about blowing my cover, I would've smacked my forehead in frustration. I could imagine Rex feeling the same way.

"The commissary?" the officer scoffs mockingly in amusement. "That's the last place I'd take him."

"Yeah..." Rex mutters, grumbling more, saying something about the commissary. Thankfully the officer had gotten off the lift before he could say more, and we were on our way to Ezra's position.

Once the door opened to the proper level, we rushed out, glancing around before running down the corridors towards the cell block. Along the way we could hear shots being fired, and so quickened the pace, figuring that must be Ezra. We whipped around a corner, and saw Ezra tossing his binders inside a prison cell. Before we could do anything however, he turned around and fired his blaster at us, and the world went black.

Next thing I knew, my helmet was being yanked off as I groaned, and what sounded like a child yelling my name. I slowly got into a sitting position, rubbing the back of my head as I opened my eyes, blinking furiously at the bright lights while groaning. Finally I managed to get a sense of my surroundings to see Ezra crouching in front of us, Kanan and Rex by my side. Chopper was beeping behind us.

"What just happened?" Kanan asked groggily.

"Oh, uh, did you see them? We were so, outnumbered. There was a fire fight- a big fire fight actually. You guys fought great!" Ezra stammered hesitantly, and I frowned in confusion.

"What? I think I would've remembered that..." I muttered, and Ezra gave me a nervous look, eyes wide in alarm.

"Heh, thanks," Kanan said gratefully, before frowning. "All I saw was you."

Just then, Chopper opened up a hologram in front of our eyes, and the three of us watched as Ezra pulled out his blaster, shooting three bolts from it. Next thing I knew, I was watching those three bolts slam into us, knocking all of us onto our backs. Chopper laughed in the background, and Kanan looked appalled, shaking his head, while I just gaped at the recording. Rex had his eyes narrowed in bewilderment, before a grin came onto his face, and I couldn't help a grin as well.

"You shot us! I can't believe you shot us!" Kanan exclaimed.

Ezra backed off nervously. "I mean, you were dressed like stormtroopers!"

"Yeah!" Kanan replied in angry exasperation as if the reason were obvious; which it was.

"You shot us kid?!" I asked in amazement before laughing, Rex joining in on it. "I haven't been shot in years! I almost forgot what it felt like!" I roared, still laughing.

"I- I set it too stun!" Ezra protested.

"Yeah well, you shoulda used kill." Rex suggested, and I nodded in agreement.

"What?!" Kanan exclaimed in horror.

"Well, just in case it wasn't us, I mean-" I explained.

Kanan scoffs furiously. "This armor doesn't protect you from anything!"

"Well, I told you!" Rex retorted.

"Now's not the time!" Ezra exclaims in exasperation. "We've got to find Sato and sabotage this ship. They have this gravity weapon thing that-" he starts to say, before seeing we were giving him dull looks. "You know all this," he realizes.

"So, what's your plan?" Rex asks.

"Well, we should probably split up. I'll take Chopper and he can get me to the reactor that powers this thing. You to bust out Sato." Ezra suggests.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. We are not splitting up." Kanan disagrees immediately. "Let's get Sato and get out of here."

"Now hang on a minute Kanan-" I reply before being interrupted.

"The kid's right, we have to destroy this ship." Rex says firmly.

"Do you know how many stormtroopers are heading this way?" Kanan argues.

"Doesn't matter." Rex retorts.

I let out a frustrated sigh as the two of them start arguing again, and stand beside Ezra, who was growing increasingly frustrated.

"We can't afford to separate!" Kanan exclaims.

"We have to protect the fleet!" Rex replies angrily.

"Will you two quit it already? Part of the reason I took this mission was to get a break from this!" Ezra exclaims, shoving between the two of them. "Ok, Chopper and I will meet you at Sato's ship."

As he moves off with Chopper, I turn to the other two. "He's right you know, you guys gotta work together, which is why I am going with the kid."

I started following after him, although Kanan looked upset. "Absolutely not-"

"Sorry, can't hear you! My hearing must be degrading because I'm so old!" I called back, just faintly hearing Rex's laughter.

* * *

I walked out of the lift elevator, Chopper rolling along behind me. Two stormtroopers looked at us, and I gave them a sharp nod, to which they went back to their duties. What they didn't realize was that Ezra was clinging onto Chopper from the side, in a way that made him invisible to the stormtroopers. Once we were in the clear, he jumped off, coming up to my side.

"That actually worked really well." Ezra admitted.

"Of course it did," I retorted proudly.

"Did Jarik really come up with that with R5 during the Clone Wars?" he asks me.

"Yup. One of the perks of being an astromech droid, everybody ignores you," I commented.

Chopper beeped at me loudly in what I assumed was annoyance, and I just rolled my eyes. In no time, we reached the reactor room and peeked inside, noticing a few workers milling about.

"There it is," I said.

"You think you can get in there and disable it?" Ezra asks me.

"Even if I knew how, they'd know something's up if I started messing with the controls. It'd be against protocol," I explained, shaking my head.

Chopper then beeped up at us, drawing Ezra's attention. "What? You, have a plan?" he asks disbelievingly.

Chopper beeps again, and Ezra stares at him. "I'm the bait," he deadpans.

"What's he saying?" I ask.

"I don't know, but he wants us to draw them away," he tells me, and I let off a shrug.

"That's fine. They'll ignore him anyways," I reply.

With the plan set, I enter the reactor room, walking calmly while Ezra rushed forwards, hiding behind the consoles. I fixed my helmet a little bit, internally groaning at how stupid they make the visibility on these buckets. One of the workers gives me a nod, and I nod back at him, glancing around like I was coming to check up on everything.

Ezra then rushes up to the next part of the generators, hiding around the corner. He looks at one worker, smirking to himself before turning away, making it obvious for the guy to notice him.

"Hold it!" the worker calls out, and Ezra dashes away, flipping off the catwalk and onto a lower platform.

"Come and get me!" he exclaims, pulling out his lightsaber.

"We've got an intruder! After him!" I yelled out, pointing out Ezra's location.

All of the technicians scrambled over, including the one near me, pulling out their blasters. Before they could fire, I raised my own and shot the guy in the back, causing them all to look over at me in surprise.

"Make that two intruders!" I called out, unable to help the grin on my face. I missed this!

Half of them split their attention on me, while the other half shot at Ezra, who deflected their bolts with his lightsaber. I took cover behind one of the terminals, firing my blaster at the others. During the chaos, Chopper was rolling over to the astromech socket, just like we wanted. I fired my blaster again, but the shot missed... _embarrassingly_! I growled in frustration.

"This stupid helmet!" I exclaimed, yanking it off my head. "I can't see with this kriffing crap!"

I threw the helmet at one of the technicians, and he dodged it, but before he could do anything more, I delivered a headshot with perfect precision, and he went down. I grinned proudly to myself.

"I still got it," I told myself, aiming my blaster at another.

However, much to my shock, the gravity generators in the room suddenly shut off, and I began to float upwards. I hastily grabbed onto the terminal to keep myself rooted with a groan, glaring at the droid.

"Chopper!" I yelled.

"THIS WASN'T PART OF THE PLAN!" Ezra shouted in a panic. He was floating uncontrollably through the air, lightsaber swinging as he desperately attempted to deflect the blaster fire headed his way. One technician fired his blaster, and Ezra just barely managed to deflect it, although the force sent him flying back. I quickly aimed my blaster at the worker and fired, striking him in the back, and he let out a cry of pain before dying.

Ezra pushed off the wall, continuing to flip through the air while the last technician struggled to retrieve his blaster. I tried shooting him down, but the lack of gravity made it hard to line up the shot properly. It didn't help that Chopper was laughing his tin can off.

"Don't you dare! Don't you do it! Not yet!" Ezra yelled.

Chopper beeped, and just as the worker retrieved his blaster, and I was about to fire at him, the gravity cut back on. Everything fell down, the technician screaming in terror along the way. Thankfully, Ezra dropped onto the walkway, although was hanging over the pit, while Chopper rolled towards him. I Set my feet back on the ground with a sigh, and rushed over to help Era up.

"Ow!" he exclaimed in pain, after Chopper ran over his hands, and I winced at the sight. Didn't look to pretty.

"Come on kid," I said, grabbing his arm and pulling him back onto the platform.

"Thanks Boil," he replied gratefully, and we ran after Chopper. "You better have sabotaged it!"

Chopper beeped back at us, and Ezra glared at him. "What do you mean you think you did!?"

"I'm starting to think I like R5 a little better," I muttered to myself.

More blaster fire from below got our attention, and we whipped around to see a pair of stormtroopers firing at us. We dashed along the walkways, Ezra blocking with his lightsaber, and I fired back. A well placed shot from me took out the lead stormtrooper, who fell into the reactor pit with a scream. I would've gotten the second one if we didn't reach the exit, and just decided to let it go, despite my want to take him out.

Still, this is more exciting than slinging for joopas has ever been these last few years. I missed this kriffing insanity!

* * *

Not much longer afterwards, we managed to meet up with the rest of the escape party, and it was absolute chaos. Stormtroopers were surrounding us left and right, and we continued to fight them off. It was much easier now, with Ezra and Kanan at our side, and I was getting a lot more used to this type of blaster. None of my shots were missing anymore, and while we didn't have any grenades or rocket launchers, these were working just fine. However...

"Where's Rex?" I asked over the chaos.

Kanan was just standing there in the middle of the firefight, eyes closed, with a look of concern on his face.

"We sabotaged the reactor, lets get out of here!" Ezra told Kanan.

"Wait!" I exclaimed. "What happened to Rex?!" I demanded.

Kanan turns around to give us a serious look. "Get Sato and his crew to the blockade runner!"

"Where are you going?" Ezra asked in bewilderment.

Kanan groans in aggravation. "I gotta get my friend!" he replies, rushing forwards and shooting back at the stormtroopers, deflecting blaster fire.

"Friend? What?!" I exclaimed.

"We can't get through! Where's Kanan going?!" Sato demanded.

I wanted to follow after him, but Kanan knew what he was doing. Besides, I'm guessing that Rex decided to hold the troopers back on his own, and got captured. He's a tough guy, so he'll do fine.

"Don't worry, I've got this." Ezra told Sato reassuringly.

"Right behind you kid," I replied, rushing after him.

"You've... got this?!" Sato questions disbelievingly.

The rest of Sato's crew were hunkered down by the corridor, firing away at the stormtroopers down there, unable to get any headway. That all changed when Ezra jumped out, immediately starting to deflect blaster fire as he charged forwards. I followed after him, going on the offensive and shooting down stormtroopers, while Ezra was on the defense. It was like the sword and shield maneuver, and it almost felt like I was fighting with Jarik in the Clone Wars again. Ezra is the same age as Jarik was during the first half of the war.

Our teamwork easily pushed through the stormtrooper barricade, and before we knew it we were halfway down the hall, taking cover behind the walls. I fired my blaster, scoring another hit on a stormtrooper down by the end.

"Hey!" Ezra called out in frustration to the rest of the crew, who were still sitting there, watching us in shock.

"I like getting all the kills, but feel free to join in any time!" I yelled back.

"Come on! They've got this!" Sato exclaim encouragingly, leading the rest of the rebels after us.

ooo00ooo

We had managed to reach the ship after the firefight, and I was covering the ramp entrance with Ezra while the rebel crew rushed inside. The comlink then beeped, and Ezra answered it.

 _"Ezra, tell Sato to take off!"_ Kanan says.

We share a surprised look. "No way, we're not leaving." Ezra replies firmly.

 _"Just do it! We've got another way out!"_ he told us before ending the transmission.

"How are they supposed to escape if there's no ship?!" Ezra asks in bewilderment, blocking another laser blast.

I shot down a stormtrooper before replying. "I don't know... wait, yes I do. They'll try and use the escape pods!"

ooo00ooo

Once everyone was on board the ship, we rushed into the cockpit, where Commander Sato and the pilots were preparing to take off.

"Where are the others?" he asks in alarm.

"Kanan order us to go! He said they had another way out!" Ezra explained.

Sato frowns but nods in understanding. "Pilot, disengage."

The cruiser detaches from the Star Destroyer, and we fly off at top speed in order to get as far away from the Imperial ships as possible. Along the way, we pick up an escape pod that holds Kanan and Rex, and they quickly rush onto the bridge with us.

"You sabotaged that thing right?" Kanan asks immediately.

"Of course we did," Ezra says confidently. "Right Chop?"

Chopper beeps back at us, but I still have my doubts, raising an eyebrow. "Ehh..."

"Make the jump!" Sato orders.

The familiar blue stars of hyperspace start to come into view, allowing me to breathe a sigh of relief. However, before we could complete the jump, the view outside suddenly exploded into an array of orange, blue and purple, and the ship shook violently as we were yanked out of hyperspace. I grunted in surprise, scrambling to grab hold of something to stay on my feet.

"We are caught! Again!" Commander Sato exclaims.

"Are you kidding me! R5 was better than this tin can!" I yelled angrily.

Chopper wails furiously at me, and I glare down at him.

"Don't get mad at him Chop! I thought you said you sabotaged it!" Ezra exclaimed.

He beeps back a reply, and Ezra frowns incredulously. "What do you mean wait for it?!"

"Look!" Kanan says, pointing out the window.

We widen our eyes as we notice the Imperial light cruisers being violently sucked towards the main ship as well, having also been affected. Chopper chortles in droid laughter.

"Chopper rigged their own weapon against them. It's pulling everything in!" Ezra realized.

"Including us!" Kanan added.

Moments later, we all watched with wide, shocked eyes as the light cruisers slammed into the Destroyer, one skidding across the top nd shearing off the hull of the ship, leaving huge explosions in its wake. Soon enough, the cruiser slammed into the bridge, causing a massive explosion that briefly blinded us, and once that happened, our ship stopped shaking so violently.

"Commander, we're free!" the pilot exclaimed happily.

As our ship turned away from the implosion, we got to watch as the Star Destroyed exploded in a massive ball of blue fire and lightning. The rebel crew all cheered, and I crossed my arms with a scoff, shaking my head.

"Feels like old times eh Rex?" I asked.

"Definitely like old times," he replied in agreement.

* * *

 **Third Brother POV...**

I marched up silently to Fifth Brother and Seventh Sister, who were once again glaring at each other, in a pointless argument. I growled through my mask, yellow eyes glowing at their stupidity and nonsense.

"You want to go toe to toe with me, halfwit?" she threatened.

"I wouldn't want to embarrass you so, witch," he retorted, and she growled at him, reaching for her lightsaber.

"That's enough!" I snapped, and they both glanced at me, turning away from each other and lowering their heads in submission.

"Apologies... Third Brother," Seventh Sister said in disdain, which I brushed off.

"You two better cooperate before I send you back to Lord Vader to explain why you're such failures," I snarled, fed up with their behavior.

Wisely, they said nothing, the threat of what Lord Vader was capable of all too clear. "Now, there are reports of a Force sensitive child headed for the Chandral system, and another on Takobo. You two will seek them out, and bring them back for Lord Vader and the Emperor."

"As you wish." Fifth Brother says quietly.

"You aren't coming?" Seventh Sister notices.

"I have other Force sensitives to bring in, along with someone else," I stated, although with some distaste.

From behind me, a shadowy, feminine figure approaches, mask still on her face, black cloak flowing behind her. Seventh Sister and Fifth Brother widen their eyes in surprise at the sight of her.

"Second Sister," Fifth Brother says in surprise.

"That's Grand Inquisitor to you!" she snaps, and they both incline their heads with respect.

"My apologies, Grand Inquisitor," he replies.

I give no reaction, finding myself not enjoying this assignment with the Second Sister, who has now been promoted to the head of our ranks after the demise of the previous one at the hands of Jarik Shan and Kanan Jarrus. I still don't understand what she could've done to gain that position, because with her arrogance and failures, she did not deserve it. I could not wait until my true master wiped these Sith out.

"Now, we must be off Third Brother," she says. "And the two of you better not screw this up, or else there will be harsh punishment," she hisses.

"We will not fail," Seventh Sister says angrily, her dislike of Second Sister being clear enough.

If there was one thing that I agreed on with her and the Fifth Brother, it's that we hated the Second Sister.

* * *

 _Oh, that was fun. Boil got to enjoy the thrill of battle once again. It was a little saddening that we never got to see too much of him during the show, especially on Umbara, since that's where Waxer died. They were like the Fives and Echo for the 212th, with Boil mirroring Fives. Oh well._

 _Rylla still has a different life to lead, but now she knows how to get in contact with her old friends whenever she wishes too. And also knows that Vifi is now an Inquisitor. Also in her side story, in their discussion were some hints of where I'm planning on taking her, which involves the Crimson Dawn. Ohhh... although my progress on that one is slow, so who knows when that'll happen. :P_

 _And then there's the reappearance of Second Sister! Haven't seen her in a while huh? I have to admit, I sort of forgot about her for a brief amount of time; anyone else? But while I don't have a clear idea of how she'll go out yet, whether it's on Malachor or maybe afterwards, I'm hoping to give her some more involvement of the story, as she is a major part of Mara's past._

 _And the kidnapping of Force sensitive children... this looks like a job for our favorite couple!_


	80. Ch 79 - Darkness is Growing

_**Author's Note:** You guys want to know something crazy? All of the Legacy of Jarik Shan stories COMBINED have reached an approximate total of **171,000** views! That is absolutely insane! 80k of those are from **V2** , 20k are from **V3** , and 70k are from **V4** \- this story right here!_

 _I just wanted to thank you guys so much for all of your continued support for Jarik's Legacy! Never in the last few years did I think I would be able to write a fanfiction story that would be this popular; among some of the great authors out there! You guys are the best, and I can promise you that there is still so much more of Jarik's story to read!_

 _You guys are wonderful! :D_

* * *

 _ **3 BBY - Garel System**_

 **Jarik POV...**

Another year has passed.

Granted, it isn't Empire Day to be precise, that's still a little ways away, but as of right now, the galactic calendars have switched to the next year. Which makes it now almost sixteen years since the fall of the Republic.

And darkness is only continuing to grow.

With each passing moment, Darth Sidious continues to reign supreme over the galaxy, gaining power from every source possible, having nobody to stop him from increasing his power in the Force, now that he no longer has to hide it. I'm strong with the Force, but not too gifted; however Ahsoka has grimly said how if she focuses on Coruscant, considering we've been there long enough to know how to sense it, all she feels is the slim breeze of the dark side. Then, there is the problem of that stone underneath Vader's castle on Mustafar. I think we'd be able to know if he manages to retrieve it, since it doesn't seem like something he would keep quiet about once it's in his possession; however every moment he possibly gets closer to retrieving that source of power, whatever it is.

Then there's also the threats beyond our own galaxy, the most obvious being Oryx and the Hive. Something I haven't though too much about for a while though is also Snoke, who I know is watching the state of the galaxy out there, from somewhere. The last real interaction I've had with him was when I was in that coma years ago, when discovering Ahch-To. Flashbacks of him don't count, so since then he's just been... silent.

I don't know whether or not that's good or bad.

I glanced off to the side, where Ahsoka was laying in her bed, sleeping, the covers pulled up to her shoulders. She, Mara, and everyone on the Ghost were all sleeping, as it was currently night time on Garel. But I couldn't sleep properly, so I just decided to continue more work for the Fulcrum agency. Now that we knew she was alive, we shared contact information, and I considered the possibility of having Rylla become a Fulcrum agent, at least in a way. Her life as a bounty hunter provides insight into the criminal world of the galaxies, which could help the growing Rebellion in various ways. But I was deciding against it, since she should be free to do her own thing, and she'd help us in her own time.

I let out a tired sigh, looking away from Ahsoka and back to my computer screen, which was displaying yet another kidnapping within the last week. Another Force sensitive that's been taken by the Empire, probably to never be seen again by anyone. This just couldn't continue to happen, if not for our sake, but then to help these families who are getting their lives destroyed, or even killed by the Empire just because of something a child is born with. And thanks to the Emperor's... 'fantastically' growing power of the Force, he's able to uncover the locations of these children, even across light years of space, which gives him a huge advantage.

Which means I have to work harder to find these children, and stop the Inquisitors before he can take any more. But for now, 'm just too mentally exhausted to do the work properly. I shut off the computer and pulled myself out of the chair, taking off my cloak and armor and depositing them back in their spots.

Brushing my hair briefly, I slump over to the bed and quiet crawl in, lying down next to Ahsoka. Once I was settled, she shifts over subconsciously to snuggle against my side, and I wrap an arm around her in response, leaning my head against hers and closing my eyes.

Even as I was falling into slumber, something in the Force felt wrong... as if something terrible was about to happen.

* * *

 _ **Isle of Berk; Ahch-To**_

 **Astrid POV...**

That- that stupid, annoying girl Heather! I can't stand her, yet everyone else seems to be all happy around 'poor, innocent' Heather! Not so innocent if she's trying to sneak around all the time, looking into our stuff, not to mention trying to mess with my dragon! If only Mara were here right now, she would definitely understand what I meant, not to mention she could figure out Heather's true intentions in an instant! I threw my axe at the trees to practice my already near perfect aim and blow off some steam.

"Heather!" I growled with each throw, and my axe got stuck deep into the wood. "'I think your dragon likes me!'" I scoffed mockingly in her hight-pitched voice, yanking the axe back out. "No one messes with me and my friends!" I say fiercely, holding the axe up.

The sound of a branch breaking nearby sent me into high alert, and I rushed against the tree I just threw my axe into, peeking out. Hearing footsteps, I looked the other way, and spotted Heather walking quietly through the trees. What was she up to now?

Narrowing my eyes, I quietly followed after her, sneaking along the trees and stopping every so often to peek out and watch her, as well as to make sure she wouldn't spot me. eventually she came to a stop on the beach and sat down on a log, all by herself. I scoffed.

"This was stupid," I muttered, turning away.

Before I could leave however, I noticed a ship coming to stop on the shore, with jagged wood, shields, and a sail with an alarmingly familiar crest.

"Wait... That's an Outcast boat!" I whispered to myself with wide eyes.

Two figures jumped off of the boat, and approached Heather with a fierce and intimidating demeanor. She stood up quickly to face them, and I narrowed my eyes, recognizing one of the Outcasts.

"Savage..." I muttered quietly.

But, who was the other guy? The strange new guy stood beside Savage, pulling a sword from its sheath and jabbing it into the ground; an intimidation tactic. "What have you learned about the dragons?" he demanded.

"I've learned a lot, Calder." Heather replies, and I widened my eyes in shock. That- that was the Force sensitive Ahsoka and Mara warned us about! "But there's something else. Something that's going to make Alvin very happy," she continues.

"I'm listening," Calder says, his voice not groveling like most Outcasts, but still very intimidating. Remembering the dangers of a Force sensitive opponent, I quickly scrambled to put up some mental shields, like Ahsoka taught us. Frowning, I grit my teeth in concentration, remembering what it felt like when she and Mara were using the Force against us, and tried to recall the feeling of it. Hopefully this actually worked, and would be enough to keep him from sensing me.

"They have a book. A Book of Dragons. It's got everything in it. Everything Alvin could hope to learn about controlling dragons." Heather explains quickly, and I narrowed my eyes furiously at her. That little, backstabbing, traitorous wretch!

"Where is this book?" Savage demands.

"I don't have it." Heather admits nervously. "But, I will! I promise. I just- I just need a little more time!" she stammers.

"Alvin isn't known for his patience! He won't be happy having to wait." Savage growls dangerously, leering over her, and Heather backs up nervously, which brings me some satisfaction, admittedly.

"Please! You have to trust me!" she pleads. "When I get back to Outcast Island with that book, the wait will be worth it!"

I leaned forwards to get a better look, but I accidentally knocked over some loose rocks, which tumbled loudly to the ground. I widened my eyes in horror and dashed behind the tree, just as they looked over.

"I know you're there!" Calder yells out, and I cover my mouth to keep quiet, terrified. Please don't sense me, please...

"Someone's watching us?!" Savage hisses. "Where?"

There's silence, and I allow myself a little bit of hope. Maybe he can't sense me after all...?

Calder lets out a growl after a few seconds. "I can't... find anyone!" he says furiously.

A wide smile spreads across my face. The mental shields were working!

"I better go," I hear Heather say.

"Then go!" Calder exclaims dangerously.

I decide to do the same thing that Heather did, and bolt out of there, as quickly as I could. Sure, he didn't find me, but he could still sense me, so I'm not going to push my luck. I have to warn Hiccup and the others before Heather gets that book! But if there's one good thing that came out of this: the mental Force shields Ahsoka and Mara taught us works!

* * *

 _ **Star Destroyer; Classified Location**_

 **Third Brother POV...**

After managing to get the Second Sister off my back for the next half an hour at the most, I quickly headed for my personal chambers, something urgent having just come up. My master's servants were calling me, which is something they never did! And that made me nervous.

Sealing off the room so that no one could eavesdrop into the conversation, I pulled out my quietly beeping communicator and set it on the desk, accepting the call. The creature and that pale woman were quick to appear, a scowl on the former's face.

 _"Third Brother. Something of great importance has come up,"_ he growled.

"Clearly, since you contacted me about this," I respond irritably.

He hisses at me. _"Mind your tongue Inquisitor,"_ he snarls before calming himself down. _"There are forces at work, seeking to look into the galaxy. The source of power we seek is at risk."_

"Is it your rival Snoke?" I assume with a scowl.

 _"Perhaps,"_ the creatures replies. _"But be cautious, Third Brother. You are not the only one searching for it,"_ he says.

"I understand," I tell him with annoyance. As if I didn't know that already.

 _"What are you currently doing now Inquisitor?"_ the woman questions.

"Me and the Second Sister are in the middle of assignments for the Emperor. We are taking Force sensitive children so that they will not become future threats against the Empire," I report.

 _"Really?"_ she replies in intrigue. _"Well, if possible, see if you can... send some Force sensitives our way will you?"_ she practically purrs. _"I'm sure my father would not mind more warriors of the Force."_

I growl quietly to myself, practically snarling behind my mask at this extra task assigned to me. However I can't exactly ignore it, and seeing as how the creature was not disputing her, I would have to carry out her wishes. As if my life wasn't already difficult enough.

"As you wish," I tell them, ending the transmission.

* * *

 _ **Unknown Regions; Galaxy's Edge**_

 **3rd person POV...**

The Seventh fleet came out of hyperspace, stopping a fair distance away before a large red star, of the supergiant class. A total of eleven Star Destroyers, the Chimera leading the fleet, moved slowly through space, searching for its quarry. In the bridge of the Chimera, stood Admiral Thrawn and Commander Vanto, both stationed around the holotable that portrayed a large map of the galaxy. Thrawn was focused on the map, a hand to his chin as his red eyes gazed around the different planets and stars charted in the areas close by.

"Admiral, the scanners had picked up the unidentified object earlier, but once we came out of hyperspace, they were gone." Vanto reported, sounding a little bit uneasy.

"Gone?" Thrawn questions.

"It's possible that there may be some interference; this is an unexplored section of space after all," he suggested.

Thrawn frowned, lowering his hand and turning off the hologram of the map. "No, not here," he stated. "This portion of space actually resides within the Chiss Ascendancy; the Ornfra system," he explained.

Vanto widened his eyes in surprise. "What?" he breathed out in surprise.

Thrawn nodded his head. "It hasn't been used for quite some time, so has been largely ignored. However, studying the pattern of this object's path through space, it should pass through here soon."

He then turns to look at Vanto with a questioning glance. "Are you sure our scanners are unable to detect their motion like we have in the past?"

Vanto shook his head, shaking away his surprise. "No sir. Ever since we arrived in the system, we've been unable to detect nothing."

Admiral Thrawn frowns, walking forwards and approaching the window, eyes narrowed in thought. Whatever it is they've been chasing should have been here, he was certain of it. So why was there nothing...?

"Admiral Thrawn!" one of the officers exclaimed, suddenly panicked.

"What is it?" he questioned instantly.

"I- we're getting readings that don't make any sense!" the officer reported, confused and scared.

"Sir!" Vanto exclaimed, also in a panic, pointing out the viewport.

Thrawn followed his terrified gaze to out in front of them, and widened his eyes in a rare moment of shock and surprise. Massive, sickly green portals with an inside blacker than the void of space were appearing out of nowhere directly in front of them. And through those portals came one, strange ship; then another, and another...

"Send word to the fleet to raise the shields and prepare for battle!" Thrawn exclaimed sternly.

Moments later, alarms began to blare through the ship as the officers and crew all ran around at high speeds in a panic, the Star Destroyers beginning to power up as their shields were raised, laser cannons warming up. The rest of the fleet was no doubt in the same position, everyone in shock and panicked at the sudden surprise attack that was occurring, in a way they could've never imagine.

Thrawn continued looking out the window, eyes slowly getting wider as he took in the sight of the quickly approaching enemy fleet, as well as their strange portals. He immediately recognized the designs of these ships, and didn't need any scanners to know this is what they were following. However, it was when another portal opened, allowing something else through that had Thrawn feel fear, something he didn't think he would ever be feeling.

The portal was absolutely colossal, in ways they could not fathom. It was easily larger in diameter than the entire Seventh Fleet lined up alongside each other. And emerging from that sickly, dark, and just... _wrong_ looking portal came something out of the Chiss' worst nightmares. A gigantic, monstrous vessel soaed through the portal, large than anything that anyone in the fleet, even Thrawn, had ever seen or thought possible in their entire lives.

"Vanto..." Thrawn said quietly, his demeanor filling with dread. "Send word to the Emperor... we've found the Yuuzhan Vong."

Vanto nodded meekly, eyes wide in terror and shock before rushing off to do as he was asked, the alarms continuing to blare and scream in his ears.

* * *

 _Short chapter, I know but, eh._

 _Oh my gosh... stuff is happening! And the Yuuzhan Vong (Hive) have finally been found by Thrawn? Well, more like THEY found him. This is a dangerous situation now. However before any of you get any ideas I'm just letting you know now that the full invasion of the Hive is not happening in this story, it's in the Taken War story, so chill. :3_

 _Thanks for all of you guys' continued support! You're amazing! :D_


	81. Ch 80 - The Future of the Force

_**Chandral System; Transport Ship**_

 **3rd person POV...**

Departing from Chandral was a normal transport ship used by the civilians of the Empire. Another ship passed by it, heading down to the planet's surface. On board, passengers walked through the hallways and milled around in conversation, others heading to their temporary rooms or to get something to eat. Among them was an old woman named Darja, carrying her grandchild in her arms, with a blue blanket wrapped around the baby.

"There there Alora, we're away from trouble now. A new life awaits us," she says soothingly.

All of a sudden, the ship shakes violently as it was stopped dead in its track, the lights shutting off as the power went out. Passengers screamed in terror, and Darja looked around, fear filling her.

"It's the Empire! They're seizing the ship! we need to get out of here!" a man yells in a panic, and people start to run off.

An Imperial Star Destroyer slowly moves over the transport, it's massive size dwarfing it. The transport was caught in their tractor beam, being directed towards the hanger bay. On board, passengers looked around fearfully, while Darja tried to comfort Alora, who was now crying. "There there," she whispered.

The door at the end of the hall then opened, showing two intimidating figures bathed in a haunting red light. One of them was a massive brute, while the other was feminine and smaller, but no less terrifying. They marched on boards, while the transports officer desperately tried to plead with them.

"This is a civilian transport! We were granted clearance for take off!" he pleads fearfully.

Seventh Sister, or Vifi, eyed the man with disgust beneath her mask, drinking in his fear. Almost rolling her eyes, she waved an arm, slamming him against the wall with the Force. One of her probe droids rushed forwards and latched onto him to restrain him.

"I'm afraid its been canceled," she says sternly, stopping briefly beside him. "As fortune would have it, you carry a cargo of great interest to us."

Fifth Brother marches forwards slowly, eyes staring straight ahead at Darja, and Vifi follows after him. Their footsteps clanged against the metal floor loudly, while the passengers backed away in ear, some holding each other close. Fifth Brother's face was set into a determined scowl, pale gray eyes glaring at the woman in front of them. Alora continued to cry loudly in Darja's arms, a sound that made Vifi nearly want to kill the irritating child.

Darja gasped in horrified realization of what they wanted. "No!" she cried out.

She rushed to the end of the hallway where the door was, and pressed a button to open it. Before it could open all the way, Fifth Brother waved his arm, and the door slammed shut. Darja tried again and again, desperately pressing the door controls, but the door continued to switch between partially open and closed. Finally, Fifth Brother roughly swung an arm, slamming the door closed indefinitely. She banged her fist on the door in despair, Alora continuing to cry all the while. Knowing that escape was hopeless, Darja turned around, a terrified, yet fierce look of determination on her face.

"Keep away," she hissed to the Inquisitors.

Vifi smirked at her, not afraid to admit that she admired the frail old woman's determination, as pathetic and useless as it was for her. She pulled back her mask, the smirk still on her face as her eyes glowed yellow from the dark side, and reached a hand out.

"Fear not old one, we wish to make friends!" she purred coldly, stroking Darja's face and grabbing her chin. "But first, we have some business to attend to."

She let go of Darja's chin and looked back at the Fifth Brother with a sickening smirk, eyes glowing even more than they were before. Fifth Brother then reached for his back, pulling out his lightsaber. Turning around, he activated the saberstaff and raised an arm, before swinging it forwards, throwing the lightsaber from his grasp.

Darja watched in horror as the two red blades mercilessly cut and sliced through the passengers in the hallway, even getting those that tried to run before they could ever scream.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

Ahsoka, Mara and I approached the Ghost, vaguely noticing Ezra tinkering with Chopper off to the side. Normally Mara would go to say hello to him, but not today, as what we learned has been very grim and serious. We had no time to wait, as more and more Force sensitive children are being abducted every week. Kanan walked down the open ramp to greet us, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly with a small smile.

"This is unexpected," he says, and Ahsoka smiles back at him, her hands on her hips. "Don't get me wrong, it's always good to see you but, it usually means there's trouble."

"What we have to say is Jedi, business," she says seriously.

"Then I guess I qualify," he replies, gesturing to himself.

Ahsoka scoffs, crossing her arms. "You and Mara qualify more than I do."

"I do?" she asks in confusion.

I nod my head at her. "Technically yes, but as the senior Jedi here, I over-qualify you all," I reply with a grin, and Ahsoka sighs in exasperation, so I get serious again. "However, it is urgent, so we better get moving."

Kanan nods in understanding, noticing our serious attitude and leads us back into the Ghost. We follow him back to his room, and once inside Ahsoka closes the door, and we begin our discussion. With Ezra listening in of course.

"I've been monitoring and intercepting any high value transmissions from the Empire, as well as Mustafar, to learn more about Darth Vader and the Emperor's plans," I started off.

"And?" Kanan asks.

"Information is difficult to come by, even with Jarik working days on it." Ahsoka continues, crossing her arms. "But we have learned more about their Inquisitor's and what they've been up too. They have a secondary mission to make retrievals."

"Well we know they hunt Jedi, so what else are they after?" Kanan asks in concern.

 _"I'm not so sure we should tell him yet."_ Ahsoka tells me.

 _"Any particular reason why?"_ I reply, slightly confused.

 _"The more people that know about these children, and that we are planning to rescue them, the more risky it is that the Empire will find out,"_ she explains. _"I'm not saying Kanan or the others would ever give this information away, but you never know what could happen."_

 _"Alright, that is a fair point. They will learn eventually, so they'll have to be prepared,"_ I say, sending my agreement.

The conversation happened within a second, allowing Ahsoka to sigh lightly to cover up the brief lack of response. "At this point I could only guess," she tells Kanan.

Mara glances up at her in surprise, and I get her attention, sending a look at her to keep quiet for now. She's confused, but she understands that we want to keep this secret for now, and we'll tell her later.

"I did decode three sets of coordinates for their next targets," I say. "Ahsoka will head to the first one, while me and Mara go after the second."

"And you want me to check out the third?" he deduces easily. "I'm in."

"You should have Ezra join you," Ahsoka advises, and we follow him back to the door.

Kanan scoffs in amusement. "Heh. He's already brief on the mission," he says, jabbing his fast against the door control.

The door springs open, and Ezra collapses to the floor with a surprised yell, having been leaning against it to listen in. Mara laughs lightly in amusement as he springs back up, attempting to act casual.

"Heeeyy!" he says with a wide, sheepish smile, eyes wide.

"You're an idiot it you really though you could eavesdrop on four advanced Force users." Mara says.

"Well it, seemed like a good idea," he mumbles, rubbing his neck. "Besides, Ahsoka did say this was Jedi business!" he adds quickly.

Ahsoka shakes her head lightly in amusement, while I simply roll my eyes, crossing my arms. "You should bring Zeb along as well. Even with the odds stacked against him, he fought hard against the Fifth Brother last time, despite loosing."

Kanan grins, looking over at Ezra, who has a sheepish smile on his face. "So, where're we going?" he asks.

* * *

 _ **Jelucan; Outer Rim Territories**_

The Knight Hawk burst out of hyperspace, and the sight of the rocky and mountainous planet came into view. Surrounding the planet were also two Imperial Star Destroyers, much to my alarm. I know it's an Imperial occupied planet, but being this far out in the Outer Rim would mean a relatively small Imperial presence. That could only mean that the Inquisitor's were here, searching for their next target.

"Well that looks terrific." Mara stated sarcastically.

"No time for chit chat Mara. Turn on the signal scrambler," I told her.

She quickly complied, and flicked a switch in order to hide our signal from the Star Destroyer's scanners. Another problem the Imperials have that I find hilariously moronic is their scanning system; they focus only on scanning, and don't bother to look out the bridge windows with their eyes. There is a reason a bridge viewport was made in the first place, and they never even use it! So, we don't even need a cloaking device to get past them.

Of course, that doesn't mean it's still easy, to fool them you still need an insanely good signal scrambler; which of course I have, with my own modifications as well, so it's foolproof.

We watched the Star Destroyers pass over us, the ship shaking slightly from the rumble of the massive engines, end eventually we were in the clear. I angled us down towards the ground, headed for the capital city of Valentia.

"If the Empire has two Star Destroyers in orbit, then that means the Inquisitors are already here," I warned Mara. "Be cautious, and keep an eye out for either the Inquisitors, or the children."

"I will Dad," she says firmly.

I can sense she's taking this mission a little bit more personally than most missions, which makes some sense. It was an Inquisitor attempting to kidnap her that brought her into the life she has today, and caused her nightmares when growing up. She doesn't want that to happen to anyone else.

R5 rolled into the cockpit as we entered the atmosphere, the city of Valentia coming into view. It was different than most cities I've come across, as it was actually situated on top of a large mountain. Buildings were carved into cliffs of pale white stone, forming spherical shapes and structures. Along with the buildings, the occasional flag could be seen hung up, waving around with the Empire's symbol on it, against a pure black background. I landed the ship in a secure hanger bay, making sure it couldn't be traced as ours beforehand. Turning off the engines, we got up from our seats and headed for the exit, stepping outside.

"Mara, you and R5 head for the housing unit where the child should be," I told her.

"What about you dad?" she asks.

"I'm gonna look around for any sign of the Inquisitors," I replied. "If you find either one, contact me immediately."

She nods in understanding, a determined look on her face. "Ok. Come on R5," she says, waving an arm.

He beeps in compliance, rolling after her. We separate, traveling in different directions, and I throw my hood up to keep my face a little more hidden. This may be a far Outer Rim planet, but Imperial presence, no matter how small, meant they'd know about me.

I could only hope we're not too late for the child here.

* * *

 _ **Chandral System**_

 **Ahsoka POV...**

I come of out hyperspace in my borrowed A-wing ship, the blue water planet of Chandral visible in the distance, still fairly far away. Closer to me however was an abandoned, broken down transport. As I passed by it, I could sense a weak, but lingering feeling of the dark side, as well as taking note of how damaged the ship is. Narrowing my eyes at the ship, I angled towards it and connected to the docking clamp.

Opening a door into the transport ship, I was greeted by a dark, destroyed corridor. Moving forwards cautiously into the hallway, the stench of death filled my nose, and my face fell as I took in the side of a couple of bodies lining the sides of the hallway, charred gashes or stab wounds in them. On the walls was a scorch mark, gauged into the wall from a lightsaber. I trailed my fingers lightly alongside it, sensing that this came from a thrown lightsaber. And the minimal darkness that I could sense reminded me of something...

My expression fell, and I closed my eyes sadly as I realized that Vifi must have been here, along with someone else.

"Help!" an old woman's voice cried out, snapping me from my moment of loss. I reopened my eyes, looking around. "I'm here!"

Spotting a hand lifting weakly into the air, I rushed forwards to see an old woman in a yellow jacket lying on the ground, her skin pale. I kneeled before her, offering a hand out. "It's okay, you're safe now," I told her.

"Help... my grandchild!" she gasps out, taking my hand.

"Your grandchild," I reply, widening my eyes briefly.

"They took her, the red blades!" she replies weakly, her voice filled with fear. "They knew, that she has it... Find her, she... has it..."

Her grandchild must be the Force sensitive child Vifi and the Inquisitors were after. I gently held her up, shushing her, laying a hand on her shoulder for comfort. "Rest. You need to rest, I will find her," I promised.

"Please... keep her safe, from the red blades!" she pleaded with me... one last time.

After those words, the woman's grip went slack, and her body became limp as she took in one last breath, her eyes closing. I shut my own sadly, small tears threatening to break as I sensed the woman pass on into the Force. The idea that Vifi could do such a thing... it was terrible. But she's gone now, lost just like this poor woman.

I slowly reopened my eyes and laid the woman's body down gently, wiping away the small amount of tears I had. My expression became more determined, and I stood up back to my feet, giving the woman one last look.

"I will find your grandchild, I promise you," I told her quietly.

* * *

 ** _Valentia; Jelucan System_**

 **3rd person POV...**

Mara and R5 continues through the city streets, the former with her tan colored cape, with her hair in a ponytail in order to appear less recognizable, if only slightly. So far everything seemed to be going normally, with average citizens milling around the city streets. She continued to glance around her at the differently styled buildings, fascinated by how lots of them were just massive spheres with windows inserted into the rock.

"You know, if we ever defeat the Empire in the future, I might consider living here," she says. "This place looks awesome!"

R5 beeped back at her, and she rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Not your ideal living place? Well, what is your 'ideal' living place then?" she replies.

He beeps again, swinging his dome to look at her briefly, and she snorts in response. "Well, go figure. You seem like too much of a gloomy droid to really care."

R5 let out a few angry beeps, causing her to chuckle slightly. They then reached the building where the child and its parents were supposedly living in, and Mara steeled her face, a determined expression coming across.

"This is the place?" she ask him, and he beeped back in confirmation. "Well, lets get to it then."

Glancing to either side of her, she then dashed into the building quickly, R5 rolling along after her. The two headed for the room that the child was supposed to be, going up a few floors. Once they reached the correct floor and found the room, Mara stretched out with the Force to sense for any signs of danger. However she couldn't find any, and even more worrying, there was no sign of anyone inside the apartment. She knocked on the door a few times.

"Hello?" she called out, but there was no answer.

After repeating the process a couple more times, she sighed in frustration and turned to R5. "Could you open the door please? I'd rather not have to cut it down."

R5 beeped in confirmation and rolled up towards the astromech port, bringing out his arm and inserting it into the lock. A few moments later he easily opened the door, and Mara moved inside quickly, but with caution as well. She quietly sneaked through the apartment with R5 rolling behind her, tensed up, with a hand hovering over her lightsaber in case she needed to. However, after a fast scan of the entire apartment, they had found nobody in there.

"Great. Now what?" she groaned in frustration.

R5 beeped at her, and she raised her arm, turning on her comlink to Jarik, who swiftly answered. _"Mara, what have you found?"_ he asks.

"Nothing," she replies with a frown. "There wasn't anybody in the apartment. Are you sure you had the right housing unit?"

 _"Yes, unit 32B. That's the room you're in right?"_ he questions.

"Yeah, well nobody's here," she replies, before becoming worried. "Do you think... they already got them?"

 _"No. If they did, then they would've left by now, and we would know about it,"_ he answers firmly. _"If they aren't in the building, they must have gone out for something. Check the surrounding area as fast as you can."_

"Got it Dad," she replies, closing the transmission. She out a tired sigh, but her fierce determination was anything but lessened. "Come on R5, we've got more ground to cover if we want to find that child before the Inquisitors do."

R5 groaned in reluctance, but followed after her out the door.

* * *

Jarik traveled through the city, hood up to better hide his identity. It may make him look like a suspicious person, but better people think that, than know who he really is. So far everything seemed to be progressing relatively normal, but being in the city now allowed him to sense a lingering presence of the dark side, which let him know that the Inquisitors were still here. However, what Mara told him was very troubling. If the Force sensitive child and their parents were out and about, then that would make them much easier targets for the Inquisitors, and they'd have nowhere to hide out in the open. He could only hope that the parents knew the danger they were in, and the reason why.

While walking along a more private section of the city, where buildings and services were more for the high-class people to use, he came to a stop before a large set of doors to a hanger bay. Frowning, he reached out with the Force, sensing something beyond the doors. Glancing around at the street, he noted the possible security cameras and other devices meant to catch 'crime,' or at least the Empire's version of it. Luckily the streets were very busy at all, due to the time of day, and also because this was for the more wealthy people.

Reaching under his cloak, he pulled out a small device and then casually and discreetly tossed it into the middle of the street. Moments later, an EMP burst blew across the whole area, disabling any electrical devices capable of detecting or recording him. He then dashed towards the console from the hanger and, using his mechanical arm to rip off the covering, he crossed some wires and opened the doors. Inside the private hanger were two Imperial TIE Fighters, of the Inquisitorius model. Jarik allowed himself a small grin before heading into the hanger, making sure to sense for any danger within the Force.

He couldn't sense anything nearby, although the dark side still lingered, just faintly. Approaching the two TIE Fighters, he looked inside both of them to see if there were any children stashed inside. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, he wasn't sure, there were no children. So that means he could go ahead and send them a small message...

"No, I can do better than that," he muttered to himself.

Walking around the city wasn't going to help him find the location of the Inquisitors or the family in danger any faster, so he opted to try an alternative method. Reaching out with his right hand, he pressed it against one of the ships and closed his eyes, feeling for its Force signature. He frowned when sensing the lingering presence of someone who he was a little familiar with: the Second Sister. Using her lingering presence of the dark side on the ship, he then stretched out with the Force across the city, hoping to uncover where she may currently be, using the energy that lingered on the TIE as a compass.

After some effort and several seconds, he pulled his hand away, having sensed the Second Sister's general location within the city, as well as that of Mara's nearby. Sparing the two ships one last look, he then turned around and ran out of the hanger, headed for their direction as fast as he could.

* * *

It's been almost fifteen minutes for Mara and R5 since they left the housing units, perusing through the streets trying to find the child and its family, only to continuously grow more frustrated as time went by. R5 was constantly grumbling to himself, muttering about how he had better things to do, until Mara finally had enough.

"Will you just shut up already? Geez!" she snapped at him in annoyance.

If he had the proper eyes, R5 would've just rolled them in dismissal, but Mara ignored his reaction. However, as they were passing by a long building heading into the nearby cliff with shops lined along either side, Mara stopped upon hearing a few terrified screams. Moments later, a several people rushed out of the building as fast as possible, obviously terrified, and she could sense the dark side spiking from inside.

"This is it!" she exclaimed quickly, pulling out her lightsaber hilt and dashing inside, not yet igniting it.

R5 beeped at her loudly in surprise and protest, before rolling quickly after her. Mara rushed through the hallway, and could now make out the sounds of a confrontation happening, with a fearful voice shouting. Noticing a side corridor, she hears the confrontation occurring from down there, and skids to a stop before the edge of the wall, peeking in with narrowed eyes.

From there, she noticed the Third Brother, and another person who made her blood boil with anger, the Second Sister, slowly approaching a twi'lek man, who was protectively keeping a twi'lek woman behind him, who had a child held in her arms. It didn't take a genius to know they were all terrified.

"Please, just let us go, we've done nothing wrong!" the man pleaded.

"We don't care for what you have or haven't done," Third Brother says, voice more of a growl. "Now hand over the child."

"She's our only daughter, you can't do this!" he exclaimed pleadingly.

"The girl." Second Sister hissed, her lightsaber snapping to life with a hiss, illuminating the area in blood red. "Now!"

"M-monsters!" the woman cried, her baby also wailing in fear.

Mara growled quietly to herself, memories from years ago flooding her mind. Where the Second Sister killed her father, her mother, and then took her...

"Stay back!" the man shouted.

"Since we obviously couldn't come to an agreement, the price will be your lives!" Second Sister snarled, storming towards them furiously, Third Brother following. The woman screamed in fear, her baby wailing at a high volume, while the man tried desperately to cover them both. Mara couldn't take it any more.

"Hey!" she screamed, popping out from cover. She whipped her lightsaber to life, the violet blade illuminating her figure, shining her hair and showing her scowling face. "Leave them alone you sleemos!"

Second Sister and Third Brother stopped their approach, and turned around to look at Mara, faces hidden behind the mask. R5 watched Mara reveal herself, muttering a few quiet beeps before rolling away slowly, activating his own com. Underneath her mask, the Second Sister's eyes glowed a cold, furious yellow.

"Mara Jade!" she hissed loudly. "Come to watch a demonstration of what happened to you?"

"You so much as touch them, and you'll wish you had been tortured by Darth Sidious!" Mara snarled in response.

Second Sister chuckled sinisterly in response. "Oh my poor child, I already know exactly what that feels like, and I'd be eager to show you as well!"

The terrified family looked between the Inquisitors and Mara with wide eyes. Mara readied her lightsaber, body tense as she was prepared to charge.

"Take care of the child." Second Sister instructed the Third Brother. "Mara Jade is mine!"

"Very well." Third Brother replied, sounding a little irritated.

With a yell, Mara charged forwards at the Inquisitors, intent on stopping them here once and for all.

* * *

 ** _Takobo City; Takobo_**

 **Vifi POV...**

These rebels were proving to give us quite the interesting chase, but now they were starting to become bothersome. I have to admit though it was a little bit satisfying to return that thermal detonator they attempted to throw at us. A shame I couldn't sense anyone getting hurt from such a blast.

Oh well, the child will soon be ours eventually, but with Fifth Brother continuously attempting to take command due to his higher status than me was extremely irritating. Me being Seventh in the Inquisitorious ranks and him being Fifth means absolutely nothing, as that brute could compare to the skills I possess. The only reason he could achieve such a rank is because he has better Force prowess, but other than that he's as useless as the Sixth Brother, who apparently blew himself up from what was reported.

At least Third Brother understood how to properly hunt Jedi, something I sooo wished to shove in Fifth Brother's face.

"They are here," his deep voice says slowly, and he turned down a corridor.

"Are you certain?" I ask doubtfully.

"You would question me, Seventh Sister?" he demands with a growl, glaring at me briefly before continuing on.

I let loose a sigh of mock exasperation, before following after him casually. "Only when you're wrong, Fifth Brother."

He stops before a doorway and opens it, and we both step inside. The sound of the tiny baby wailing in my ears was grating, and I grit my teeth. However, the sound only came from a comlink laying on the floor, turned on. Fifth Brother widened his eyes in disbelief and outrage, picking it up from the floor incredulously.

I suppose there are some positives to gain from his stupidity.

I chuckle in amusement as he closes his fist around the comlink, crushing it to bits in several sparks, before throwing it away.

"And it seems you were wrong!" I say with a cheerful purr.

He snarls, whipping around the glare at me, using his size as an intimidation factor, but he doesn't scare me. "Silence Sister!" he snarls furiously.

I shrug at him, unconcerned by his response, turning around and waving my hand at him dismissively.

"Seeing as how you're so eager to find these pests, I suggest we keep moving before we loose them," I tell him, smirking under my mask.

He lets out an outraged growl before storming past me, moving further up the stairs at a fast pace. I chuckle to myself again before following after him. For the next couple minutes we looked through the building for our prey, and I was a little impressed at how illusive they were being, especially considering that on of them is a large, smelly beast known as a Lasat.

Eventually we turned down another corridor, where Fifth Brother was looking around with narrowed eyes.

"They are close," he says.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. "Don't waste our time again," I reply irritably.

He stands in the middle of the hallway for a few moments, eyes closed. Then I can start to sense fear, and hear the echo of a babies cries, bringing a small smirk to my face. I guess they are close to us this time.

Fifth Brother then opens his eyes with a fierce glare and whips around, pulling out his lightsaber. With a growl, he jabs it into the ceiling, stalking forwards. I watch him as he continues to jab the lightsaber into the ceiling, and the sense of fear increases dramatically. To me it feels like the young apprentice is up there as well. Maybe I'd get the chance to... play with him a little more?

Fifth Brother stops stabbing for a few moments, glaring at the ceiling.

"Hey!" someone yells.

We both turn around to see two figures standing at the end of the hallway. The beast Lasat, who pulls out a rifle and aims at us, and also a new person that activates a blue lightsaber, a stern glare on his face. I grin fiercely, determining who this is instantly.

"Ahhh... Kanan Jarrus," I say with a purr. "You've come out of hiding, at last!"

I activate my own lightsaber in challenge.

* * *

 ** _Valentia; Jelucan System_**

 **3rd person POV...**

Purple clashed against red as Mara and the Second Sister battled it out in the basically empty shopping center. Mara slashed with her lightsaber upwards, and Sister backpedaled, but she followed it up with a spinning kick, knocking her away. Growling, Sister charged back at her with her saberstaff, swinging for her head. Mara ducked underneath the attack, and raised her lightsaber to block or parry the next quick flurry of Sister's strikes, which were forcing her back against the wall, where they entered a saber lock.

"Shan isn't here to save you this time!" Second sister exclaimed gleefully.

Mara grunted, keeping the lightsabers at bay and glared at the Second Sister. "Who says I need saving anymore?" she retorts.

Pressing her heels against the wall, Mara suddenly springs herself forwards, sliding underneath Sister's red blade and jumping to her feet behind her, leaping at the Sister. She swung her lightsaber hard in the air, which Sister blocked, retaliating with another slash for her torso. When Mara landed on the ground again, she quickly spun around to block the next strike, batting it away and rolling off to the side, popping back to her feet again.

While the two began their battle, the man took the opportunity with the Inquisitors distraction to usher his wife down the corridor as fast as possible in the hopes of escaping. Unfortunately, the Third Brother had noticed their attempted escape and dashed after them with a scowl, pulling out his lightsaber.

"You aren't getting away that easily you fools!" he yells.

The family quickly takes another turn, continuing to run as fast as they could down the hallways, practically trying as they noticed how Third Brother was easily starting to catch up to them.

Mara had noticed the Third Brother and the family disappear down the hallway, and attempted to slip past Second Sister to give chase, but she was thrown back with a Force push, slamming her against a nearby bench.

"You aren't going anywhere you little rat! You're mine now," she hissed.

"No... no no no!" Mara yelled, leaping back to her feet and charging for the Second Sister. She twirled in the air and slammed her lightsaber down against the Sister, slashing and swiping as she tried to force her away. However, Second Sister parried or deflected the strikes against her, eventually forcing Mara's lightsaber to the ground and jumping over her, lashing out with her own lightsaber. Mara ducked in order to avoid the strike, and turned around to face her again, raising her blade just in time to block Sister's strike against her.

Mentally she was cursing herself for forgetting to tell Jarik about where she was, and now that family was probably going to pay for it!

The man continued to lead his wife down the hallway, turning around another corner, where just ahead they could see an exit to the shopping center, filling them with some hope. The baby twi'lek girl continued to wail and cry in her mothers arm, but they were close to the exit, making the parents start crying lightly in relief.

However, Third Brother was still sprinting behind them, noticing the exit to the shopping center. With a fierce growl, he waves his arm, using the Force to throw a large bench in their path. Unprepared, the two fall over the bench and onto the ground with pained and terrified cries, coming to a complete stop. The mother loses her grip on her baby, which skids across the ground, wailing even more, and she cries out in terror.

"No!" she screams.

Before they could do anything, the Third Brother comes to a stop right on top of them, igniting his blood red lightsaber.

"You two should be glad I'm more of a merciful type," he snarls. He marches towards the man and kicks him on the head, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Stop!" his wife pleads desperately.

"Prepare to experience death you lowlife," he sneers down at the man, raising his lightsaber. The man stares back at him with wide, terrified eyes, a bloody bruise on the side of his head from where he was kicked. The Third Brother then stabs his lightsaber down with a yell...

Before he lightsaber could connect with the man and kill him, he was suddenly thrown violently several feet away by an unseen Force, slamming him against the wall. He stumbles to his feet with a groan, snarling in a rage, and looks up to see none other than Jarik Shan charging straight for him, although there was no lightsaber held in his hands.

He moves to the side to avoid Jarik, and lashes out with his lightsaber, but Jarik easily sidesteps the strike and grabs hold of his wrist. He uses the Third Brother's dazed state from the Force push to his advantage and yanks him forwards, before lashing out with his metal fist, slamming it into the Third Brother's mask. He's sent flying back into the wall, dropping his lightsaber before collapsing to the ground, groaning as he was knocked out.

Back with Mara and the Second Sister, the former was slowly starting to tire out, her anger at Second Sister and the kidnapping of Force sensitive children having exhausted itself. She remembered all of Ahsoka and Jarik's lessons on how to properly continue a duel with an opponent, but she was still young, and had allowed some of the anger she felt at the Empire and the Inquisitors to get the better of her slightly. She backpedaled, and Second Sister followed, a fierce grin on her face underneath the mask. She rained blow after blow after blow onto Mara, continuously battering her with heavy strikes in the hopes of overpowering her and then forcing her down.

Eventually, it had some affected, as Mara stumbled back slightly after blocking a particularly strong and fast horizontal strike from the Second Sister. She was then sent crashing to the ground as Sister kicked her in the abdomen, and lay their, gasping in pain. the Force screamed at her in warning, and she rolled to the side as a red blade sliced the ground where she was before. She continued rolling and dodging back and forth along the ground as Sister continued to slice at her, leaving scorching gashes in the floor. She then lashed out with her foot, kicking the Second Sister in the leg and causing her to stumble back, giving her enough time to roll backwards and leap to her feet, raising her lightsaber again.

Second Sister chuckled, sensing her exhaustion despite the strong appearance the girl kept up. "You're growing weak little rat," she taunted with a sneer. "You can't keep this up forever, and you'll get what's coming to you."

"You keep telling yourself that." Mara retorted with a glare.

"You were a fool to come here," she replies, laughing at her mockingly. "What did you expect to accomplish by coming here alone? You can't save that child like Shan saved you. You're weak, and all alone!"

Mara tightened her grip on her lightsaber, glaring at the Second Sister.

"The only one who's alone here, is you," a voice suddenly rang out.

Both combatants stopped, eyes wide before Second Sister whipped around with a yell. "No! Impossible!" she shrieks.

Before she could react however, she was sent flying by a heavy Force push, slamming into the far wall with enough force to crack it, and slumped to the ground, dazed and groaning. Her lightsaber clattered to the floor beside her, the blade shutting off.

"Dad!" Mara exclaims in relief.

Jarik walked forwards with a smirk, and Mara rushed up at him, turning off her lightsaber and hugging him tightly, startling him a little bit. However he was quick to return it, a smile on both of their faces before they separated.

"Are you okay Mara?" he asks in concern.

She nods her head. "I am, but we have to go! The Third Brother is here too and-"

"Mara, it's okay, I already got him," he interrupts quickly in reassurance.

She blinked at him. "Wait, what?" she asks in surprise.

"Yeah. The family is safe, waiting for us with R5 back at the ship, which is hovering just outside of the building," he explained. "He told me that you were here."

Mara looked down apologetically, a hint of shame coming over her. "Yeah, sorry I forgot to tell you I was here. I just, I didn't want them to hurt that family!"

Jarik looks down at her sadly. "I know. I'm still disappointed that you didn't call and attempted to take on two Inquisitors by yourself. Things could have ended a lot worse for you and that family if I didn't get here in time," he says sternly in disapproval, and she winces slightly.

"But," he adds, and she looks up at him. "In the end, I'm just glad you're okay."

"Thanks Dad," she replies gratefully.

He flashes her a small grin. "Your welcome. Now come on, we've gotta leave. Don't wait the Empire to come firing down on us, or for _her_ to wake up and chase us," he says, gesturing towards the groaning form of the Second Sister.

She nods with a grin, and rushes after her father outside of the shopping center, where the Knight Hawk is waiting.

* * *

 ** _Takobo City; Takobo_**

 **Ahsoka POV...**

I could sense the signature's of Kanan, Ezra and Zeb nearby, as well as two other Force sensitives bathed in the dark side, which I knew to be the Inquisitor's. One of them was unfamiliar to me, but the other... I could still recognize it as Vifi. I shut my eyes tightly, recalling all the time years ago in the Temple when I was still a youngling. It was nice, and we all were very good friends, far more sociable than most other clans that's for sure. The only other clan I've seen as warm and open since ours was Katooni's clan, and sadly... she's the only one left alive.

Too many lives have been hurt because of the Sith and the dark side, but also the Jedi in a way. If it wasn't for the strict codes put in place, and the arrogance of the Council. If they were more open to the Force like me and Jarik are now, then the Sith probably wouldn't have been able to rise so successfully. But, that was the past, and now all we have to do is fight for what's right for the galaxy... even if I have to face a former friend to do so.

I glanced back at Chopper, who was beeping at me, as well as Oora, the mother of another child that Kanan and the others found here. The grandchild of the old woman who I made a promise too was held in Chopper's small arms. And now I'm here.

"Get to the Phantom and ready the ship for take off," I told them, turning to face the hanger doors. "I'll handle this."

He beeped in confirmation, turning around and rolling away with the child in tow, and Oora followed after him. I steadied myself, taking a deep breath and letting the warmth of the Force flow through me. I guess positive of having Morai's life Force transfered to me means I feel the pure light side of the Force, not what the Jedi viewed as the Light.

I opened my eyes and waved a hand, hitting the door controls for the hanger. As the doors slowly opened with a hiss, I calmly walked through, preparing myself to face the Inquisitors. Behind the doors I could see Ezra laying on the ground, another baby in his arms, looking at me in surprise, as well as Kanan and Zeb nearby, unconscious. Staring forwards with a fierce and determined gaze, I caught sight of my two opponents, the smaller of which opened a mask to reveal the grown up face of Vifi, who glared back at me with angry, yellow eyes.

I stopped before them, back straight as I stared them down calmly. I then held out my arms and pulled my lightsabers off their clips with the Force, whipping them on with a smirk, and settled into my familiar Jar'Kai stance.

"Unexpected, but not unwelcome, old friend." Vifi states with a sinister smirk, she and the other Inquisitor, Fifth Brother, readying their own weapons.

"I wish I could say the same, old friend," I replied calmly, my expression still fierce. It hurt to see her this way, but no more children could be allowed to fall into he Emperor's hands. "Ezra, get the youngling to the ship."

He nodded at me with a confident smile, and I winked back at him before returning my gaze to the Inquisitors. Dashing forwards, I leaped high into the air, soaring towards the two. They brought up their own lightsabers, Vifi's in the saberstaff mode, and I clashed against theirs with a yell.

I flipped off their two lightsabers and behind them, whipping around. Vifi came at me quickly, slashing and swiping her lightsaber at me in furious, yet familiar strikes. She still hasn't lost her fighting style that's for sure. Fifth Brother just marched slowly behind her, letting her do the work while he waited for an opening. I vaguely heard Ezra telling the others to get up and move, and Vifi struck again.

Blocking her strike, I shoved her back harshly and then thrust my other hand out. Fifth Brother tried charging forwards when I shoved Vifi, but all he got was a heavy blast of the Force, which threw him back several feet, and he fell unconscious. He's a brute, but that's all he is, with no true saber skills or sense of balance.

Vifi charged at me again, and I swiped my lightsaber at her, forcing her to backpedal. We went into a fast paced duel, a sense of nostalgia coming through me as memories of training at the Temple came up. I shoved those memories away as Vifi swung her lightsaber. I jumped over it and then backpedaled, parrying her follow up strike and retaliating with a horizontal slash. We broke apart briefly, and she activated her sabers spinning feature in an attempt of intimidation.

"I know why you want the children Vifi," I stated.

"Oh, I'm just following in your footsteps Ahsoka!" she replies in sickening delight. "After all, who doesn't want to be, a _mother_?!"

She lashed out again, and I twirled around her blade, striking out with my own. She blocked it, and I followed up with a downwards blow, and then swung both my sabers horizontally at her head. She raised her saber staff to block both, but I pushed off of her lightsaber and flipped over her. She quickly turns around to react, and our blades cross, locking against each other.

We glared at each other with narrowed eyes before she suddenly smirked, and I glanced to the side with a scowl, spitting the Fifth Brother charging forwards with his blade high above his head. Thinking fast, I shoved Vifi away with a Force push and then jumped out of the way with a backflip, landing back on my feet. Fifth Brother pulled his saber out of the ground to face me, a snarl on his face while Vifi held her lightsaber in front of her.

He then charged forwards with a yell, delivering a powerful downwards strike. However I simply catch his blade with mine and twirl around, easily using his momentum to make him stumble away, where he slammed his head into a column with a grunt, falling unconscious again. Vifi dashes forwards, but I bat her lightsaber away and retaliate with a horizontal strike, which she blocks by raising the other end of her saberstaff.

"You choice of partners is poor," I remarked with an amused grin.

She scowled at me furiously, eyes glowing. "As if I wanted to be partnered with that brute!" she exclaimed.

"Oh right, you chose a life to be slave to the Emperor," I retorted with a smirk.

She lashed out at me with a yell, my comments getting to her like I had hoped. She attacked viciously, but also wildly, loosing some of the control she previously had on her fighting. Using that, I went onto the offensive, delivering quick and powerful strikes that forced her backwards, desperately trying to defend. Jumping up with a twirl, I then kicked her in the torso, sending her skidding back towards a column on her knees.

She looked up at me, panting and furious, and I stood back to my full height, shutting off my lightsabers. I then closed my eyes and calmly knelt on the ground, hands outstretched, a look of peace forming on my face.

I listened and felt with the Force as she activated her sabers spinning feature, leaping forwards with a twirl. Predicting her moment of attack with the Force, I quickly clipped my sabers back to my belt and then raised my arms, catching the hilt of her lightsaber when she struck. We pressed against each other in a contest of physical strength, and I then used the Force to shut off her lightsaber, opening my eyes and looking at her. She gapes at me in shock, a hint of fear flashing in her eyes.

"You forget who of our clan was strongest in the Force," I reminded her firmly.

I then stood up, ripping the lightsaber from her grasp and throwing it away, where it clattered to the ground. She backed away nervously as I looked down at her, me being a couple inches taller. I then reached back and thrust my arms out, blasting her into the column with the Force, which cracks on impact, and she collapsed to the ground, dazed.

I walk up to her and pull out my lightsaber, pointing the white blade at her throat in warning.

"You are beaten. Yield!" I declared, before my expression shifted to one of sorrow and regret. "Please Vifi, I don't want to do this. We miss you," I say softly.

She fixes her helmet and looks at the white lightsaber, glaring up at me. After a few moments, she then begins to laugh mockingly in amusement.

"I always remembered you to be a naive girl. There is no hope for me," she sneers.

I frown sadly at her, but look up as the sound of Imperial transports gets my attention. A large platoon of Stormtroopers surround the area, pointing blasters and spotlights in my direction, and Vifi chuckles again.

"It looks like you are the one that is beaten," she says smugly, raising an arm.

I glance back when the Force sends warnings to me, seeing her saberstaff spinning for me. I jump away from it, landing in a crouch as she catches her saber and stands back up, the Fifth Brother also waking up and doing the same.

"Mmm, your capture will please Lord Vader, and myself for that matter." Vifi purrs.

I stand back up, holding my lightsabers in front of me with a scowl, not doubting her words. But I would not be captured today, and I most certainly won't be coming face to face with _him_... at least not yet, not until I'm ready. I look up, spotting the Phantom rising into the air and allow myself my own smirk.

"Tell your master he'll have to wait," I reply.

Fifth Brother throws his lightsaber at me, but I jump over it easily, turning my sabers off in the process. I dash straight for them, and Vifi tries to swipe at me, but I jump high into the air before she could realize it. Landing on the column, I then jump for the Phantom, arms outstretched for the door that was open for me and grab on. Once I was holding onto the door, the Phantom blasted off, away from the city.

I flipped myself inside the ship as Stormtroopers opened fire, and the door closed behind me. Once inside, we blasted off into orbit, Kanan in the pilot's seat. I walked up to him while the rest watched Chopper playing with the two younglings. I allowed myself a small smile at the sight.

"That was crazy, but worth it." Ezra comments.

I turn to Kanan, my expression serious. "They're Force sensitive. I've seen this before. The Emperor attempted the same thing back during the Clone Wars, but the Jedi Order stopped him."

"And now there's no Jedi Order to protect them," he replies grimly.

I nodded my head sadly in agreement. "Unfortunately, several younglings have already been kidnapped by the Inquisitors. Jarik's been working hard trying to find them first, but the Emperor is just to powerful, and he can sense them from several systems away before we know about it."

Kanan looks at me in surprise and worry, letting out a tired sigh. "I knew the Emperor was powerful, but I never knew he was that strong. How are we supposed to face someone like that?"

"Only time will tell I'm afraid," I reply. "Now that we've shown we know about the kidnappings, I'm unsure if they'll continue to do so, but there's always a possibility," I advise him.

He nods his head in understanding, and we turn around to look at the rest of the group. Chopper was spinning around with the two children, who laughed happily in delight.

"Okay, I guess that job falls to us now." Kanan says with a small smile.

"Jarik will be able to find somewhere for them to grow up safely," I add in reassurance.

* * *

 _Wow, that was a long chapter to like, but it was fun, and I liked writing it! I hope you guys enjoyed the little additions like Ahsoka's thoughts during her battle with Vifi, or Vifi's own thoughts during the episode! :D_

 _However, a lot of really intense things are going to happen soon after this, before we enter a more calm period for several chapters. Also there may be some more of Elita-One being shown soon. Not reactivated yet, that's still a little ways away, but there's going to be more discussion about her from our main characters!_

 _Be prepared! :O_


	82. Ch 81 - Dangerous Curiosity

**Jarik POV...**

 _Black, cold mist swirled around me as I whirled around through the darkness, following a pale bright light of a shadowy texture._

 _There was a dark room, misty, cold... the activating of a blue lightsaber, held by a familiar looking person, Satele. She faces off against a figure forming from a portal of smoke... cackling._ _Then there's a familiar location, the underground cavern underneath Darth Vader's castle. The Sith Lord probed at the boulder in the middle, seeking to uncover what lay hidden inside of it. His cold, mechanical breathing echoed around the room..._

 _Next I could see Third Brother bowing before a groveling creature, and a large figure seated in a throne, smirking._

 _"...death follow hims like a shadow..."_

 _I then got a look at some sort of planet, unfamiliar to me, but looking so similar to Naboo. Then it was overcome by horrible darkness, massive cracks spreading around the planet like a gushing river, flowing with purple light before exploding. From inside the planet was a massive, god-like entity, flowing with evil. His eyes gleamed purple, the massive horns on his head gleaming in the darkness of his own shadows. His booming laughed seemed to spread across the whole universe..._

 _"I... awaken!"_

 _"...that's who he is..."_

 _Finally, I saw a large red star with a rocky planet nearby. What got my attention was the fleet of Star Destroyers, which were in heavy combat, although I could not hear anything. I couldn't see the enemy they were fighting, but it seemed like the Imperial Fleet was loosing, and the shadow of a vast cruiser slowly engulfed them as they were ripped apart._

 _The worst part though were the horrific screams, as well as the shrieks of a creature that sounded... unnatural. The pale, smoky light I followed soared around the ships..._

I shot up from bed with a gasp, breathing heavily as I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to calm myself down. I breathed in and out in an attempt to relax, and mulled over the images I had seen. Some of them weren't too bad, and I've seen some before as well, like the one with Vader, however Satele's vision confused me. Why would I be seeing something related to her if it happened thousands of years ago, thus making it irrelevant for me now?

But that massive, godlike being of pure evil that emerged from within the destroyed planet... that was scary, and terrifying. But I have seen it once before, back on Berk the day before the battle with the Red Death. Only this time it seemed to be much clearer.

The Third Brother confused me, and I have no idea who or why he would be bowing before someone, considering neither of those figures looked like Palpatine and Vader. The final one, with the Imperial fleet was troubling. Something was nagging at my mind, and I got the sickening feeling that it was happening right now, somewhere out in the galaxy. But who would have enough power to challenge and destroy and entire fleet of Imperial Star Destroyers...?

Oh...

I glanced over, expecting to see Ahsoka waking up because of me, probably to fuss over and ask me what was wrong, but she actually wasn't there. Frowning, I got out of the bed and headed towards the door, grabbing my cloak on the way out. I pulled it on and opened the door to my room, glancing around curiously. Through the bond I could feel Ahsoka's presence on top of the ship, and raised an eyebrow at that, though I moved up after her. Climbing up the ladder to the hatch up top, I opened it and pulled myself out.

A brief gust of wind blew by, blasting me head on with the chilly air. The sky was a deep, dark violet, the first rays of light starting to show at dawn out across the desert landscape of Garel. In the distance, the city glowed with urban lighting, never being asleep, even with the Empire's curfews in place. We weren't parked there right now to keep ourselves under the radar, our ship being more recognizable than the Ghost. So instead we had the Knight Hawk on one of the large rock mountains, overlooking the surrounding miles of terrain, and the city where the Ghost was.

It was actually quite beautiful of a view.

Looking over, I noticed Ahsoka sitting cross-legged at the edge of the ship's roof, sensing her to be meditating. She was also wearing her creamy white cloak to keep the morning chill at bay, since it was a little bit cold. I quietly walked over to her position and sat down beside her, legs crossed so as to not disturb her. She gave no visible reaction to my presence, but I could tell that she knew I was here. After a few more minutes of calm meditating, she opened her eyes, taking a breath of air.

"Having trouble sleeping?" she asks me.

"It's difficult from time to time.. I could say the same about you, considering you're meditating," I pointed out. It was something that neither of us did often, even though we've grown wiser like actual Jedi Masters.

"I felt a disturbance in the Force... darkness seems to be growing," she says grimly. "And not just from Sidious."

"Yeah... there's more than just the Sith."

"Considering you're here as well you've seen something again," she deduces.

I nod my head. "It was a lot more vivid this time, more than it has been in a while. And I'm not so sure that's a good sign."

She lets out a tired sigh. "So what should we do? I feel like Phoenix Squad can handle themselves pretty well at the moment. Force sensitive kidnappings have almost all but stopped since we stopped their last attempts."

"That's true. Palpatine is being cautious, but we don't know when he'll try again. Although I do agree that the group is doing very well; taking out that Interdictor cruiser definitely helps."

"That's what they're called?" she replies with a raised eyebrow.

"Apparently. After they reported the mission I looked into the project. They're capable of making more unfortunately, but the good news is that the technology required to make one is very expensive, so that can't make very much, even with their smaller size compared to regular cruisers," I explain.

"Well that's good. A ship capable of pulling others out of hyperspace is a serious threat," she says in relief, becoming quiet for a moment. "How about the other thing you looked into... about Ezra?"

"His parents?" I deduce, and she nods her head. "It's... surprisingly difficult," I admit. "Since Kanan and Hera asked about it, I've found that they've been transfered away from Lothal."

"So they could be anywhere," she realizes grimly.

"Yeah. I've narrowed it down as best as I can but... it's still one of at least a thousand prisons, all on different planets," I tell her.

Ahsoka sighs, sorrow visible on her face. "At least we tried, but some things are just out of our reach."

I take in her words in wisdom, knowing how true they were, in so many ways.

"Should we take this time as a way to look into these warnings more closely perhaps? I'm sure Mara would be eager to spend some time with Zenna and the others again as well."

"You're probably right," I say in agreement. "Sometimes though I wish I thought to ask about where Master Yoda decided to go live. Then we could try and get some advice."

Ahsoka gives me a look. "Really?" she asks dryly.

"Well it's not like Obi-Wan's gonna be any help with wisdom, having two decades on us compared to his centuries," I retort playfully before grimacing. "Oh, right."

She sighs sadly. "It's fine Jarik. I just haven't seen him since..."

"I get it," I reply with a regretful expression.

We sit together in comfortable silence, looking out across the sky as the sun slowly starts to peek over the horizon, bathing the ground in it's first rays of orange light, the sky a violet, pink, and deep orange color. Subconsciously, we both scoot closer to each other, and Ahsoka leans her head on my shoulder, while I lean my head on hers.

* * *

After our discussion, we called up Commander Sato to let him know that we had to separate from the group for some time to take care of other matters. We could tell he wanted to ask what we had to work on, but he kept quiet, trusting us with whatever we had, much to our relief. We also left a message for Senator Organa to let him know we were leaving the Rebellion briefly to investigate more into Oryx.

Mara was excited to returning to Ahch-To, but also a little wary, understanding our reasonings for returning. So later in the day, we gathered any things and made sure the Ghost Crew were doing fine before setting off back to Ahch-To, swiftly leaving Garel before Imperials would notice.

ooo00ooo

Ahch-To's climate was still chilly and harsh, but spring was starting to come, which was a welcome relief for us. The greenery of Temple Island was becoming more vibrant, and small flowers blossomed around the area, adding a dash of color to the green, damp terrain, particularly in the Saddle area, where the most grass grew.

The caretakers welcomes us back happily, which we returned politely. One of the younger Lanai, Alcida-Auka was quite happy, and Mara went off to spend a few minutes with her to play or joke around. She was still a young child, but her mother was the matron of the Caretakers, a position which would one day be taken up by her daughter.

It's feels like a whole since we've visited the island, since our previous trip here was rather quick, only for a few days, where I first learned about Oryx. But it will always be wonderful to visit the island and it's serene landscape.

 _"You know Jarik, before we start getting into the gritty, bad things..."_ Ahsoka starts to say casually across our bond. _"I'm a little interested in seeing this, Elita-One you talked about earlier."_

I glanced at her in brief surprise before shrugging. _"Alright, I suppose that's fine. Could use a break from thinking about all the horrible stuff anyways,"_ I say in agreement.

ooo00ooo

Leading Ahsoka down into the Kyber Crystal Caves, I watched her as she looked around, gazing curiously at how the crystals lit up the otherwise dark tunnels. We don't come down here, at all really, unless it's for something really important, which was on two occasions from before. The dark side at the entrance, while not harmful, was usually better to stay away from. After the mirror cave however, the Force becomes more neutral, which was relieving.

 _"It feels so much like Ilum..."_ she mutters to me.

 _"Yeah... without the cold,"_ I reply jokingly.

She rolls her eyes fondly with a small smile. _"Yes, without the cold. It does get you thinking though about where kyber truly originated from."_

I nod thoughtfully in agreement. _"Yeah. Satele and the Prime Jedi both described kyber as originally coming from energon, a fuel used by Cybertronians. Beyond that, I don't think they really know."_

Traveling deeper through the tunnel, we eventually come across the part where the kyber begins to change. The crystals increase slowly in size, developing the different hum that gives them their bluer glow. Ahsoka looks at them with intrigue, reaching out to touch one of the crystals.

 _"The Force feels... so much different with these,"_ she observes.

 _"You haven't even seen the biggest ones yet,"_ I tell her.

Soon enough, I spot the entryway into the chamber containing Elita-One, and step through it. The massive form of Elita-One lays still in the far wall in all her glory, by all accounts still lifeless. The crystals glow blue, letting off their continueous, high pitched hum. Behind me, Ahsoka gives a quiet gasp of awe and shock.

We both approach the wall where she is trapped, and Ahsoka roams her eyes over the Cybertronian.

 _"She's still... alive in there?"_ she asks me.

 _"That's what Revan told me. Just that she won't 'wake yet,'"_ I recall, crossing my arms.

 _"I knew they were big but... this is a lot larger than I was expecting,"_ she admits, face contorting into a slight frown. I feel her focus on the Force around Elita, proving her body inquisitively.

 _"Yeah... I can sense the life in her,"_ she says quietly.

 _"You can?"_ I ask in surprise.

She nods. _"It's very faint, no more than a flicker but I can sense it there. It's strange feeling the living Force emanating from what appears to be a large machine. Could you not sense her?"_ she asks.

 _"No I could, you just felt it a lot quicker and clearer than I did,"_ I admit sheepishly.

She smiles at me smugly, and I roll my eyes, knowing the taunt coming my way. _"Remember who is more gifted in the Force between us. You may have gifts with premonition, but I have more powers in the living Force."_

I wave a hand dismissively at her. _"Yeah yeah."_

"If Elita's been trapped down here for six thousand years..." she muses, talking regularly now. "How would she be able to reactivate herself?"

I frown thoughtfully and look up at Elita, noting her dim, lifeless optics and faint, almost unnoticeable flicker of life in the living Force.

"I don't know," I reply. "They're supposed to run on energon, which is what kyber original came from, but I don't know how that would work, considering they're crystals."

"Huh," she replies. "You think Revan possibly knows? Since he told you about her."

"When I figure out how to contact a Force Ghost, I'll let you know," I say with a shrug. "I would assume they have someone of... converting it into something usable for them."

"It might be something good to look into." Ahsoka muses. "She's an Autobot, and a friend of the first Jedi considering she risked her life to deliver these crystals."

"Not to mention the commander of the Femme Bots, whatever that group consists of," I add.

"My guess, a female group of warriors in the Autobot ranks," she theorizes, smiling lightly. "Sounds like my kind of girl."

I shake my head lightly with an amused smile before frowning. "Well... if we did manage to somehow wake her up, how in the universe would we communicate with her?"

"They communicated before, remember? How else would they have known to write down the things in the books," she reminds me. "Not to mention Satele met with the one called Bumblebee."

"Oh yeah, true," I reply sheepishly.

I take another look at Elita with curiosity, before a flash from my vision comes to mind again, making me frown. Studying her robotic face, I couldn't help but notice how... similar it seemed in comparison to that godlike being with purple eyes. I had a bad feeling that the two were connected in some way, although how I'm not sure.

Great, another evil monstrosity to worry about.

* * *

 _ **Isle of Berk; Ahch-To**_

 **2 hours later -** **Hiccup POV...**

"Come on Toothless, we can do this!" I yelled eagerly.

Toothless roared back in excitement and flapped his wings harder, and we approached a patch of tall trees. I clicked the tail pedal, allowing us to do a barrel roll through a small opening between the branches. We then shot out of the forest canopy and into the air, speeding across the water towards the sea stack far in the distance, which was our finishing point.

"How's it going Hiccup?!" I then heard Astrid yell nearby.

I glanced over to see her and Stormfly quickly gaining ground, zooming up fly alongside us us. She had a smirk on her face and was waving at me, with the full intention on passing by me. I grinned back at her.

"Faster than you!" I shot back, before leaning down towards Toothless. "How about we put on some speed eh there bud?" I suggest.

He growls in agreement, and giving another glance to Astrid, I smile before the two of us shoot off, a faint whistle echoing through the air from Toothless's speed. The water parted underneath us from the intense velocity, and Stormfly was falling behind. We then shot past the sea stack, which Zenna was perched on, squawking excitedly at us, and I allowed myself a laugh.

"Yes! Another win Toothless!" I exclaim triumphantly, and he lets out a victorious roar.

We circle back around to the sea stack where Zenna was waiting, and watch as Stormfly and Astrid came to a swift landing beside her, before following suit ourselves. I climbed off of Toothless with a smile while Astrid hopped off, crossing her arms with a scowl.

"I almost had you that time!" she exclaims in frustration.

"You can feed Stormfly as much chicken as you want Astrid, but you can't top a Night Fury's speed," I reply smugly.

"Oh you just wait until I do," she retorts challengingly. "Although you seem a lot more competitive this time around," she notices.

I let off a shrug. "Well, the Thawfest Games are coming around pretty soon, but this year, I might actually have a chance of beating Snotlout," I admit.

"Because dragons are involved now," she realizes.

"Exactly! And dragons are my specialty! I could actually win this time!" I say eagerly, growing slightly giddy at the thought.

"Yeah, I suppose it would be nice to see Snotlout knocked down a peg or two," she says casually, smirking at me again. "That is, when I win."

I move to make a retort before Zenna's excited squawking rings loudly in our ears, and Toothless soon starts following as well, just as excited.

"Ah, what? What is it?" I say with an exasperated groan.

They dash towards the edge of the sea stack, and Zenna quickly leaps off to take flight, while Toothless looks back at me excitedly. Stormfly also lets out some excited chirps, although some of her growls sound kind of annoyed due to Zenna's eagerness. We then take notice of what they were interested in, and find ourselves pleasantly surprised. Speeding across the ocean towards Berk was one of those fancy boats, or 'landspeeders' as they liked to call them.

"Now I get it, Mara's back!" Astrid realizes excitedly.

"And Zenna is the first to dash after her, typical," I remark fondly. "Well, it wouldn't hurt to say hello would it?"

With that being said, we both mount Toothless and Stormfly and take off into the air, flying towards the moving landspeeder. As we get closer we can see Zenna on the speeder, happily greeting Mara and the others, and Mara returned it enthusiastically. Zenna however was starting to look a little bit bigger, enough so that it made the speeder seemingly crowded, which I noticed gave Jarik some measure of annoyance, if his expression was anything to go by.

"Hey guys!" I called out, flying a few feet above and alongside the speeder.

"Hey Hiccup! Hey Astrid!" Mara called back.

"You seem pretty prepared to greet us." Ahsoka comments loud enough for us to hear.

"We were racing each other before Zenna bolted after you!" Astrid explains.

"Yeah well, talk after we get to land?" Jarik calls out to us, the docks fast approaching.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

I pulled the speeder up alongside the wooden docks below Berk's village, and quickly hopped out, throwing out the heavy docking rope towards Ahsoka, who caught it and attached it to the side of the speeder with a simple magnetic device. Mara then climbed out with Zenna eagerly waddling after her, and I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms.

"I swear she almost made the speeder flip over when she landed," I remarked.

"She's just excited that's all." Mara says in defense, stroking Zenna's neck. The young dragon has grown pretty quickly since first hatching a month or two ago, now being just below Mara's shoulders in height. So she was no longer really a baby dragon, or hatchling as a better term.

"Sometimes too excited." Ahsoka says with a raised eyebrow, heavily implying the several incidents she's caused regarding... space travel.

Mara grimaced lightly. "Well you can't learn without making mistakes right?" she offers, and Zenna chirps happily at her.

"Oh Force..." I mutter quietly with a groan, throwing my head back in exasperation.

Toothless and Stormfly then come to a landing beside us, allowing Hiccup and Astrid to dismount and greet us. "Hey, nice to see the three of you again." Hiccup says.

"And you as well Hiccup." Ahsoka replies with a nod and a small smile.

Mara and Astrid steps forwards, sharing a quick friendly hug before she gives Hiccup a light punch on the shoulder. He winces, rubbing the spot where she punched him.

"Ow! Why do you always do that?" he complains.

"It's just a friendly punch Hiccup, you saying you can't handle it?" Mara asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh he can definitely handle it." Astrid says smugly, placing her hands on her hips. Hiccup groans while the two girls laugh in amusement. We start walking up the docks to the village, the dragons following us and chirping at each other playfully, while I move over to Hiccup.

"Hey Hiccup, listen," I start to say, slinging an arm around his shoulder. "Word of advice around the girls: it's never easy, and they'll take every opportunity they can to make jabs at you. you just gotta find the right time to return the favor," I advise with a grin, patting him on the shoulder.

"You've got plenty of experience in that department Jarik." Ahsoka calls out, listening in on it, and the two younger girls laugh along with her.

"Exactly my point," I say, gesturing to the three giggling females.

"Huh. Well, if you say so," he replies with a sheepish smile.

"So, how's the fight against the Empire going?" Astrid asks curiously.

"It's going fine, and we've kicked some bucketheads recently," Mara replies. "Even managed to take out one their important cruisers, although I wasn't there to see it," she adds a little glumly.

"Cruiser?" Hiccup asks.

"Large battleship used in space warfare," Ahsoka explained quickly, and they nodded their heads in understanding.

"Oh, well that sounds neat." Astrid remarks.

"What about those uhh... Inquisitors? Yeah, what about them? You been able to beat them?" Hiccup asks curiously.

The three of us all manage a small grimace, but for Ahsoka and Mara it was a little bit more sensitive for them, so I spoke up. "We've fought again, but it's still a sensitive topic for several reasons," I tell them.

"Oh, sorry I asked," he apologizes.

"No no, you're fine Hiccup." Ahsoka reassures him. "We just have a history with a couple, Mara especially with a one of them," she explains. "But in the end we fought them off, and rescued the children they had been sent to retrieve."

"They kidnapped children?!" Astrid exclaims in shock.

"Why would they do that?!" Hiccup adds, just as appalled.

"Beyond being Jedi hunters, Inquisitors are also sent to find and retrieve Force sensitive children in the galaxy. The Emperor doesn't want them to grow up and become a possible threat in the future," I explain with a frown.

"That's horrible, I can't believe anyone would ever do such a thing." Hiccup says sorrowfully.

"It think that's just absolutely sickening that they would do that." Astrid adds angrily in disgust.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Mara mutters.

Sensing Mara's bitterness and sadness, Zenna walks alongside her and chirps sadly, rubbing her head against her side comfortingly. Mara manages a smile and scratches her neck in response.

"Well enough about us, how about you guys? Anything interesting happened since we were last here?" Mara asks curiously.

"A few things actually." Hiccup starts to say. "The first, and probably strangest thing is that my dad, now has a dragon."

We blink at him incredulously. "Wait, Stoick the Vast, rides a dragon now?" I question in surprise.

"Yeah, surprising I know," he admits sheepishly. "He's like the last person anyone would expect to ride a dragon."

"Huh." Ahsoka comments. "Well, what dragon does he ride?"

"A Thunderdrum." Astrid replies. "Quite a crazy story too apparently."

"Oh I can imagine." Mara says dryly in amusement.

"But, there's also something I think you all would be really excited to hear!" Astrid says eagerly, getting our attention. "Your mind resisting lessons that you taught, they worked for me!"

"Really?" Ahsoka asks in pleasant surprise.

"Yeah, I managed to keep myself hidden from Calder by blocking my mind!" Astrid replies, obviously excited and proud in herself.

"She went undercover as a girl named Heather onto Outcast Island in order to get the Book of Dragons back." Hiccup explained. "Calder never even realized it until it was too late."

"He was suspicious, but he never put it together, and probably still doesn't even understand how!" Astrid adds proudly.

"Well, nice job! Glad to hear our lessons are paying off," I congratulate them with a smile.

Ahsoka scoffs at me. "What's this 'we' you're talking about? You weren't there for the lesson," she points out.

I shrug in reply. "Yeah, well I helped come up with the teaching method," I argued.

"You're impossible," she replies in exasperation.

"Who's Heather?" Mara asks.

"She's a girl we met recently. She was working for the Outcasts to learn more about the dragons, but only because they forced her too by keeping her parents hostage. We helped to rescue them." Astrid explains.

"Huh, well I hope she's doing alright," she replies.

"Same here." Hiccup adds.

A loud roar gets out attention, and we look up to see a large, wide blue dragon coming to a landing nearby. To our surprise, it was Stoick who dismounted from the dragon's back, although I have to admit, it does kind of suit him.

"Jarik, Ahsoka! You're back!" Stoick exclaims happily.

"Good to see you again Stoick," I greet in reply.

Zenna chirps at the Thunderdrum, who just rumbles back at her. The young Nadder goes back to playing with Toothless and Stormfly afterwards.

"Gotta say, this is an unexpected visit," he remarks.

"Considering we don't really have instant communication, I'd say it usually would be," I shrug in reply.

"Aye, that's true," he replies in agreement.

"Well now that It think about it, there is some bit of reasoning behind our arrival here." Ahsoka says.

"I'd be happy to help anyway I can," he offers confidently.

"We're looking into something important, and I think a meeting with Gothi might offer some help," she explains.

He raises an eyebrow. "A visit with Gothi?"

"To see if there's something her books might have that relate to our issue. It involves Jedi history," I tell him.

"What kind of history?" Hiccup questions curiously.

Me and Ahsoka glance at him briefly for a split second, and Mara gets the hint. "Well it's kind of... complicated," she says slowly.

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt then." Stoick decides.

"Thank you Stoick," I say, and we give brief nods of gratitude.

"Mara, you can sit this one out if you'd like, catch up with the gang and Zenna, alright?" Ahsoka tells her.

"Sure thing mom," she replies, having no problem with the decision, and slings an arm around both Hiccup and Astrid's shoulders, leading them away. The dragons all quickly follow after them. "If you want, I can get into all the interesting details about fighting against the Empire," she offers.

"Oh, I'd love to hear about this..." Astrid replies eagerly, her voice trailing off.

* * *

Despite being just about the oldest person in the village, maybe aside from Mildew, Gothi certainly had the most stairs by a long shot. The constant exercise is probably what kept her still living this long, getting a healthy workout from it.

 _"Don't let her hear you say that,"_ Ahsoka advises.

 _"Oh tell me about it,"_ I reply with a grumble. _"Add that to the fact she has a surprisingly strong swing with her staff."_

Stoick knocks on the door to Gothi's hut, and a few moments later it opens to reveal Gothi standing behind it. She widens her eyes in brief surprise at the sight of us before developing a respectful gaze, giving a small incline of her head.

"Sorry for arriving unannounced Gothi, but Jarik and Ahsoka are hoping to seek your counsel on an important matter." Stoick explains.

She looks at us inquisitively before nodding her head, stepping back and gesturing into the room.

"Thank you Gothi." Ahsoka says gratefully.

"We'll see you later then Stoick," I tell the Viking Chief, and he nods, heading back down the stairs to the rest of the village.

We enter Gothi's hut, glancing around at the simple room, noting the different scrolls and desks and bookshelves, as well as a patch of sand for her to write in. There were a couple of small benches, and a chair next to the fireplace for Gothi to sit in. She closes the door behind us and hobbles over towards the patch of sand, writing down a message in the Aurebesh language. Although for the Vikings, they called it Norse.

 _~What do you need help with?~_

"Recently, something has come to our attention that could be a potential problem for the galaxy as a whole in the future..." Ahsoka starts to say, and Gothi widens her eyes briefly in concern. "...and we were wondering if any of your books contain possible references to it."

 _~What sort of reference would you be looking for?~_

"Does Oryx, or the Yuuzhan Vong strike a sense of familiarity for you, somewhere in one of your books maybe?" I ask. She shakes her head in response, and I nod in understanding. "It's alright if you don't, I don't expect that to be very well known in the first place. Not many know about it."

 _~Who, or what is that word you said?~_

"It's the name of a dark individual that we're worried about. Would it be alright if we took a look at some of your books to see if we could spot any references or hints about it? It's not guaranteed, but any information is helpful." Ahsoka tells her.

Gothi gives us a nod, gesturing towards her books in invitation.

* * *

Sometime later, me and Ahsoka had glanced through Gothi's books for any possible references to the Hive, though with no real success. We weren't truly expecting to find much in the first place, since most of these relate to the Prime Jedi, and that was ages before Revan came into contact with them. Not to mention the Hive are from outside of the galaxy in the first place.

We didn't read through all of the books, as that would take a long time, but we skimmed through some that Gothi suggested to us. Afterwards, we thanked her, and left her hut, walking back down the stairs. The suns were beginning to set in the sky, bashing everything in an orange glow.

"Nothing to see as expected, but some of her things are admittedly interesting." Ahsoka says.

"Jedi certainly had a pretty heavy influence on Viking culture," I reply in agreement.

Coming off the stairs, we were approaching the village when my comlink suddenly beeped, signaling an urgent message. Frowning, I shared a confused look with Ahsoka, who shrugged, before opening the message. Out of the corner of my eyes I noticed Mara nearby, with Hiccup next to her.

"R5? What's up buddy?" I ask him curiously.

He beeps at me with a heavy sense of urgency, surprising me a little bit.

"A distress call?" I ask, and he beeps in confirmation. "Well, who's it from?"

He beeps again, and we widen our eyes in bewilderment.

"Admiral Thrawn?!" Ahsoka exclaims.

"Wait, what happened?" Mara questions, coming up to us after hearing the conversation.

"Why in the universe would Admiral Thrawn he sending us a distress signal?" I ask R5 incredulously, ignoring her question.

"What? That's ridiculous!" Mara says in disbelief.

"Who's Admiral Thrawn?" Hiccup asks her.

"An Imperial Commander, and a really smart one apparently," she replies, and he blinks in surprise.

"Well that's weird," he remarks, at a loss of what to say. R5 then beeps back to us over the comlink, explaining the reason.

"Ok, that makes more sense. He's broadcasting it to everyone... but what could possibly cause Thrawn to send out a distress signal?" Ahsoka questions uneasily.

A flash from my earlier vision hits me, of the Imperial fleet in a heavy, loosing battle. It makes me uneasy, and I'm really worried my hunch is probably true. R5 sends another string of beeps at us, and I let out a sigh.

"Alright, play the message," I tell him.

Moments later, a small, flickering hologram of an Imperial officer pops up, striking some form of familiarity in me. It isn't Thrawn obviously, but I think he was with him when I first encountered the Admiral. But what me and Ahsoka noticed instantly was the expression of terror on his face.

"Is that Thrawn?" Hiccup asks.

Mara shakes her head. "No, Thrawn is blue."

"Blue-" he starts to ask incredulously before thinking better of it. "Never mind.

 _"This is Commander Vanto of... Seventh Fleet!"_ he exclaims, the audio filled with some bits of static, the hologram flickering. _"...are under att... Repeat, we... are under attack by the Yuuzhan Vong!"_

Ahsoka and I share a surprised, but grim look, and Mara whips her head up at us in shock.

 _"...came out of nowhere... our ships are being... requesting help urgently, we're being overwhelmed!"_ Vanto exclaims in a panic. He stumbles slightly as the cruiser probably shook from an explosion, and glances back. _"...seen anything like it before, please se... h.. elp!"_

The message then flickers out in heavy static, the transmission being blocked, jammed, or interrupted from something. I close my eyes, coming to resigned dread that the Yuuzhan Vong have started an attack against the Imperial fleet. Sure, they're probably still way out in the Unknown Regions, but this attack proves that Oryx is getting ready.

"What... was that?" Hiccup asks nervously with an unsettled expression, breaking the silence.

"That, is what we were afraid of," I answer with a sigh.

"Does this mean that... they're getting ready to invade?" Mara asks worriedly, showing a small amount of fear.

I share a look with Ahsoka. "I... I don't know."

"Invade?" Hiccup asks. "If the Empire is as strong as you've said, who could possibly be invading them? Would we... also be in danger?" he asks hesitantly.

"No, I don't think Ahch-To is in their sights for invasion, considering nobody knows it exists." Ahsoka says. "But... I'm worried there's a possibility of it happening."

"So what are we gonna do now?" Mara asks uneasily. "From the sound of things, Thrawn's fleet is gone."

I frown in deep concentration, before bringing up my comlink again. "R5, see if you can trace the signal of that message."

Ahsoka sends me a knowing look, although not approving of it. "You want to go to the battle right now?"

"What?" Mara asks in bewilderment.

"We need to know more about what we're up against, and this is probably the best chance of getting an up close look," I tell them. "And if he's still alive, Thrawn could give us some answers."

"So, also a rescue mission as well?" she asks in disapproval.

"No, just to get more insight about it. We barely know anything about the Hive," I try to reason.

Ahsoka narrows her eyes, but eventually lets out a defeated sigh. "I hate it when you're right," she grumbles.

"I honestly haven't got the slightest clue of what's being talked about, but it doesn't sound good, at all," Hiccup says uneasily.

R5 then beeps back at me across the comlink, signaling that he had managed to find a general, but accurate enough location of the distress signal.

"Swing the ship over here then R5, we're leaving as soon as possible," I reply, ending the transmission before he could protest.

"So, what's our game plan?" Mara asks.

"You, are staying right here on Berk," I say instantly.

"Oh come on, don't you dare start that again!" she complains.

"This is a really dangerous mission Mara, far beyond even Inquisitor's!" I say in frustration.

"I faced Darth Vader and survived!" she argues.

"You what?" Hiccup asks in disbelief.

"Barely," I retort in disapproval.

"Alright enough!" Ahsoka exclaims, interrupting us. "Look, Mara if you want to join in on this mission, then you're welcome to," she says, continuing before I could protest. "But you do everything we say, no matter what happens, got it? You already risked enough by facing off against Vader," she says in disapproval, before turning to me. "And Jarik, we cant keep arguing about these things all the time, so we have to take responsibility and make sure she learns, so she can better protect herself as well."

I cross my arms in heavy disagreement, but seeing as how there was no convincing hem otherwise, I nod my head reluctantly.

"You sure about this Mara?" Hiccup asks in concern.

"Not really," she admits, grimacing under my brief glare at the comment. "But I've got to help however I can."

* * *

 ** _Ornfra System; Galaxy's Edge_**

 **1 hour later...**

Once R5 had brought the ship around, we quickly left the planet and soared into space, imputting the coordinates R5 managed to pull from the distress signal. I was very tempted to prevent Mara from joining us, but at this point it wasn't worth it. We were now close to exiting hyperspace at our destination, mentally preparing ourselves for anything.

"So, any idea of what we'll be seeing?" Mara questions.

"I don't know, but it won't be good." Ahsoka says grimly.

"Considering it's able to take on an entire Imperial fleet, led by Thrawn no less, I'm almost afraid of knowing," I admit uneasily.

R5 beeps, sharing the sentiment, before the consoles start blinking, signaling we were close. We all shared one last look with each other, mentally preparing ourselves for what was to come. I activated the ship's signal scrambler and the rest of our devices to stay as hidden as possible from scanners of any sort, and Ahsoka rests a hand on the hyperspace lever.

"Here goes nothing," she mutters.

She pulls the lever, and we watch as the smoky blue clouds of hyperspace slow down into starry streams, quickly returning to regular space. In the distance was a large red star, and we were coming around some sort of rocky planet. Once we flew around the planet, we came across a sight that had us gasping in shock and horror.

There was no enemy in sight, but the Seventh Fleet... was now in ruins, a graveyard of destroyed debris.

We were too late.

* * *

 _Wow, that was an intense and suspenseful ending, but the next chapter will be even more insane! Can't wait to post the next chapter, I've had it planned out for a long while now._

 _Also the whole Elita-One thing was interesting to write, and I'm planning on deactivating her at some point in this story, Jarik and Ahsoka just have to figure out how._

 _And his strange visions..._

 _Hope you guys enjoyed, the next chapter should be out soon! The support you all have and reading your reviews is always so awesome! :D_


	83. Ch 82 - The Dreadnaught

_**Author's Note:** Fair warning in advance: I don't do horrific or disturbing details, but this chapter might seem a little unsettling to some readers. It's the Hive, so they're nothing but gruesome, of course the game wouldn't show the things they actually do. :P_

* * *

 ** _Ornfra System; Galaxy's Edge_**

 **2 hours earlier - Thrawn POV...**

"Damage report!" I called out, stumbling as the cruiser shook with another blast. We had already lost two of our cruisers, and many more of them were damaged to dangerous levels.

"Are shields are gone! The hyperdrive has sustained heavy damage!" one officer exclaimed.

"Admiral! Our engines and fuel cells have ruptured! We are dead in space!" another reports in terror.

I grunted as the ship shook with another blast, glaring out at the enemy as I held onto the console, trying to control my fear. Despite the large fleet, and the power of each Imperial Star Destroyer, we were being decimated by the Yuuzhan Vong fleet. It seemed just like the battle between the Vong scout ships and the Chiss Ascendancy decades ago. The Chiss were victorious in destroying all the Vong ships, but at heavy cost, and there were no survivors from the battle for either side. Fortunately, it did allow the Chiss Ascendancy to learn more about their ship's technology.

"Gunners, aim for the orange bands on the sides of the cruisers; disable off their firepower!" I ordered. "Send out TIE Squadrons! Attack maneuver 2-4!"

"Yes Admiral!" one of the officers replies, setting off to do the assigned task.

"Lieutenant Perdoe, relay that order to the rest of the fleet!" I added.

"Right away sir!" he exclaims.

I turn my gaze back to the battle before me, analyzing the Vong's ships as best as I could. Our green turbolasers began to target the glowing orange bands alongside the enemy vessels, and I watched as a hail of green lasers began to pepper them. However, the Vong have exceptionally well shielded warships, powered by some form of biotechnology that I do not know of, and any progress in damaging their ships was slow. The weapons they were armed with fired orange energy pulses, which soared towards our fleet at a surprisingly slow pace. Nevertheless, these energy blasts were capable of causing great damage, even acting partly as an ion blast, in which electrical systems would be briefly affected in the damaged area.

Curiously though, the massive vessel that lay behind the Yuuzhan Vong fleet, which was clearly the command ship, was not attacking. It's design though is very familiar to records the Chiss recovered during the last battle against the Vong. I'm extremely worried that this may be that very ship, which is supposedly capable of horrifying power. Judging by the weapon emplacement on it's side, as the ship wasn't pointing its front at us, this may very well be it.

I was broken out of my analysis when Eli Vanto reappears right beside me, out of breath. "I sent the distress call as ordered sir," he tells me.

"Good. Now we just have to keep fighting against this onslaught, until reinforcements can arrive," I state firmly.

Vanto eyes me incredulously. "Keep fighting?! But sir, we're being decimated, we can't hope to match this fleet right now!" he protests.

"Our hyperdrive is heavily damaged, and no doubt the rest of the fleet as well," I reply. "They knew where to target our ships, and this ambush was clearly well planned out. I'm afraid we're going nowhere," I finish grimly, narrowing my eyes at the Yuuzhan Vong fleet.

The Chimera is shook again when a nearby Star Destroyer suffering heavy firepower from the enemy fleet blows up in a massive fireball. It sends debris scattering everywhere, slamming against other cruisers as well. I grab onto the console again for support, while many officers on the bridge cry out in shock, loosing their balance.

"Where are our fighters?!" I yell towards the crew.

"Being sent out now Admiral!" someone replies.

Thankfully, many squadrons of TIE Fighters soon exit the Star Destroyer's still in decent fighting condition, and start soaring for the enemy fleet. The tide seems to be shifting more towards us, at least slightly. The continuous cannon fire against the orange bands of the warships is doing the trick, and some of their cruisers are now suffering damage as well, their shields seemingly gone. Our TIE Fighters go into work, peppering the weak points I pointed out alongside the cruisers, and taking out some of their guns. After a heavy barrage, one of the leading Vong ships starts crumbling away, before exploding, much to my satisfaction.

"Sir, the enemy have fired out pods of some sort! They're headed right for us!"

I skim through the battlefield and notice what the officer was talking about. A large group of about several dozen pods were headed for our fleet. They appeared to be long, angled ships with a spiked design, the long ends of them glowing green. As they pass by our TIE Fighters, they retaliate with their own laser blasts, keeping our fighters away from them as they headed for our cruisers. I widened my eyes upon realizing what they were; Seeders.

"They've sent out boarding pods!" I say in alarm. "Intercept those pods before they reach us!"

The gunners direct some of their focus towards taking down the Seeder Ships. However they prove to be surprisingly agile, and weave around the green laser fire. I watch with dread as they stab into several of our cruisers, five of them dotting along the Chimera's hull alone.

"Get our troopers out there and hold back the enemy immediately!" I order, turning back and pointing for emphasis.

"Yes sir!"

"How are we gonna make it out of this?" Eli asks quietly, uncertainty clear in his voice.

A sudden screech at the back end of the bridge gets everyone's attention, and I turn around to see a few shriveled, horrific beasts claw their way through the doors, three in total. They don't have faces, but they just look like death itself, skin rotten, with sharp, dirty teeth and claws. How could they have gotten here so quickly?!

The officers nearby screamed in shock, backing away quickly when those creatures leaped into action. They lashed out at officers or stormtrooper guards, slicing at them with their claws while their victims screamed in terror and pain. I pulled out my pistol with a scowl and moved forwards quickly, firing at the creatures. I hit one with several shots to the head and body, taking it out with a shrill cry before it dissolves into flakey, rotten bits, covering its mutilated victim. The other two shriek in rage and dash towards me.

I quickly back up, firing my pistol back at them, taking out another, and it dies the same way, its death shriek still echoing afterwards. However, the last one claws my blaster away and then shoves be violently to the ground with surprising strength considering its frail looking body. I let out a painful grunt, looking up in alarm as it leaps for me, claws outstretched. I raise a hand to cover my head, but before it could claw at me, a blaster shot soared straight through its forehead, dissolving it with a shrieking cry.

I look up to see Eli with my pistol in hand, eyes wide in shock, shaking slightly.

"Thank you Eli," I say gratefully in relief.

"Y-you're welcome sir," he replies.

I get back to my feet and look back out the viewport the get a sense of the battle, becoming more crestfallen. It seems, that despite our efforts against the Vong, taking out two cruisers now, we were fighting a loosing battle.

"Sir, I'm detecting a massive energy reading emanating from the enemy flagship!" someone yells in alarm.

I snap my gaze up towards the command ship, watching with shocked, worried eyes. Along the cruiser's tremendous hull, pale, white energy traveled along it's waist towards the dish shaped weapon emplacement, circling around the emitter. The dish then glowed bright with the smoky, pale white energy before it exploded outwards in a colossal wave of transparent, green and white energy, headed straight for us.

"Wha the kriff!" Vanto screams in horror.

"Brace for impact!" I yelled our to the crew.

The energy wave passes through the Vong warships, leaving them unharmed, and then slams into our fleet. The effect was instant, as the bow of the Chimera and every other Star Destroyer still functional exploded violently, the rest of the ship following as the wave passed over it. Realizing it would soon be upon us, I grabbed Vanto's arm and pulled him away from the viewport.

"Everyone get to the escape pods now! Get to the pods!" I yell out to the crew.

Everyone leaves their stations instantly, and me and Eli dash for our escape pod, entering it, while the rest of the officers all pile into theirs. I slammed the door closed while Vanto immediately activated the pod, jamming the ignition button. As soon as we shot off though, our pod shook violently as the ship exploded completely, sending us roughly through space, debris and the sounds of massive explosions all around us causing absolute mayhem.

* * *

 **Present time - Jarik POV...**

"In the name of Morai..." Ahsoka whispered quietly to herself.

I nodded my head numbly in agreement, at a loss of what to say.

"The Yuuzhan Vong... did this?" Mara asks meekly, and I could sense her fear as she stared out at the wreckage with wide eyes.

The wreckage of what was the proud and strong Seventh Fleet lay scattered across a huge area, destroyed so heavily you could barely tell that the debris used to form Imperial Star Destroyers. Ahsoka cautiously directed the Knight Hawk towards the debris field, flying at a slow speed. Destroyed engines floated by once we entered the graveyard, along with crumpled TIE Fighters, pieces of the hull, all sorts of things. The whole field of the destroyed Imperial fleet stretched across for dozens of miles at least.

Yet the most interesting thing about the debris field, was how it was arranged. You'd think that the ships would all be scattered about randomly, due to the cruisers just blowing up. Instead, the wreckage was arranged in a sort of half circle, as if it was all pushed that way by something, which makes no sense at all.

"R5... see if you can scan for life forms," I say quietly.

He beeps back softly in acknowledgement, also stunned by the level of destruction we were witnessing.

"Also, keep a close eye on the emergency channels. Considering how far out in space we are, any broadcast is pretty much guaranteed to come from a survivor," Ahsoka advises him.

"You speaking from experience?" I ask her.

She nods her head. "Early on in the War, when the Malevolence was still at large. Me and Anakin came alone to search for Master Plo Koon..." she trails off sadly. I throw her a sorrowfully glance, knowing as well as her that Master Plo was among those killed in Order 66."

"I wish I could've met him," Mara says with a tiny sense of longing.

Ahsoka smiles at her. "He would've enjoyed interacting with him."

We continue along in uneasy silence, looking around the debris field for any signs of life. Every so often we would also pass by the floating body of a dead Imperial officer, which we made sure Mara wouldn't keep looking at. The red supergiant of this system in the distance bathed everything in a dim, red glow, making the graveyard feel and look even more ghostly. The complete lack of sound aside from the ships scanners beeping every so often didn't help things. And also...

"Mom, Dad... can you feel that?" Mara asks us uneasily, rubbing her arms.

I nod grimly, able to sense it more clearly the longer we were here, and Ahsoka could as well.

"We feel it Mara," she replies.

"It doesn't feel like the dark side," Mara continues nervously.

And she was right. The cold chill of darkness that resided around this area was unlike anything I had ever felt before. Not even Vader, Snoke, or the Son himself made the Force cold in such a way. It was... unnatural. Ghostly. Hateful...

"I think it would be a good idea to fortify our mental shielding," I suggest quietly.

The other two agree wholeheartedly, and we all set up the strongest shields we could make to hide our presence in the Force. I don't know if the Hive, or Force forbid, Oryx himself, are still around, but after seeing all this damage I don't think I want to find out.

R5 then gets our attention with loud beeps, swiveling his dome around to look at us.

"You found something?" I ask hopefully. "Where then?"

He turns his plug in the astromech socket a few times before displaying a simple hologram, the location flashing in it, as well as being added into the ships computer, adding another few beeps.

"You picked up an organic signal?" I clarify with a slight frown, a little confused at the wording.

"Good enough for me," Ahsoka remarks, and pulls up on the throttle, directing the ship in the direction of R5's coordinates.

"Hopefully it's Thrawn so we can buzz outta here," Mara says eagerly, before frowning. "Although the idea that we're rescuing an Imperial officer is still hard to believe."

"We may be on opposing sides, but one enemy everyone has in common are the Hive," I tell her.

"And based on what we've learned, he seems to know an awful lot about the Yuuzhan Vong; at least enough to be able to track them down properly, which is more than we know," Ahsoka adds.

"How we looking R5?" I ask him, and nod in satisfaction when he beeps back. "Alright, we're almost there. The life signal should be somewhere to our right."

Ahsoka turns the ship in the proper direction, and soon enough, we manage to spot the back end of an Imperial escape pod directly ahead of us.

"We found one!" Mara exclaims joyfully.

However, as we came to a slow stop before the escape pod, the spotlights from our ship illuminating it in space, I had an uneasy frown on my face, the same as Ahsoka. Something about the escape pod just felt... wrong.

"Something's, not right," I say slowly, glancing at Ahsoka.

Glancing back at me, she then looks out at the pod and raises her arm, swiping her hand gently to the side. She called upon the Force to turn the pod around, allowing the front viewport to face us. We let out gasps of horrified shock.

Instead of a small crew of survivors in an escape pod, the front was actually busted wide open, looking almost as if it were... clawed apart. Coating the front of the escape pod, as well as the interior was some strange, black goo, yet it shined with an unnatural and wrong coloration, pale stars shining out of it. It almost looked like some sort of portal, yet I couldn't believe that was the case, although pure darkness flowed strongly from it, we could all sense it. Along with the dark goo were some strange, rotten barnacles clinging to the pod. And the crew inside...

"What the-" Mara starts to say in terror.

"Mara, don't look at that!" Ahsoka exclaims, forcefully turning her around to make sure she couldn't see, also keeping her back to the sight as well.

What remained of the escape pods crew members was a gory scene mutilated pack of bodies, slashed open and ripped apart in ways that I do not want to describe. I shut my eyes and look away, disgusted and horrified by the sight. I thought I'd seen the worst of the worst in violence during the Clone Wars... but I was wrong.

"Kriffing Force..." I whisper to myself.

R5 squeals in shock and fright, having caught a glimpse of the sight. Now I understand why Revan says the Hive are a physical manifestation of evil incarnate. Anything, or anyone capable of doing something like that to another living creature, is a rabid, horrific monster.

"Ahsoka... let's- let's keep moving..." I say quietly, the image burned into my mind.

"Okay," she replies with a shuddering breath, sitting back down and moving to pilot the ship away, all the while we keep our eyes off of the horrible sight.

"If that pod was... attacked," I start to say. "Then that means we're not the only ones looking for survivors," I say grimly.

Ahsoka and Mara widen their eyes in alarm at the realization, and Ahsoka lets out a sigh. "And I thought Master Plo had it bad with the pod hunters..." she mutters in an attempt at humor.

"I'll try and send out a discreet radio signal," I tell them.

* * *

 **Thrawn POV...**

I let out a groan as I slowly sat up, rubbing my head. The explosion from the super-weapon destroying our fleet was heavy, and I must've been knocked out. I blinked my eyes in an attempt to focus my vision, and felt someone by my side.

"Are you alright sir?" Vanto asks in concern.

"I'm, feeling a little bit better now, thank you," I reply gratefully, and look around, noting the surroundings of our escape pod. "What has happened since the battle?"

Eli lets out a sigh, sounding exhausted and fearful. "Nothing much sir, all we've done if just drift through the debris field. I managed to get some of the pod's power back online, and thankfully the Yuuzhan Vong seemed to have left the system."

I nod my head, taking the information in, although a frown comes to my face.

"Left the system?" I ask.

"Yes sir. Not too long after the battle," he clarifies.

However I just shake my head.

"No... the Yuuzhan Vong would not leave us so easily, not with the chance of there being survivors," I say grimly.

Vanto looks at me nervously.

"But, they destroyed the whole fleet! Maybe they assumed we all died from that blast wave," he reasons hopefully.

"The Vong take no chances when it comes to slaughtering others," I tell him darkly.

Vanto groans, fear overtaking him.

"What are we going to do? We're out here, stranded in the middle of some far off, uninhabited system, with our fleet being wiped out after getting sent on a suicide mission!" he exclaims in a panic.

I eye him calmly, although with some sympathy in my gaze. I was also unsure of what exactly to do.

"I wish I had a clear answer, but this is a situation that doesn't have many options I'm afraid," I admit.

"So we're dead then," he says hopelessly, slumping in his seat. "If the Vong don't find us first, we'll eventually suffocate from a lack of air. Or die of dehydration."

I let out a sigh.

"We can't just allow ourselves to give up like this Vanto. For now, let's try and get the pod back into working order, and see if we can broadcast a signal," I tell him firmly.

He glances at me, before looking away in shame.

"Yes sir. I'm... sorry for my outburst," he apologizes.

"You have nothing to apologize for Eli, it is understandable in such a dire situation," I reassure him.

* * *

We must have been working for several minutes when we got the communications console up and running, immediately searching through the broadcasting channels for any hope of aid. Right now, Eli was trying to send an emergency transmission to anybody we could reach.

"This is Commander Vanto in escape pod 357. Is anyone out there?" he says desperately into the console. "Repeat, is anyone out there?! This is Commander Vanto of escape pod 357!"

After several more tries, my calm expression continued to betray the worry and fear I felt at not knowing what to do in such a bleak situation, and Eli looked ready to give up, resigned to our fate. However, the console then started to flicker with static, and our expression lit up joyfully as we made contact.

 _"...Th... is Lieu...nant Perdoe... we rea... you! We read you..."_

"Lieutenant Perdoe, are you receiving us?" Eli calls out excitedly.

 _"...we read you... signal is weak sir... position at ma... 67!"_

"Lieutenant, repeat your location. Your signal is very weak!" Eli says.

The signal then goes dead for several seconds, no static or communication coming from the other pod.

"No no no! Blast!" Eli exclaims in frustration.

I frown in concern, troubled by the lack of a signal. Sure it was weak, but nothing should've kept it from shorting out like that...

"Something seems wrong..." I trail off.

A flash outside far in the distance gets me attention, and I move to the viewport to look for it. Off in the distance, I notice a pale, smoky ball of light seeming to flicker through the debris field, and I narrow my eyes, suspicious of it. I do not believe that to be friendly, considering how it's properties look similar to that of the energy that charged the super-weapon.

"What is that thing?" Eli mutters, having noticed the same thing as well.

We watch as the strange ball of light flickers among the debris, before speeding up and heading in a certain direction. Following it's path in the distance, we notice with wide eyes that it was headed for what appeared to be another escape pod, and stops, hovering directly in front of it.

"Look, Admiral! another pod!" Eli cries out joyfully.

I brushed off his excitement, narrowing my eyes, almost certain that light was related to the Vong.

"That pod is in danger," I say resolutely.

The console blares with static again as we regain contact with the pod, and we move over to the console, looking intently at it.

 _"...ange light in front of... flickering..."_

"That's Lieutenant Perdoe's pod!" Eli realizes.

And that's where things go horribly wrong.

 _"...what the...ing KRIFF! WHA... THAT?!..."_

We hear screams coming from the other pod's crew, fading in and out as the static continues to interrupt. Hearing their screams, we dash back to the viewport and look out, widening our eyes in horror. Coming out of another of those portals from the ambush, although much smaller this time, was a Vong ship, one that I could identify as a Tombship from the Chiss Ascendancy's records of our previous encounter with them. It came out of that portal directly in front of the pod with a shriek, stopping right above the escape pod.

It merely hovered, but then the light seemed to stream from within the pod as a glow came out of the viewport. Then the screams intensified over the broadcast.

 _"...NDER ATTACK! THEY'RE COMING... OUR POD-"_

The last we can hear from the other pod are agonized screams of pure terror, followed by what sounded like the shrieks of those horrific, savage beasts that stormed the bridge during the battle. Then the lines go dead.

Vanto is gasping in horrified terror, letting loose an occasional curse in his fear, and my eyes were also wide. I was unsettled, and quite honestly, fearful in the face of the Yuuzhan Vong. Despite knowing more about them than anyone else in the Empire, I was still stunned and fearful of the gruesome brutality of the Vong.

"Uh... sir? It- It's coming..." Eli says in terror, pointing a shaking arm out the viewport.

There, I could see the little ball of pale, smoky light headed straight for our pod. It was a seeker for survivor's, I realized.

And we were next.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

"I think I've got something," I tell the others, looking at the screen intently.

"You do?" Ahsoka asks me. "And you're positive this is from a survivor?"

I frown, pressing a few buttons to try and boost he signal.

"I believe so. I managed to trace a weak communications signal between to origin points," I inform her, looking up. "It has to be two pods trying to contact each other."

"Two? Well that's good, I suppose," Mara says hopefully.

I direct Ahsoka to fly the ship in the direction I was picking up the signal from, before one of the origin points goes dead. I widen my eyes in alarm.

"Oh no..."

"What is it Dad?" Mara asks nervously.

"One of the pod's just went dead," I tell them, and Ahsoka glances over towards me, carrying a big sense of urgency.

"Then we've got to find the next pod! Try and contact it, quickly!" she tells me, before turning towards Mara. "Mara, I need you to reach out with the Force; look for anything unusual, a life signature, or sudden burst of danger."

"Alright Mom," she says, a little unsure, but determined, and closes her eyes to reach out with the Force.

Meanwhile, I do my best to establish contact with the escape pod, whose signal I can still detect.

"Imperial escape pod, do you copy? Repeat, do you copy? This is Jarik Shan!" I say in to the console.

Saying my name might make them wary, but it'll certainly get their attention, and any Imperial Officer has to be desperate for help in a situation like this. All I get back is some static, but that means there is something.

"R5, boost the signal!" I tell him, and he beeps in acknowledgement, turning his arm in the astromech socket.

"Imperial escape pod, can you read me? This is Jarik Shan!" I call out.

 _"...Sha...help us! We're un... atta...!"_

"They're responding," I tell the others in relief.

"Perhaps we still have a chance to rescue them," Ahsoka says hopefully.

"Imperial pod, repeat the message, your signal is weak! What is your location?" I ask firmly.

 _"This is Comm... Vanto...we're under attack...! Our location is... mark two se..."_

I share a look of worry with Ahsoka, hearing that they were under attack. Time is running out, but this stupid lack of signal is making it almost impossible! But the name I heard, Vanto, is familiar. I'm pretty sure he serves closely with Admiral Thrawn, which means this pod might have him!

"Mom, Dad, I can sense something! Over in that direction!" Mara suddenly exclaims, pointing out the cockpit.

Ahsoka wastes no time in gunning the ship in that direction, and soon we also feel a sudden growth in this horrible darkness, in action this time. Then, we can actually see it.

In the distance is an Imperial escape pod, yet directly in front of it, is the most bizarre and shocking sight I think I may have seen yet. A strange, sickly green and black portal was glowing directly in front of the pod, and coming out was some sort of long ship in a strange design, kind of like a long 'T.' A distant, but awful shriek accompanied the ship as it appeared and hovered towards the escape pod.

"What is that?!" Mara exclaims.

Thinking quickly, I pulled up the Knight Hawk's turrets and aimed them for the strange ship.

"Ahsoka, double time it! I don't wanna wait to see how long it takes them to attack the pod!" I exclaim.

"Way ahead of you!" she replies.

She blasts the ship off at full speed towards the confrontation, and I open fire with our guns. Red laser bolts soar through space to slam against the side of the enemy ship, and it reacts almost instantly. It shudders, before moving over in a strange fashion, horizontally swerving instead of moving forwards like most ships.

"What the heck?!" Mara exclaims in bewilderment. "How does a ship move like that?"

"I don't know," I say, just as surprised.

The Hive ship quickly angles around to share for us, and shoots out several purple energy blasts from its hull along the side. However the purple energy travels slowly, laughably so, and Ahsoka easily avoids them all before swinging around to face it again. She then thrusts a hand out, calling upon the Force to slam against the ship, causing it to stop charging and fly back uncontrollably.

"Huh, never thought of doing that," I commented, before focusing on the ship again.

As it spun around as a result of Ahsoka's Force push, I noticed one end of the ship glowing an orangish color. I figured that must be the back end of the ship, and that was it's engine thruster. Smirking slightly, I narrowed my eyes and took aim with the laser cannons, and unleashed a heavy barrage of red laser bolts into the ship's thrusters.

It sputters heavily, glowing orange energy traveling alongside the ship from the thruster before it explodes. The explosion spreads out with strange, pale green fire and black smoke, and the echoes of fading shrieks flow towards us through the Force, making us wince slightly.

Ahsoka sighs, and I pull my hands off the trigger, relieved that we managed to stop it. Of course, that was only a simple ship, probably the equivalent of a dropship from the Clone Wars. It was a little bit bigger than the Knight Hawk, and longer too, but it wasn't too bad.

"You got it!" Mara says happily.

"Yup," I reply, before remembering the pod. "We should go get the pod."

Ahsoka nods in agreement and swings the ship back around to face the escape pod. Flickering a button, I activate a tow cable, which shoots out to clamp onto the pod, before pulling it in.

"Mara, go and lock all of our rooms, and hide everything related to us or the Jedi from sight," I tell her.

She looks at me in confusion.

"Everything? Why?" she asks.

"If Thrawn is on that escape pod, then I don't want to take any chances. We may have rescued them, but they're still with the Empire, and he can learn things about us we wouldn't even realize just by casual observation," I explain.

"Better to be safe than sorry," Ahsoka adds.

She frowns but nods in understanding, and goes to do the things I asked of her.

"R5, keep watch the monitors if they try something suspicious," Ahsoka says, and he beeps back at us in understanding.

With the tasks lined out, me and Ahsoka get up from our seats and head to the emergency airlock, where the escape pod just connected to magnetically, sending a quiet clang through the halls. Approaching the door, I opened it, to reveal the interior of the pod. Commander Vanto was in there, along with Thrawn, and it's a little weird I'm relieved that's the case.

They look up, and I take the moment to observe Thrawn, having only ever encountered him that one time a couple years ago. He was dressed in a white Imperial uniform, his rank displayed on his shirt. The color of it was a little surprising, since that showed he obvious was high in the ranks, but he wasn't a Grand Admiral. That rank is shown through golden shoulder pieces.

His eyes gleam red, but his gaze is completely calm, analytical, and curious, but he wasn't eyeing me like an enemy, which I took notice of. Vanto looked more nervous, and seemed a little bit afraid, but whether it was us or the Hive, I'm not sure.

"Thrawn," I say impassively.

"Jarik Shan," he replies in greeting. "And Ahsoka Tano I believe. It would seem Lord Vader's report about your survival is accurate."

Ahsoka frowns. "I suppose it would be Admiral. But don't expect to be returning to the Empire with me in tow," she warns him.

He hums, nodding his head, while Vanto looks between us uneasily. "Of course Miss Tano. It would be foolish to think we could take on two talented Jedi. But I must inquire, what brings you this far out into the Unknown Regions?"

"We received your distress call," I tell him.

"You- you did?" Vanto asks in surprise, looking bewildered. "But, why would you come to rescue us?"

Me and Ahsoka share a look with each other before facing them again.

"In this particular case, the galaxy shares a common enemy in the Yuuzhan Vong," I tell them.

Vanto widens his eyes incredulously, while Thrawn narrows his own, but I could sense he was just as surprised.

"You know of the Vong?" he asks us.

"...Enough," I say in reply.

* * *

After opening the escape pod, we bring Thrawn and Vanto onto the ship, closing the door before releasing the pod to float lifelessly amongst the wreckage once again. We then bring them to the common room, having them sit down, keeping a close eye on them. It didn't take a genius for us to know Thrawn was observing his surroundings, which made Ahsoka keep a constant gaze on him.

"So you know about the Vong invasion then," Thrawn says, looking at us questioningly. "I'm curious, why come to our rescue, even if we share a common enemy in them? We are also enemies."

"Because you have information on them," Ahsoka replies. "Much more than the both of us."

"It's only thanks to the Force that we know about them to begin with," I add.

No way are we going to reveal that I've secretly been intercepting their messages.

"So what, are we your prisoners? You gonna force is to tell you and then leave us to rot?" Vanto accuses, glaring at us.

"Listen buddy, it's either us or the Vong, your preference," I retort, shutting him up.

Thrawn gives him a brief glance before looking back at us.

"What makes you so sure I know more than you?" he questions.

"You've already been in combat with them. By all means, you're probably the best commander in the entire Imperial Navy, yet your entire fleet just got destroyed like nothing," Ahsoka states firmly. "You're observant Thrawn. If before you knew nothing other than the fact that they are coming, at least you now know what they're capable of."

"So, what happened here? What could've destroyed your fleet in this way?" I ask him.

He frowns thoughtfully, considering a response.

"Very well," he concedes.

"Sir?" Vanto asks in surprise.

"It's perfectly alright Commander," he reassured him before looking at us. "The Yuuzhan Vong ambushes us, their warships appearing from a portal much like the vessel you destroyed. We were caught off guard, and overwhelmed."

"You would've figured out a way to beat an ambush, even one like this," I say with a frown. "You're capable of such, your battles have proven that."

"So you've researched my career?" he muses, and I narrow my eyes at him.

"Keep talking Thrawn," Ahsoka states. "What changed in this battle? What could caused destruction like this?"

Mara the enters the room, keeping quiet upon noticing our 'guests,' and narrows her eyes. Thrawn glances at her briefly, and Vanto widened his eyes in bewilderment.

"The Vong are merciless, caring not for their pain, only ours. What destroyed our fleet was their flagship... a vessel of unimaginable power, beyond what I've seen," he continues.

"Their flagship?" I ask him.

"Decades ago, the Chiss Ascendancy entered into a bloody battle with a Vong scout fleet. We managed to recover intel from the aftermath, but many of their translated records spoke of this vessel. We've mever thought it actually existed," Thrawn informs us, much to our surprise and curiosity.

So, the Chiss, Thrawn's species, have battled the Hive before?

"They called it the Dreadnaught," he says omninously.

Me and Ahsoka share a worried look, but before we could continue, the intercom flares to life with an alarm, and R5 beeps at us frantically.

"You're getting something?" I asked in confusion.

He urgently tells us to come to the cockpit, and after glancing at Thrawn and Vanto, and then at each other, worry and concern shooting through me. R5 doesn't become this urgent unless there is a serious issue.

"Alright, both of you come on," Ahsoka says. "Mara, keep watching them!"

"No problem," she replies.

The five of us rush towards the cockpit, Thrawn and Vanto in front of Mara, while me and Ahsoka were in front of them. Reaching the cockpit, we sit in the pilot seats while Thrawn and Vanto sit in the back two chairs, Mara standing up behind them by the wall.

"What's the problem?" I ask R5.

He beeps frantically, and a frown comes to my face.

"An energy reading? How big?" I ask in concern.

R5 beeps again, saying that it was massive, close by, and a moving asteroid was showing up on his scanners, one of absolutely massive size. However, it was our two guests reactions that got our attention.

"No... no no no!" Vanto gasps quietly in complete fear, his eyes wide.

Thrawn also widened his eyes in alarm upon hearing R5's statement, much to our surprise.

"Shut down the power. Quickly!" he urges.

"What? Why?!" Mara exclaims incredulously.

"Do it, now! It's the Dreadnaught!" he exclaims, raising his voice a little bit, something I've never heard him do.

However, even though he was still an enemy, I wasn't about to doubt the word of someone of his intelligence when our lives were potentially in danger.

"Do what he says," I say firmly.

None of us argue, and do everything we can to shut down the ships systems. Before we turn off the engines, Ahsoka pulls us to a complete stop, so that we were drifting in space like any other piece of debris. The only light we had was the star's red glow.

R5 then beeps, causing Ahsoka to whip around in alarm. Over the bond I could sense her feeling a strong sense of nostalgia.

"R5, shut down now!" she orders.

R5 beeps in protest, and I grit my teeth, shooting up from the chair.

"Mara, sit in the copilot's seat!" I tell her, and she dashes over, noting the tone in my voice.

I storm over to R5, ignoring his angry beeps of protest, and then shut him off. As Mara sits down in the chair a wave of pure darkness washes over me, and I widen my eyes in shock at the feeling. Mara let's out a gasp, and I look back over to stand between Ahsoka and Mara's seat. All five of us widen our eyes in a mixture of alarm and growing dread as we see something approaching.

Coming up from beneath us in the left corner of our viewport, was a tremendous vessel. It was the largest ship I had ever seen in my life, almost looking like a colossal sized asteroid, and the awful, sickening darkness poured off of it in waves. The ship steadily moved to engulf our entire vision, it's right side face us. The massive cruiser was diagonal in shape, with a flat front, two large spines protruding in front of it. Dotted along the hull were more of those spines in smaller size, giving it a menacing look. Part of the flat front glowed a sickening green.

"Oh... my... gosh..." Mara whimpers, fear slowly overcoming her.

"Keep your shields up," I remind them, pouring a lot of my Force energy into shielding my presence, Ahsoka and Mara doing the same.

"We're gonna die here..." Vanto murmurs anxiously.

"No we're not!" I hiss back at him irritably.

As the massive Dreadnaught passed over us, the Knight Hawk actually shuddered slightly, a constant rumble quietly heard in our ears due to just its sheer size. We then got to see the rest of the Hive fleet, more cruisers following along the Dreadnaught's path, surrounding it. Each warship was probably equal to or a little bit smaller than the average Imperial Star Destroyer, but compared to the Dreadnaught, they might as well be small transports.

"It's so big!" Mara breathes out with wide eyes.

"Uhh... size comparison to the Malevolence?" I ask Ahsoka quietly.

She shakes her head numbly, eyes wide in fear and transfixed on the Dreadnaught. The horrible darkness continues to flow from it, covering us.

"Much bigger..." she manages to say.

"That, is the cruiser that took us out... in one shot," Thrawn says quietly.

As the Dreadnaught continues to pass by and over us, engulfing is in shadow, something along its side got our attention. A wide super-weapon dish, stationed along the middle towards the back end. A red light dotted the center of the super-weapon, and the long groove along the middle of the ship lead up to it, probably to charge whenever firing.

Dread and horrible anxiety continue to fill me at the sight of the super-weapon, and I'm sure Ahsoka is feeling a horribly unpleasant sense of nostalgia, considering her, Anakin, and Master Plo's escape from the Malevolence early in the war.

As the Dreadnaught continues to pass by us, the back end now visible to show the massive engine thruster moving its bulk, we started to feel a little better about this.

Vanto lets out a quiet gasp, sighing in relief.

"It's going away... it didn't see us," he mutters.

"Hopefully..." Mara says quietly in response.

However, just as it seems like we're in the clear with the Dreadnaught being much further away now, that hovering darkness suddenly converges on us with violent aggression. Ahsoka and I cry out in surprise and pain, while Mara gasps in pure terror. I grit my teeth, shutting my eyes and holding my head to stem the throbbing pain before reopening them, a rare sense of fear filling my soul.

 _He_ knows we're here.

"What? What is it?!" Thrawn asks anxiously, greatly alarmed.

The three of us slowly look up from holding our heads with quiet groans of pain, alarm filling us at the sight directly ahead. The Dreadnaught is slowly turning around, headed right back towards us, and the super-weapon almost seems to gleam sickly in a form of triumph.

"They're coming back!" Mara exclaims fearfully.

But what comes next is more terrible than anything the Hive fleet or the Dreadnaught itself had to offer. A loud and horrifying roar screeches loudly around our entire ship, followed by a dark massive cloud of glowing pale mist appearing in front of us with a bright flash. The mist forms into the face of an alien monster, the shriek dying away to an echo. Mara screams in fear at the sight and Vanto yells in terror, while the rest of us widen our eyes in shocked horror.

The alien face forming in the cloud of darkness is absolutely horrible to look at. It has a snarling mouth with rotten looking teeth and two large horns or something sticking out from either side of its head. And in the center of its face were three, pale, glowing eyes, filled with malice.

I gasp in fear, recognizing the face of this monster in the darkness.

Oryx, the Taken King.

 ** _"JEDI! DESCENDANT OF REVAN'S BLOOD!"_** his horrible, growling voice booms loudly, stunning me to the core.

He knew I was a descendant of Revan!? The one he fought thousands of years ago?!

 ** _"THE LIGHT OF YOUR SOULS, WILL BE MINE!"_** he roars.

Ahsoka and Thrawn manage to shake themselves out of their shock first, and she starts flipping the switches on the console furiously.

"Jarik, Mara! Get the power back on, now! We have to move!" she yells, snapping me back to reality.

The cloud of darkness then condenses with a terrible roar from Oryx, and with a flash it morphs into his full form, pale white and black light shining all around him, and ripped wings spread from his back, his three eyes shining bright with cold, malicious light. In his hands he carries a massive sword.

"WHAT THE KRIFF IS THAT?!" Vanto screams in horror.

I have no idea if this is even the real Oryx or not, with the way his body is glowing with that black, pale green and cold white goo, looking a little transparent, but I don't even care right now. The darkness rages and swirled around him in horrifying magnitude. I continue to furiously restore power, the ship coming online with a loud hum.

His gravely, booming laugh echoes around us in sick amusement, and he raises an arm towards us. Behind him, the Dreadnaught has now stopped turning, allowing the super-weapon to fully face us...

* * *

 _Oh man, cliffhanger! Haha I'm so evil to you guys! Things aren't looking very good at all for the group now huh? Geez..._

 _And as you can probably guess, this chapter has a lot of similarities with the episode 'Rising Malevolence.' Also, I hope I wrote Thrawn well enough for you guys. :3_

 _Next chapter coming soon, I promise you all!_


	84. Ch 83 - The Daring Escape

**[ PREVIOUS CHAPTER REVIEWS ]**

 _Ryry-24:_ I've already got the plan for the HTTYD 2 movie sorted out: actually is a major plot point for Jarik's story. Also, Katooni is actually gonna have an appearance in the story real soon. :D

 _Shadow Solaris:_ Thrawn is going to remain Imperial, as he firmly believes that is the best way to protect the galaxy. However Thrawn is perfectly willing to agree with them on the threat the Hive/Vong pose to the galaxy. :3

 _Guest893:_ True, on all things. :)

 _shaniverse fan1:_ Yeah, it would certainly be really cool if my character became a part of Star Wars canon! Sadly, can't have everything... :(

 _I-lander's Mask:_ Yeah, Oryx is in a class all by himself compared to the rest of the Jedi or Sith. Although I am still deciding how he would compare to the Mortis Gods, whether he's stronger or still weaker, since they basically the physical embodiments of the Force. If the galaxy were to learn of this threat though, they'd go into a mass panic, which would cause even more problems. :O

 _Mogor:_ More chapters are always coming.

* * *

 ** _Previously, on A Jedi in Exile..._**

 _"I felt a disturbance in the Force... darkness seems to be growing," Ahsoka says grimly. "And not just from Sidious."_

 _"Yeah... there's more than just the Sith," Jarik tells her._

 _"Considering you're here as well you've seen something again," she deduces._

 _He nods his head in confirmation._

 _"It was a lot more vivid this time, more than it has been in a while," he answers grimly. "And I'm not so sure that's a good sign."_

* * *

 _"R5? What's up buddy?" Jarik asks curiously._

 _R5 beeps at him with a heavy sense of urgency, surprising him a little bit._

 _"A distress call?" he asks, and he beeps back in confirmation. "Well, who's it from?"_

 _He beeps again, and they widen their eyes in bewilderment._

 _"Admiral Thrawn?!" Ahsoka exclaims._

 _"Wait, what happened?" Mara questions, coming up to them after hearing the conversation._

 _"Why in the universe would Admiral Thrawn he sending us a distress signal?" Jarik asks R5 incredulously, ignoring her question._

* * *

 _Thrawn's eyes gleam red, but his gaze is completely calm, analytical, and curious, yet he wasn't eyeing Jarik like an enemy, which he took notice of. Vanto looked more nervous, and seemed a little bit afraid, but whether it was from them or the Hive, Jarik wasn't sure._

 _"Thrawn," he says impassively._

 _"Jarik Shan," he replies in greeting. "And Ahsoka Tano I believe. It would seem Lord Vader's report about your survival is accurate."_

 _Ahsoka frowns._

 _"I suppose it would be Admiral. But don't expect to be returning to the Empire with me in tow," she warns him._

 _He hums, nodding his head, while Vanto looks between them uneasily. "Of course Miss Tano. It would be foolish to think we could take on two talented Jedi. But I must inquire, what brings you this far out into the Unknown Regions?"_

 _"We received your distress call," Jarik tells him._

* * *

 _A loud and horrifying roar screeches loudly around the Knight Hawk, followed by a dark massive cloud of glowing pale mist appearing in front of them with a bright flash. The mist forms into the face of an alien monster, the shriek dying away to an echo. Mara screams in fear at the sight and Vanto yells in terror, while the rest of them widen their eyes in shocked horror._

 _The alien face forming in the cloud of darkness is absolutely horrible to look at. It has a snarling mouth with rotten looking teeth and two large horns or something sticking out from either side of its head. And in the center of its face were three, pale, glowing eyes, filled with malice._

 _Jarik gasps in fear, recognizing the face of this monster in the darkness._

 _Oryx, the Taken King._

 **"JEDI! DESCENDANT OF REVAN'S BLOOD!"** _his horrible, growling voice booms loudly, stunning him to the core._

 _He knew Jarik was a descendant of Revan!? The one he fought thousands of years ago?!_

 **"THE LIGHT OF YOUR SOULS, WILL BE MINE!"** _he roars._

 _Behind him, the Dreadnaught has now stopped turning, allowing the super-weapon to fully face the Knight Hawk..._

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

"GET THE POWER UP NOW!" Ahsoka yells in a panic, and I furiously struggle with the controls, slamming the final button with a closed fist.

"Power's back, let's get out of here!" I exclaim, glancing back up at Oryx in terror. The Taken King had a three clawed hand pointing straight for us, and in his palm, a glowing ball of dark energy was forming, becoming brighter and larger.

"Ahsoka!" I yell in growing worry.

The ship's flare to life, and Ahsoka blasts us off, swiftly turning around with a quick maneuver. And not a moment too soon, as a large beam of pure dark energy screams past where we just were milliseconds ago, barely scraping the edge of the ship. Oryx lets out a frustrated roar, and starts to follow us through the debris field. I look through the scanners to see his form gaining, large wings flapping furiously, sword clenched in his hands.

"He's gaining on us!" I warn her.

"I see it!" she replies fiercely.

"How is that even a thing?!" Mara screams in fear and bewilderment.

"Not now Mara!" I tell her.

"Can this ship even go fast enough?!" Vanto asks doubtfully.

"Did you really just say that- AHH!" I start to question angrily, before crying out in surprise when the ship shakes violently.

Apparently, Oryx had flown up alongside us and then slammed into the side of the Knight Hawk harshly, trying to damage it, or force us to crash. Ahsoka grunted in an attempt to regain control before scowling. Outside, I could notice that Oryx had swung back to gain more momentum, and was going to charge us again, but this time with his massive sword.

"Holy kriff!" Vanto exclaims.

"Two can play at that game!" Ahsoka declares fiercely.

She then turns the throttle around, causing the ship to go into a spiral. The maneuver had the ship's wing spin upwards and slam directly into Oryx, sending him tumbling away into a destroyed engine that we shot past. He let out a loud shriek of rage upon slamming into the engine, which also exploded upon impact; surprisingly it still had something to blow up still.

"We need to program the navicomputer!" Ahsoka yells.

"R5!" I called out, but received no answer.

"He's still turned off!" Mara shouts.

"Then turn him on!" I retort, and she rushes back to do so in a flash. If things could get any worse, they soon did very quickly, as a massive energy reading appeared from behind us on the console.

"The Dreadnaught is about to open fire!" Thrawn exclaims in alarm, having looked at the scanners.

And sure enough, he was right. Not only could I see it on the ship's scopes, but it was also felt through the Force. Coming from the Dreadnaught, was a growing level of darkness in unimaginable levels, powering it up. The equator of the massive vessel lit up with white, misty energy, leading towards the dish, and slowly surrounding it upon touching. And then, with a loud boom, the Dreadnaught fires its shot in a massive, tidal wave of destructive energy, blowing through everything on its pathway towards us.

"Ohhhh that's not good," I say dumbly.

 _"Let's see if I'm as good as Anakin,"_ Ahsoka mutters to me across the bond.

"R5, program the hyperdrive!" Mara tells the droid, having just reactivated him.

"Choose any location that isn't here! It doesn't matter where!" Ahsoka adds instantly, before he could even start.

R5 wastes no time in plugging into the astromech port, desperately searching for a hyperspace route to get out of the system. Behind us, the Dreadnaught's cannon wave gains rapidly, destroyed the already wrecked Seventh Fleet into smithereens even more.

"You have to be fast, that wave travels very quickly!" Thrawn warns us.

"Thanks for the warning Thrawn, it's very helpful!" Ahsoka retorts angrily, voice dripping with sarcasm. She blasts the Knight Hawk's engines to full power, going as fast as we could possibly go, flying through or around large pieces of debris. Soon though, the first bit of good news today is when R5 informs us that he has the navicomputer programmed, and ready for hyperspace once we get clear.

"We can make it!" Mara exclaims hopefully.

We're about to reach the edge of the debris field and into open space, the Dreadnaught's blast wave riding our tail, way too close for comfort. However, right outside of the wreckage field, Oryx teleports directly in front of us with a brief flash, raising his sword with a sickening laugh.

"NO!" Vanto screams in horror, and we all gasp in shock. We watch helplessly as we barrel straight for him, the massive sword now glowing, swiping down to cut our ship clean in half.

However, before that could happen, the strangest thing seems to happen, even stranger than this whole situation. A burst of warmth and light suddenly seems to emanate from around us, converging particularly on Ahsoka, the presence of the light feeling... so familiar. Then a white glow seems to surround her, and her eyes glow briefly as well, and across the bond, Ahsoka's presence seems to be overcharged with the pure essence of the light side. For a brief moment, I thought I saw glowing, feathery wings behind her, but they disappear in the blink of an eye. However, a sudden glowing ball of light appears between Oryx and the Knight Hawk, and just before his sword hits us, shoots out in a beam directly at him.

"Woah!" Mara says loudly in surprise.

The beam of light strikes Oryx head on, and his form screams in a pained rage, being blown back a great distance and out of our way. We all gape in shock before I turn to face Ahsoka, feeling the light side fade, her presence returning back to normal. She let's out an exhausted groan, slumping back into her seat unconscious, much to my alarm.

"Ahsoka?!" I exclaim worriedly, reaching out towards her. Whatever she just did must have taken up a lot of energy, no doubt.

"We're in the clear! Make the jump!" Thrawn exclaims.

Brushing off my concerns for Ahsoka briefly, I reach up and pull the lever to make the jump to hyperspace. The stars elongate around us and the void of space turns blue, and just when the blast wave is about to hit us, we shoot off at lightspeed, away from this horror.

* * *

 ** _Ornfra System; Galaxy's Edge_**

 **3rd person POV...**

The Dreadnaught floated aimlessly amongst the remains of the Seventh Fleet, its own Hive warships surrounding it in vast quantities, their engines all pushing them along slowly. Onboard the Dreadnaught, standing at the edge of his Altar and looking out into space, was the Taken King himself, Oryx. He stood calmly, but with silent anger, hands on the hilt of his sword, which was jabbed into the ground. If his face wasn't already set into a permanent scowl with his teeth bared, he would be frowning.

He exhaled, stretching his wings for a moment before settling back into his normal position, mulling over his thoughts. Behind him, loud footsteps clanked in his direction as his general, Ecthar, the Sword of Oryx approached.

"The Jedi have fled the system, along with the leader of this fleet," he reports with his growling voice. "But the time of our invasion is almost upon us. The Hive wait to satisfy their bloodlust."

Oryx thinks for a moment, before replying.

"No," he booms in reply, clearly surprising Ecthar. "We will have to postpone our assault on this galaxy."

"My King? Why must we wait? The galaxy will soon know of us!" Ecthar protests.

"Silence yourself!" Oryx growls back at him, and Ecthar hastily bows in forgiveness.

"My apologies my King," he replies humbly.

"Our invasion must wait," Oryx says. "These creatures are pitiful, the wielders of the Bogan still insects, but their Empire is vast. Your godly prince Crota still searches for the Traveler, which has not come to this galaxy. And now a new being has come to my attention: the blood of Revan."

Ecthar hissed in distaste. "The Jedi Warrior who escaped from your greatness?"

"He is partnered with one who holds the power of the Ashla," Oryx adds with a growl of anger. His Echo was the one to take the brunt of the attack from Ashla, yet even that was still an alarming amount of Light for him to take.

"How is that possible?!" Ecthar questions in disbelief.

"I intend to figure out," he replies darkly, green eyes gleaming for a moment. "But our invasion will wait. Let these creatures believe they are safe when they end their foolishness. And then, we will wipe them all out!"

If he could, Ecthar would be grinning in sick delight, his already glowing eyes gleaming even more at the thought of killing an entire galaxy.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

As the Knight Hawk continued to soar through the flashing blue clouds of hyperspace, we all took the opportunity to recover from our encounter with Oryx and the Hive.

We had moved to the common room for more space and Mara and Ahsoka sitting on the couch, while Vanto sat in another chair. He was still in a state of shock from the experience. To his credit, Thrawn didn't seem to fearful of shaken, although he was very visibly unsettled. I was fiddling with my mechanical arm, poking at it with some small tools, glancing up every few seconds to keep an eye on Thrawn. R5 was back in the cockpit to keep the ship running, and watch for any sign of the Hive.

"Thrawn, who- what was that thing?" Vanto asks the Admiral with wide eyes.

Thrawn frowns, bringing a hand to his chin, although I don't think even he knows the answer.

"That... was Oryx," I state, throwing away one of my tools after finishing with my arm.

"Oryx?" Thrawn questions, staring at me inquisitively. "You of that creature?"

 _"Is it wise to tell him Jarik?"_ Ahsoka asks cautiously.

 _"We wouldn't be revealing anything he probably hasn't figured out already,"_ I reply in resignation.

"The Taken King, and leader of the Hive," I explain.

"The Hive?" Vanto asks in confusion. "What do you mean Hive?"

"Same species, different names," Mara speaks out dryly, waving a hand.

"You know them as the Yuuzhan Vong, but they call themselves the Hive. Oryx is essentially their god," Ahsoka explains.

"A god?!" Vanto asks incredulously.

Thrawn nods his head slowly, taking in the information before narrowing his eyes at us. "And how would you have come by such knowledge that even the Chiss Ascendancy doesn't know?" he asks suspiciously.

"The Force works in mysterious ways," I say vaguely, giving him a wary look.

"Certainly not just through the Force," he replies. "As I've come to realize very recently, you are descended from the Sith Lord Revan himself, who this 'Oryx,' is also familiar with. I thought that bloodline was all but diminished."

I stiffen in surprise and shock, before narrowing my eyes dangerously at Thrawn, Ahsoka and Mara also doing so as well, just as bewildered by that.

"How do you know about that?" I demand.

"Simple research master Jedi. Millenia ago, the line of Revan was supposedly wiped out by Darth Bane, yet your existence proves otherwise," he replies calmly, analyzing me like a piece of art, and I clench my hands. "The statement made by Oryx all but proves that. Who's to say his familiarity with your and your ancestor doesn't allow him to follow your presence around the galaxy?"

"I'd suggest you stop talking Thrawn," Ahsoka says coldly, sensing my uneasiness and anger at Thrawn knowing who I am descended from. Sure, Palpatine, Maul, and probably Vader knows, but this just gives Thrawn more ammunition to use against me in the future. Who knows how he could use this knowledge?

"I'm merely making an observation Miss Tano," he replies calmly, knowing looking at her with curiosity. "Speaking of which, how did you blow away Oryx before he could hit us?"

"Alright, that is it!" I exclaim irritably, striding forwards to stand face to face with Thrawn. Vanto gets up from his chair anxiously, whether to stop me or be ready for action, who knows, and Ahsoka and Mara follow suit. Thrawn was a little bit shorter than me, but the height difference or the dangerous look in my eyes didn't seem to phase him at all.

"With every second you stand around us, you keep learning more and more," I state angrily. "So, you've left me with no choice but to lock you and Vanto up."

"What?" Vanto exclaims in alarm, moving to intervene, but Ahsoka is suddenly right behind him, a hand on his shoulder, giving him a fierce glare. She also glanced at me with a small amount of concern, but I reassured her through the bond that despite being upset and shaken, I was still in control of my emotions.

"As if we were truly your allies in the first place," Thrawn replies. "It only makes strategic sense, I do hold a high position in the Imperial navy, being an Admiral, most likely with intel your rebels could most definitely profit from."

"As if you'd ever give in to interrogation," I retort with a scoff. "You're too good for that Thrawn. To be honest, I do respect you for the type of commander that you are, to the point I had no clue whether or not I should just let you go free, as you'd never yield intel to us, except for one thing."

"And that would be?" he questions.

"The Yuuzhan Vong, as that is our common enemy," I tell him, before suddenly snapping a pair of binders on him in a flash. "But until they invade, we're on opposite sides."

He eyes me for a few moments with an unreadable expression, but I return the stare, not backing down.

"Very well Shan. Do as you wish."

* * *

Since the Knight Hawk didn't actually have a prison on it, we just converted one of the small, spare rooms into a makeshift cell, removing everything from it except a bench, and sealing the door, locking it.

Afterwards, the three of us were gathered in the common room again, and I had my head propped up with my arms on the table, feeling exhausted. Ahsoka sat beside me, a comforting hand on my back, and Mara sat in another chair, fiddling with her lightsaber a little bit. R5 had just come out of hyperspace a few minutes ago, and was getting to work on looking over the ship for any signs of damage.

"Well, that was intense," Mara says, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, sure was," I mutter.

"So... what are we gonna do with Thrawn?" she asks us.

"To be honest, I don't really know," I admit with a sigh. "I already know he's not the type of person to give in to revealing any information to us unless he chooses too himself."

"Even without that, he's still a high profile target, and with him out of the picture, the Empire would lose their best commander in their Navy." Ahsoka adds. "The real concern I have is how long we can keep him captive."

"But don't we still have the Vong to worry about? He knows a lot about them," Mara points out.

"I don't know, but for some reason, I'm getting the feeling that we won't have to worry about them, as least for a bit longer," she says with a concerned frown.

"Speaking of which," I start to say, giving Ahsoka a serious look. "What did you do when you blasted Oryx away from us?"

"Yeah, how did you do that Mom?" Mara asks curiously.

She glances at us hesitantly, looking uneasy before replying. "I... don't really know. If just sort of happened," she says quietly. "I barely even remember trying to call on the Force to do such a thing. It just, came to me. But the presence I did feel..." she trails off, sharing a look with me.

I listen to her intently, nodding my head. "Morai. I thought it felt like her presence."

"The Mortis god that saved you Mom?" Mara says in amazement.

"I believe so. It was power unlike anything I had ever felt or used before," she replies.

"Sounds just like... when I flew through space a few years ago," I realize.

"So you both can do crazy things through the power of a dead god," Mara summarizes. "How is that even possible?"

"When Morai sacrificed herself to save my life, she unintentionally transferred her life force to me as well, also connecting with Jarik through our bond," Ahsoka explains. "I guess, her power is still there, just buried or hidden. She lives through us."

"That's certainly a lot to think about," I remark.

* * *

 **Thrawn POV...**

"Sir, what are we going to do now?" Vanto asks me.

"Patience Vanto, our rescue will come shortly," I reply calmly, with absolute confidence.

"Rescue? We're prisoners to Jedi, and the Empire probably thinks we're dead now. Who would be coming for us?" he says doubtfully.

I stare at him with a neutral look. "Our discussion with the Shan's is what gave us the opportunity. I know he would never let us just go free, as evident by our predicament. As it so happens, I was not actually as concerned for learning more about Shan, than I was about provoking him."

"Provoking a Jedi? That's almost a death wish," he replies cautiously.

"Shan didn't lose his temper, just like I expected from a trained Jedi, but my comments focused him directly on me and upset him to the point, I was able to slip past his gaze and retrieve this," I tell him, revealing a simple comlink snagged from his belt, now transmitting my frequency to the Empire.

He widens his eyes in surprise, looking impressed. "Even after all this, you still surprise me sir. I mean, slipping something off of a Jedi without him noticing? I never thought a regular person could do that."

"The Force remains a mystery," I admit without shame. "But he worried too much about what I might learn from him or on this ship, that he forgot to focus on himself."

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

In the middle of our discussion, R5 suddenly comes rolling in out of nowhere, squealing at us in alarm.

"Woah woah, what's wrong buddy?" I ask him quickly.

"Were we followed by the Hive?" Ahsoka questions.

He beeps again, and we all frown at what he was telling us. "A tracking beacon on our ship?" Mara asks in confusion.

A thought suddenly comes to my head, and I widen my eyes, frantically checking my belt, horrified at finding the comlink to be gone.

"No no no! Kriff, I am such an idiot!" I yell, shocked that I could have missed something so simple like that.

"Jarik, what happened?!" Ahsoka asks urgently.

"Thrawn nabbed my comlink. He wanted to provoke me!" I exclaim, dashing for the prison room. She gasps in realization and horror, then immediately rushes for the cockpit, R5 and Mara following after her.

I slam the door open to see Thrawn and Vanto sitting casually on the bench, the former looking up at me calmly, while Vanto is more alarmed. Noticing the comlink sitting innocently on the floor, flashing constantly, I whip out my lightsaber and immediately slice through it, before whirling around to face Thrawn.

"What did you do?" I demand.

"Transmitted my coordinates," he replies confidently. "They'll be here soon."

I scowl at him before contacting Ahsoka over the bond. _"Ahsoka, get us out of here as fast as you can, now!"_

However, her response is grim. _"It's too late Jarik. The Empire is already here."_

I close my eyes, cursing myself for being so stupid. I thought I was in control of my temper when Thrawn mentioned all those things he shouldn't know, not to mention Darth Bane wiping out my ancestors. For Thrawn though, getting even the smallest of reactions out of me was all he needed. Giving the two of them one last look, I slammed the door shut on them before dashing to the cockpit, where the rest of them already were.

Looking out the window, I could see that there was already at least three Star Destroyers surrounding us, and probably more behind us if the scanners were correct.

"What did I do to us..." I muttered guiltily.

"Let's focus on that later Jarik. R5, program the hyperdrive," Ahsoka says.

However, R5 beeps back in frustration, shaking his dome.

"The hyperdrive has to reset? Why?" Mara asks in disbelief.

"Oryx must have banged on it when he rammed us," Ahsoka theorizes.

"Oh bloody perfect," I say angrily.

The console then starts to beep, a red light flashing on and off, much to our surprise. Someone on one of the Star Destroyers was trying to contact us?

"That's weird," Mara comments warily.

Frowning, Ahsoka warily accepts the transmission, and the hologram of an older Imperial Officer with a graying mustache appears.

 _"Crew of the Knight Hawk, this is Captain Pellaeon of the Imperial Navy. On behalf of the Empire, you must release Admiral Thrawn and Commander Vanto from your custody immediately, and then you can go free,"_ he says calmly, but with fierce demand.

Me and Ahsoka both shared a look, knowing that to argue about not having him with us was useless at this point. Thrawn would've tied up any loose ends.

"And if we refuse Captain?" Ahsoka asks cautiously.

 _"Then we shall open fire, and you will feel the full might of the Empire,"_ he threatens us.

However, I let out a disbelieving scoff. "You wouldn't do that, not while Thrawn is aboard. He knows way too much for the Emperor or you to let him die."

Pellaeon isn't deterred though. _"The Admiral thought you'd say that. He also said that if you do not do as we wish, then we will hold all of you captive, and deliver you straight to the Emperor himself."_

I narrow my eyes, noting how he also spoke to the Empire using his comlink. I continue talking, hoping to keep them busy until our hyperdrive could reactivate, which R5 was furiously trying to do.

"We could just jump into hyperspace," I reply.

 _"But you haven't, most likely due to some minor damage to the hyperdrive, which Thrawn also suspected,"_ he says instantly, calling my bluff.

"How does he-?" Mara exclaims incredulously.

 _"And any attempt to escape through hyperspace would be futile. We have an Interdictor cruiser ready in case you think to make the attempt,"_ he continues, ignoring Mara.

I could only assume an Interdictor cruiser is the type of ship that can pull others directly out of lightspeed. So essentially, we were surrounded and trapped, with no way out of the situation, unless we gave in to their demands.

Or get delivered to Sidious and Vader on a silver platter.

 _"I'm afraid it's not worth the risk Jarik,"_ Ahsoka says grimly.

I sigh in defeat, nodding my head in agreement. _"No it isn't. And it's my fault."_

 _"You couldn't have known Thrawn could do that,"_ she placates.

 _"But I already saw first hand how smart he is, but now I fell for it again firsthand,"_ I reply in aggravation.

 _"We'll talk later,"_ she replies in obvious disapproval.

"Very well Captain. We'll return Thrawn to you, and you will let us go the instant he is off of our ship," Ahsoka tells Pellaeon.

He nods his head in satisfaction. _"On my word, and the word of the Admiral, you shall be allowed to go free, as long as Thrawn and Vanto are both returned to us."_

His hologram then fades away as he end the transmission, while Mara looks at us in surprise.

"You're letting them go, just like that?" she asks us in confusion and uncertainty.

"Unfortunately, we don't have a choice in his situation," I tell her grimly.

"But how do you know they'll keep up heir end of he deal? You can't seriously think they'll let us leave do you?" she argues doubtfully.

"If there's one thing you can count on Thrawn to do, it's that he does what he says, and he actually has a sense of honor and respect for his enemies, unlike most Imperials. He'll keep his word," I say.

* * *

 **Ahsoka POV...**

I opened the room to Thrawn and Vanto's temporary cell, and they both look up at us.

"Get up. You're getting in an escape pod," I told them, walking away. They follow after me as I lead them to the escape pod hatch. Waste of a good pod, but it's all we can do at this point.

"I trust your negotiations with the Empire were satisfactory?" Thrawn asks calmly.

"You already know the answer to that Thrawn," I reply stiffly.

I open the hatch into the pod and gesture for them to get in. He hums at me in agreement, climbing into the pod along with Vanto.

"Well I'm certainly quite pleased to be getting home free of this nightmare," Vanto states confidently with a smile.

"Don't forget, you wouldn't be getting home if it wasn't for us Vanto," I remind him, jabbing my finger in his direction.

He falters in his confidence, nodding quickly in understanding and wariness. Thrawn gives him a brief look, before returning to look at me.

"And we are of course grateful for your assistance, as we would have surely perished otherwise," he says sincerely.

"Yeah, well don't expect us to rescue you again. We know enough about the Hive now without your insight," I retort.

"I wouldn't be to sure," he replies calmly.

Giving him one last cautious look, I slam the button, closing the hatch and blasting the escape pod away from our ship, out towards the Imperials. Moments later, I felt the Knight Hawk lurch as we launched into hyperspace, which means the Empire kept up their end of the deal.

Thrawn managed to outsmart us again.

* * *

 ** _The Executor; Classified Location; Space_**

 ** _Day's later -_ 3rd person POV...**

Out in a section of Imperial controlled space, a fleet of Star Destroyer's led by the massive Super Star Destroyer known as the Executor, cruises along the void. An Imperial shuttle flanked by several TIE Fighters approaches the Executor's hanger, carrying a very important passenger.

Within the large hanger of the Executor, hundreds of Stormtroopers and the ship's officers and crew were gathered into stiff and orderly formation. A long line in the middle of the army was empty of troopers, leading towards an area cleared out for where the shuttle would be landing.

Striding through the army of Imperial officers was Admiral Thrawn and the Sith Lord Darth Vader himself, headed for the shuttle as it came to a landing. Two more officers and Eli Vanto trailed behind the two, feeling a little uneasy, but keeping himself calm and focused. As the shuttle powered down, the ramp opened, allowing eight Royal guards to disembark, forming lines of four each on both sides in front of the ramp.

Vader, Thrawn, and Vanto all stopped before the ramp, and kneeled respectively, as the last figure emerged from the shuttle.

Clad in dark Sith robes, with a cane held in his right hand was Emperor Palpatine himself, walking down calmly, his scarred face set into an impassive expression, though his yellow eyes gleamed slightly. The mist coming from the ship's exhaust framed him briefly, casting him in a sinister background. He approached the group kneeled on the ground, observing them.

"Rise, my friends," he says, mostly towards Thrawn and Vader.

They all do as he instructed, and follow Palpatine as he walks through the line of Stormtroopers quietly. Vader stood on the Emperor's left side, while Thrawn was on the right. Eli and the other two officers walked behind them, while the eight Royal guards followed.

After a few moments, Palpatine spoke again. "Lord Vader, what is the progress of the Inquisitor's?"

"Slow, and unfortunately not going well," Vader says with an angry scowl, although giving his master wary glances, knowing he would be displeased. "They are thwarted by the rebels at many turns, and have failed their most recent endeavors with the young Force sensitives at the intervention of Shan and Ahsoka Tano."

Sidious' eyes gleamed a little brighter. "This is most displeasing. I had hoped the Inquisitorious would prove more useful."

"The Grand Inquisitor, and the Eighth Brother are the only ones I believed to be capable of completing their tasks," Vader replies with distain.

Palpatine hums in reply. "Tell me, what of Eighth Brother's search?"

"He draws closer, my master," he informs him.

"Very well. We will have to discuss this, later..." he replies with a growl, something Vader is not looking forward to at all. "And what have you to say Thrawn? Considering your fleet has been eliminated!" he says with a scowl.

To his credit, Thrawn doesn't appear to phased, but does look apologetic. "I apologize for losing the fleet my Emperor, but the Yuuzhan Vong unfortunately took us by complete surprise, showcasing powers that even I was not aware of."

"And yet you have more to say about this?" Palpatine deduces.

He nods his head. "The Yuuzhan Vong flagship has a weapon capable of destroying entire fleets in one shot. It is similar to the Malevolence that was used back in the Clone War, yet this one doesn't shoot ion charges, but destroys fleets completely. And the one who leads the Vong is a very powerful being by the name of Oryx, wielding dark powers unlike anything I have ever seen."

Sidious frowns deeply, his face etched into deep concern at this information. "How did you come across such knowledge of their leader?" he questions. "And if what you say is true, then how are you here? By all accounts, you should have died with the rest of your fleet," he points out.

"And I would have, along with Commander Vanto, if it wasn't for the unexpected intervention of Jarik Shan, and Ahsoka Tano," Thrawn informs him.

Sidious and Vader both stop in comeplete astonishment, looking around to face Thrawn incredulously.

"Shan?" he hisses.

"How would Jarik Shan and Ahsoka Tano know of that?!" Vader questions in disbelief.

"I am not sure, but they seem to have known about the existence of the Vong for some time. That's how I know the name of Oryx," Thrawn explains.

"This is most troubling," Sidious growls. "Shan is proving to become more of a threat to us, knowing things he could not possibly know! He must be destroyed soon!"

"If I may ask my Emperor, would it not be helpful to know if Shan knows anymore about the Vong that we do not yet understand?" Thrawn questions.

Palpatine frowns at him. "I understand your concerns Admiral, but we cannot allow Shan to continue. The Empire is our best defense against this threat, and my rule is needed to keep order in the galaxy. Shan seeks to undo all of that."

Thrawn nods his head in understanding. "I understand my Emperor. However, here is one more thing about Shan and Tano that I believe you would be interested to know."

"And that is?" Palpatine questions.

"Miss Tano wears, on her right hand... a ring, of most significant value," Thrawn says. "And considering their history together, I believe that they may have... been married."

Underneath his mask, Vader widens his eyes, shocked, but at the same time finding it perfectly understandable. He knows how close the two of them are, and without an order to hold them back, they got together.

It almost reminds him of... _her_.

Sidious takes the information in, his expression unreadable, before a sinister smirk slowly grows on his face, and his yellow eyes gleam brightly.

"This... maybe prove most useful, in their undoing..." he trails off gleefully.

The cackling laugh of Darth Sidious echoes around the hanger.

* * *

 _Darn it Thrawn! He's just way too smart and observing! Who knows what Sidious and Vader will do now that they know of the marriage between them._

 _To be honest, when it came to writing the dialogue between Thrawn and Jarik/Ahsoka/Mara, it was kind of tough getting it right, while also keeping them in character. I hope it was good enough for you!_

 _I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I love the support you guys have for my stories! :D_


	85. Ch 84 - A Princess on Lothal

_**Hammerhead Cruiser; Lothal System**_

 **Leia POV...**

Our three hammerhead class corvettes came out of hyperspace, slowly approaching Lothal, where an Imperial light-cruiser sat waiting for us. Our pilots continued forwards confidently at a steady pace, despite the TIE Fighters approaching.

"Well, seems a little lonely out here," the voice of my handmaiden and good friend spoke from beside me. She was dressed up in an Alderaan colored navy blue handmaiden's dress with the loose hood up, covering most of her head, signifying her status as one of my handmaidens, although I don't really have any other than her. She's always been one of my best friends, and one I've come to see as sort of a mentor as well.

"I'll say, although I've heard some good things about the rebel group here from Fulcrum and my father," I reply with a small smile.

"Oh I'm sure they're good, considering that a certain someone has taken a keen eye with them," she replies.

"You mean Jarik Shan?" I deduce with a knowing look at the Tholothian woman. She smiles wistfully, a look on her face that I recognized as one of longing and fondness. "Sorry if I brought up any bad memories," I quickly say in apology.

"No need to apologize Leia," she reassures with a smile. "Knowing that Jarik and Ahsoka have helped this group is... a wonder, to say the least. They're great mentors, and good friends of mine from the time that I knew them," she replies.

I smile lightly back at her before the intercom buzzes to life, as the Imperial cruiser establishes contact with us.

 _"Attention, this is Lieutenant Lyste,"_ the officer introduces. _"Lothal is now a restricted system by order of the Emperor. Identify yourselves immediately."_

I guess its a good thing my father's status in the Imperial Senate lets us get into such places. Always helpful.

"Greetings Lieutenant," the pilot replies respectfully. "We come bearing relief supplies for the citizens of Lothal. Our mission is sanctioned by the Imperial Senate."

 _"I wasn't informed of your visit, nor do you have a landing permit,"_ he replies suspiciously.

"Send the permit to him pilot," I tell him, and he nods, beaming the permit to the light-cruiser.

"Although something tells me that this is what Jarik or Ahsoka do on a daily basis," she mutters quietly to me, and I resist the urge to snort in laughter.

Moments later, the Imperial officer replies in confirmation of the permit. _"Your landing has been granted, and fighters will escort you to the Jalath City Depot for processing. I'll see you there,"_ he tells us.

I step forward to reply to the lieutenant. "This is Princess Leia Organa. I look forward to it Lieutenant," I announce, before glancing at the pilot. "End transmission," I tell him, and he swiftly does so.

"Well Katooni, there's no going back now," I remark.

"No there isn't Leia," Katooni replies.

* * *

 _ **Imperial Shipyard; Jalath City; Lothal**_

 **3rd person POV...**

Kanan and Ezra both rode into the shipyard undetected on their speeder bike, while the three hammerhead cruisers came in for a landing. Stopping behind a large pile of crates, the two got off and made sure they were in uniform, before peeking out to get a look at the cruisers touching down on the ground. Ezra was appalled.

"Those, are our reinforcements? some old transports?!" he asks incredulously.

"In our position, you take what you can get kid," Kanan replies. "Besides, Hera once told me how she heard that Jarik, Ahsoka and Mara managed to find and steal a whole Separatist cruiser from the Clone Wars."

"Well then why don't we get that as our reinforcements?" he demands.

"You cant just land one of those warships here," Kanan retorts, rolling his eyes. "Besides, Senator Organa is supposedly keeping it secret until te rebellion needs it, as a last resort," he adds. Ezra sighs, but nods in understanding.

"If you say so," he says, although a little reluctantly.

Once the cruisers had all touched down, the two of them both rushed up towards the entrance ramp of the middle ship, keeping a wary lookout for anyone who might be watching. The door then opens to reveal a young girl around Ezra's age, along with a Tholothian woman clad in a navy blue dress, standing slightly behind the girl. Upon seeing the woman however, Kanan frowns slightly, feeling something off about her, but hidden.

"Excuse me, miss? Uh, where's your commander?" Ezra asks, lowering his helmets face mask.

However, Leia gave him an amused, but unimpressed look, while Katooni smiled softly to herself, sensing the boy to be a Jedi-in-training. Of course, she already knew this thanks to Senator Organa, as did Leia.

"Not much of a welcoming committee," she comments dryly.

"It would not seem so my lady," Katooni replies in amusement.

Leia steps past Ezra, who's face falls in light annoyance, and looks up at Kanan. "Trooper?" she asks.

Kanan takes off his helmet, and offers Leia a smile. "I'm Kanan, and this is Ezra. We're from Phoenix Squadron," he tells her.

"I know who you are," Leia says immediately, before raising an eyebrow at him. "And unless you want the deck officer to know too, I suggest you keep your mouths shut," she adds, making a zipping motion with her lips, before walking away, Katooni in tow.

"Excuse me?" Ezra questions in disbelief, irritated.

"I'd do what she says youngling," Katooni replies softly, smiling down at him before falling in line with the princess.

"Youngling?!" he exclaims incredulously, gawking at the two ladies.

Kanan grins to himself in amusement, and places his helmet back on his head, holding his blaster high. "You heard them, shut it! Youngling," he teases, walking past him.

Ezra frowns grumpily before covering his face again, and the two step in line formally behind Leia and Katooni.

"Deck Officer, I'd like to start distributing my relief aid," Leia asks the commanding Stormtrooper.

"Stand by. My orders are to inspect the cargo for contraband, and detain these vessels until the lieutenant arrives," he informs them, before turning to the troopers behind him. "Scanning crew, move out!" he orders.

The three stormtroopers walk off to the cruisers, leaving Leia and Katooni with Kanan and Ezra, who walk up behind them.

"Well, this plan's off to a good start," Kanan says sarcastically.

"As a matter of fact Kanan, the plan is going just how we want it too," Katooni reassures him.

"So... who are you?" Ezra asks, and Kanan glances at him in annoyance.

"She's a good friend of mine," Leia replies, before glancing at them. "Where's the rest of your team?"

"They'll be here, eventually," Kanan informs her.

Leia nods, a content smile forming on her face. "Good. Then you can steal my ships."

"What?!" Kanan and Ezra both ask in bewilderment.

An Imperial shuttle then comes down for a landing in front of them before they could ask any more.

"We'll explain later, but first I have to deal with the Lieutenant," Leia tells them firmly. "Follow my lead, and try and keep up with us."

"Do that, and the ships will be all yours," Katooni adds with a small smirk, before she and Leia walk off to greet the lieutenant.

"Why does she get to give orders? I don't get to give orders!" Ezra complains as they watch the two.

"Do you ever listen to yourself?" Kanan retorts, playfully nudging his helmet before following after the girls. Ezra crosses his arms in annoyance.

"Yes, and I happen to be very interesting!" Ezra protests grumpily.

The Imperial shuttle comes to a landing, and out walks Lieutenant Lyste at a brisk pace, flanked on either side by two stormtroopers. Both parties greet each other in a formal manner.

"You must be Leia Organa, princess of the royal house of Alderaan," he states.

"And aide to my father, Senator Bail Organa," she adds sternly.

Lyste regards her impassively before glancing at Katooni. "And you are?"

"Kaia, a handmaiden to Princess Leia sir," she tells him with an incline of her head.

"I come with relief supplies for Lothal's needy, who are suffering terribly as a result of the rebel insurgency here. Surely you don't want innocents to starve?" Leia questions rhetorically.

"No, of course not," Lyste replies with a smile, something Katooni can easily see through, sensing he doesn't care at all for the civilians. "Lothal has indeed suffered, as has Alderaan. From what I hear, your ships have an unfortunate habit of falling into rebel hands. I assure you, that will not happen on my watch."

From behind the shuttle, moving platforms head towards the hammerhead cruisers, transporting a large mechanism. The group of undercover rebels watch in surprise and wariness as the mechanisms are brought towards the ships, and then magnetically inserted against the feet, clamping down and locking them into place against the ground.

"Gravity locks? This is hardly necessary," Leia protests with a frown.

"I insist," Lyste replies firmly. "Plus, a trooper detachment, and for extra security..."

They then look over to see a Gozanti cruiser approach, and then drop off two AT-AT walkers, which slowly stomp towards the ship, keeping a close eye over everything. Ezra and Kanan are gaping in shock, while Katooni and Leia are more worried, a heavy sense of dread and uneasiness filling them, though they try to keep their expressions hidden from the imperials.

"...walkers, will guard your ships from the rebel insurgency," he finishes smugly. "All for your safety, miss."

Katooni and Leia both share a look, the former giving her a brief, encouraging nod. Leia steels her face into a determined frown, and then glances back at Lyste.

"It's 'your highness,'" she snaps at him, turning around. "As my ships are detained, I will require your shuttle to begin my work."

Lyste's confident expression falters, and he glances at her uneasily. "Oh, umm, my shuttle? Certainly I could arrange for other transportation-"

"With all due respect sir, I'm afraid the princess meant your shuttle," Katooni interrupts softly., causing Lyste to glance at her in annoyance.

"Yes, your shuttle," she agrees sternly. "I need to leave immediately," she says, glancing back at Kanan and Ezra, who stand at attention. "You two! Bring those supplies and escort me to the trauma area at once!"

"Yes ma'am! Right away!" Kanan replies, deepening his voice. He and Ezra then shuffle behind the two large crates and begin pushing them, following after Leia and Katooni. They all board the lieutenant's shuttle and quickly take off, heading for a rendezvous point with the rest of the Spectres.

* * *

Kanan sat in the pilot's seat of the shuttle, directing them towards their hideout, while Leia sat in the copilot's seat. Ezra and Katooni both sat in the chairs behind them, and the latter had now pulled down her hood.

"I hate to say it, but whoever came up with this plan severely underestimated the Empire's security," Kanan remarks.

Leia glances down for a moment with a sad, guilt ridden look on her face. "I'm sorry," she apologizes.

"Don't be," Kanan replies.

"It wasn't your fault Leia, we couldn't have expected this to happen," Katooni reassures her.

"Yes it was," she insists. "This was my plan."

"Our plan," Katooni reminds her softly with a smile.

"We need those ships," Ezra speaks up. "Why didn't you just hand them off to us in deep space?"

Leia and Katooni both turn around in their seats to look at him. "You don't understand, it's not that simple," Leia says. "If the Empire could prove Alderaan provided ships to the rebels, we'd lose our seat in the Senate, and be charged with treason."

"But, if we had it so the ships were stolen on an Imperial controlled world," Katooni adds.

"Alderaan would be blameless," Kanan finishes in realization. "Have to admit, that was a good plan."

"Well, now we need a new one," Leia decides.

Frowning thoughtfully to himself, Kanan turns around in his seat to look at Katooni.

"Say, Kaia..." he starts, before she interrupts him.

"Katooni. My real name is Katooni," she admits.

"Really?" he asks in confusion. "Uhh, why the need for secrecy?"

"It's a long story, but it would be a good idea if the Empire didn't know my real identity," she explains.

Kanan nods, still confused but accepting it. "Alright. Well, Katooni, should I know you from somewhere? You feel a little bit... familiar, I don't know."

"What do you mean?" Ezra asks, while Leia watches, a little concerned, but not worried.

"No Kanan, I don't believe we do know each other," she replies calmly. "Although, we do share a mutual acquaintance."

"A mutual acquaintance? Who?" he asks.

Before they could continue, Ezra's comlink starts to beep, and moments later, the beeping voice of Chopper comes through the transmission.

"Yeah, what is it Chopper?" he asks.

Chopper beeps back urgently in reply, causing the group to frown in worry.

"Stormtroopers?" Ezra replies in surprise.

As the shuttle flies over towards the rocky areas to come in for a landing, they notice a platoon of stormtroopers with at least three troop transports in their landing area.

"Well this looks interesting," Katooni says.

"Friends of yours?" Leia asks the two.

"Not for much longer by the look of things," Kanan replies with a frown.

"What are we going to do?" she asks in concern.

"This time, you follow my lead," he says firmly, getting up from his seat and heading for the exit.

Leia glances at him in a small amount of surprise, before looking over at Katooni, who shrugs casually in response. After a moment, they all get up and follow after Kanan, getting into character as Ezra puts his helmet back on, and Katooni raises her hood.

Leaving the shuttle, they walk calmly over towards the commanding stormtrooper, alarmed at seeing Governor Azadi being held captive by more troopers behind him. Several feet away, Chopper waves at them from behind another stormtrooper.

"This is a secure site. State your business," the commanding stormtrooper demands.

"I'm taking the princess, ambassador here, on a, uh scouting mission for possible refugee relocation," Kanan stutters.

 _'I'm thinking R5 did a better job,'_ Katooni thinks to herself.

"This is not a safe area for you," the commander replies firmly. "There's a lot of rebel activity here at the moment."

"Well, we're finishing our survey, so we can take these prisoners back to Jagath for you," he suggests in reply.

"That won't be necessary. We have orders to terminate one of them immediately," the commander informs them, much to their alarm.

"Hold on trooper!" Leia speaks out in concern, stepping forwards. Katooni follows, stepping in line behind her. "As a representative of the Senate, I demand to know what this man has done."

"He's a fugitive from an Imperial prison. Now depart immediately for you own safety," the commander orders. "Where you find one rebel, there are usually more."

Nearby, Chopper suddenly rolls forwards with urgent beeps, and starts to spin around crazily. Everyone looks at him in confusion, but Kanan and Ezra both get what's going on instantly.

"Chopper's receiving a signal. And you know what that means," Kanan mutters.

"Hera's here!" Ezra finishes eagerly.

A shadow then covers the whole group, followed by the sound of engines, causing everyone to look up. Hovering above them is the Ghost, which opens fire on the stormtroopers, causing everyone to scatter. Katooni quickly shoves Leia out of harms way as a transport is blown up, spewing dust into the air, and Kanan and Ezra follow them.

"More friends of yours?" Leia exclaims.

"Yeah, I'm a likable guy!" Karan replies.

"Too likable," Katooni retorts.

"Hey!"

"Now go get that man, who I'm sure is a part of your group!" she exclaims, ignoring him.

Karan grumbles to himself but quickly rushes over to Ryder, who is crouched beside the destroyed transport. He roughly grabs him by the arm and pulls him to his feet.

"You're coming with me!" he exclaims with a fake growl, rushing him back towards where the rest of the group is taking cover.

Taking cover behind a destroyed transport, the group watches as the Ghost comes to a landing, and the ramp lowers to allow Sabine and Zeb to charge out, firing at the squad of stormtroopers, who quickly attempt to retaliate.

"Huh, your friends are pretty good," Katooni remarks, and then as an afterthought: "I've seen better."

"How could a princess's handmaiden like you have seen a battle plan better than this?" Ezra exclaims in bewilderment.

Katooni only smirks mischievously in response.

"Zip it Ezra, it's not that important right now," Kanan tells him.

"You know, your friends might shoot you wearing that armor," Ryder points out.

"Not a bad idea governor," Kanan replies, an idea popping into his head. "Take the princess hostage!"

"What?!" Ryder replies in bewilderment.

"If I'm seen escaping with you, I'll be labeled a traitor. You have to take me prisoner!" Leia realizes.

"Wait, but what about Katooni? I doubt it'd be believable that Ryder could drag two people, no offense," Ezra points out.

"I'm not weak y'know," he retorts with a frown.

"But he does have a point," Kanan reminds him.

"Don't worry, I can make it seem believable for myself," Katooni says.

"You sure Katooni?" Leia asks in concern.

"You know me Leia, besides, I've been through worse," she reassures her with a smile.

"Ok seriously, are you even a handmaiden?!" Ezra exclaims incredulously.

"Later Ezra!" Karan replies in exasperation.

"Alright, we'll you better make it look good then. I'll warn Sabine!" he says, stepping out for Sabine to see.

He then makes a hand gesture, signaling to her that the plan is going into effect. After a nod from Kanan, Ryder then shoves him onto Ezra, sending them sprawling across the ground. He then grabs Leia by the wrist and starts pulling her with him towards the Ghost.

"Help! commander!" Leia calls out in false terror.

The commanding stormtrooper takes notice and aims his blaster at Ryder, only to be stopped by Kanan and Katooni.

"Don't shoot, he has the princess!" Katooni yells, running after Ryder.

"Hold your fire! She's my responsibility! I'll get her back!" Karan exclaims, stepping in front of the commander before charging after them, Ezra following.

As Ryder boards the ship with Leia in tow, Katooni, Kanan and Ezra dash for them, before Zeb steps forwards with a smirk on his face, and brings out his bo-rifle.

"No, Zeb wait, easy!" Karan exclaims in alarm, sensing his intention, however he was bashed in the gut and chest, knocking him unconscious.

"Web, that's Kanan!" Ezra yells in bewilderment, before also being knocked out cold with a blow to the head.

"I know," Zeb says in amusement.

He was then shoved away harshly by Katooni, knocking him against the wall with a growl.

"Release the Princess!" she declares, before adding in a quieter voice. "Take me captive!"

Zeb growls, before stopping for a moment in confusion. "What?!"

Underneath her helmet, Sabine rolls her eyes and then aims her pistol at Katooni, shooting a stun blast in her direction. The wave of blue energy hits her, and she collapses to the ground.

"Come on Zeb!" she exclaims, dragging Katooni's arm and pulling her inside. Zen grumbles to himself but then grabs Kanan and Ezra's arms, pulling them into the ship.

Back outside, two of the stormtroopers were very confused.

"They're taking prisoners?" one of them asks.

"They do that now?!" his partner replies in bewilderment.

The Ghost's ramp then closes, and the ship takes off into the air, blowing up Lieutenant Lyste's shuttle for good measure, and the Phantom follows after it. Both ships then blast off into the sky, home free.

* * *

"Karan, wake up! Kanan!" Zeb says, crouched beside Kanan, who was laying on the ground. Ezra was sitting up, wincing in pain as he rubbed his jaw. With a pained groan, Kanan slowly wakes up and rubs the back of his head.

"How's your face?" Zen asks with a grin.

Kanan glares angrily at him. "Why did you hit me?!" he demands.

"Well, you had a helmet on," he replies casually.

Ezra groans in pain. "Did you have to hit us so hard?" he complains.

"Hey, you wanted it to look good," he defends himself, still grinning.

"Where's the princess?!" Karan demands angrily, getting to his feet alongside Ezra.

"In the cockpit with Hera," he replies.

Karan moves to head in that direction, before he and Ezra both notice Katooni lying still on the ground nearby. He widens his eyes in alarm, before whipping around the glare at Zeb.

"Please tell me you didn't hit her too!" he exclaims.

"Oh she's fine, Sabine shot her with a stun blast!" Zen tells them. "She'll wake up in another few minutes."

"I'm actually awake," Katooni suddenly says, leaping to her feet calmly, and brushing off her dress.

Zen yelps in surprise, while Kanan sighs in relief.

"What?! How are you already awake?" Zen asks in bewilderment.

"I was never fully knocked out," she replies with a casual shrug, flicking a piece of dirt off her shoulder.

"But you were stunned!" Ezra adds.

"Believe it or not, this is far from being my first fire fight," she says, before walking off. "I'll be with the princess in the cockpit if you need me!"

The three all watch her go in mixed expressions of confusion and bewilderment, although Kanan's eyes are narrowed, still unable to figure out why she feels strange whenever he tries to sense her.

"Are you sure she's just a handmaiden?" Ezra asks him.

"I don't know Ezra," he replies warily.

* * *

 **Katooni POV…**

Leia and I followed Hera and Ryder out of the cockpit after a brief discussion.

"I owe you my life. You have my gratitude," he was saying.

"It's the least we could do after leading the Empire right to you," she replies warmly.

We look around the interior of the Ghost for a few moments, before another conversation close by gets our attention.

"We heard what happened. Sorry kid," Zeb was telling Ezra.

"At least now you know," Sabine adds, patting him gently on the shoulder. Karan was with them to, and Ezra's back was to us.

"Yeah. I guess I just need some time," he says glumly, and I sense sadness and longing from him. I look at him sadly, knowing the feeling all too well, and it stayed with me for a long time after I lost my clan…

The group then separates, and we watch Ezra walk quietly into the cockpit, sharing a sad look with each other. Karan then approaches us, and we turn to him in concern.

"Is he alright?" Leia asks him.

"He'll be okay. He just lost some people close to him," Kanan explains sadly.

I nod my head in understanding. "He's mourning them. I know that feeling all too well," I admit, and Leia gives me a look of sympathy, to which I smile at her reassuringly.

"It's a challenge being his age and having so much responsibility." Karan continues.

"I know that feeling," Leia replies with some exasperation.

"Maybe he could use a friend," he suggests, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I think it would be a wonderful idea," I add in agreement.

Leia looks at the both of us for a few moments, and in that gaze, I remember just how young she really is, still just a young girl. She'll always be that young, innocent girl with a pure heart in my eyes, something I've strived to keep in her for as long as possible. Sadly, with the responsibility she has, there's only so much you can do for young kids. I lost the privilege of innocence when I watched my clan mates die at the Temple… and when Petro was impaled through the heart at the end of a blue lightsaber.

Leia looks at the cockpit door, contemplating, before moving forwards to enter, going to talk to Ezra. I watch her go proudly, and once the door closes, I turn towards Kanan, sensing he had questions.

"You're close to her," he states.

"I've watched out for her, protected her, and been her friend for as long as she could remember," I say softly, glancing back at the door she just walked through.

"You must be proud of who she's managed to become then," he continues.

"So proud, just like her father," I say in agreement. "And sad. Someone so young should not have to be fighting in a war against the Empire."

"I've felt the same way about Ezra," he replies sadly. "I was only fourteen when my master was killed at the end of the Clone War. It took my a long time to get past that… and now Ezra's in a similar position."

"He has you to help him through it though," I point out encouragingly. "I can tell that you mean a lot to him. Like family."

He nods, staying quiet for a few moments before looking inquisitively at me. "Ever since we met, I've felt like something is different about you. But I can't figure it out."

I stay silent, contemplating on whether or not it was worth the risk to tell him. Eventually, my honesty overcomes the risks.

"I was once like you Kanan… I'm the sole survivor of my clan," I tell him softly, and he widens his eyes in realization. "If I wasn't rescued from the Temple, I'd have died at the hands of Darth Vader too."

"I… I'm sorry to hear about that," he says sadly, giving me a sympathetic look.

I smile at him reassuringly. "Don't be. I've learned to move past it now. I may no longer live that life, but I have found a new purpose," I say, looking back at the door to the cockpit. "And I plan on protecting her until the end of my days."

* * *

After me and Kanan had our talk, where I revealed what I once was to him, we headed towards the ship's common room, where a hologram of the shipyard was up, displaying the three cruisers and the Empire's security. Leia and Ezra soon joined us, as we were discussing possible scenarios, which were slim.

"We did a scan of the landing field, and looking at the imperial security, I just don't see us living long enough to get near those ships," Sabine says grimly.

"Two walkers are a big problem," Zeb adds.

Karan sighs in frustration. "Even if we reach the ships, they're not going anywhere unless we can disable those gravity locks."

"Would be nice to have a certain slicer here right now," Zeb remarks with a hidden meaning, and I have a pretty good idea of who he's referring too.

"Three extra Jedi wouldn't hurt either," Ezra replies with a shrug.

"Focus you two. We can't rely on them for help all the time," Hera scolds.

"Those defenses are formidable," Leia speaks up, walking towards the hologram. "Why? Because the Empire doesn't underestimate you. They know how good you are!"

"She's right. According the Fulcrum's intel, your rebel cell has one of the highest rewards for your capture," I tell them.

"Well, that's reassuring," Zeb says sarcastically.

"We might be able to get one out, but we'll never get all three," Kanan says grimly, sharing a defeated look with Hera. "It's impossible."

I frown at them in disapproval, shaking my head. "Old friends of mine used to do the impossible on a daily basis, and I was even a part of one of their plans. I know you guys are just the same."

"You sound like you've been through a lot for a handmaiden," Sabine says suspiciously.

"She has, which is why I have her," Leia says with a fond smile. "I know you need those ships, so don't tell me why we can't get them. Tell me how we will."

There's the fire in her that I find so amazing.

"Well, Kanan and I still have our disguises so, we can get onto the platform," Ezra suggests. "But to get close to the ships, we'll need a distraction."

"Me and Katooni can handle that," Leia says confidently, crossing her arms.

"The Ghost can act as air support," Hera adds.

"And, I can use detonators to blast off the gravity locks," Sabine suggests.

"Won't work. You can't forcibly remove the locks," Ryder interrupts.

"You, know this how?" Hera questions.

"In prison I put those locks together, so I know how to take 'em apart," he says firmly.

"Ryder Azadi, does that mean you're getting involved?" Karan asks with a smirk.

"Just this once," he replies. "It's clear I can't stay on Lothal so, I'll help you. If you get me out of here."

* * *

After the plan was set, Ezra, Kanan, Leia and I all boarded their smaller ship the Phantom, and flew back towards the Imperial shipyard. There, we could see out three cruisers still right where we left them, with the Empire's security looking a lot more formidable in person.

"To be honest, I haven't been in action this big for quite a while," I admit.

"And it's a first for me," Leia adds in amusement.

"In the action? Seriously?" Ezra asks incredulously.

"Agh, I'll tell you later Ezra, just focus on the mission." Karan says, putting on his helmet after landing the ship.

Ezra does the same, and we move for the door, opening it and stepping outside, with me and Leia walking in front. We move around the ship to find Lieutenant Lyste and a few stormtroopers with their blasters raised, although he was very surprised.

"I'd think you'd be pleased to see me and my handmaiden safe and sound Lieutenant," Leia says sarcastically with a frown on her face.

"O-of course, your highness, very pleased!" Lyste stammers, shoving the stormtroopers blasters down. "Just, um… surprised."

"This brave trooper saved all three of us fro those rebels," she continues, striding forwards professionally, while the Imperials look on in slight bewilderment. "He deserves a medal. Kaia, please make a note of that."

"Yes my lady," I reply respectfully.

She walks forwards to take a good look at the cruisers, and I can sense Sabine inside the bridge of the first one already, and I hide a smile. So far, the plan was going perfectly. Lyste and two stormtroopers move forwards in front of us to present the cruisers.

"Yes, well, as you can see, your ships are safe and sound, right where you left them," he says proudly, gesturing towards the cruiser.

The fact that it was currently lifting off into the air was one of the most comical things I've seen, contesting with R5 sneaking past droids into Hondo's base on Florrum with a tank, way back in the day.

"If you're trying to impress me lieutenant, you're doing a miserable job at it," Leia states angrily in disapproval, although I can sense she's trying hard not to grin at the sight as well.

"What do you mean?" he asks in confusion.

"You don't know?!" Leia exclaims in mock disbelief, gesturing towards the hovering cruiser.

Lyste turns around and gapes in shock at the sight of the ship rising further into the air. "I didn't authorize this! who's piloting that ship?!" he exclaims.

"Sir, rebels!" the commander yells, pointing at Chopper and Ryder.

"Blast them!" Lyste cries out.

The stormtroopers open fire on the pair, and they try to take cover from the lasers heading in their direction, while Sabine continues to rise into the air. We watch in concern, but know that we can't do anything without blowing our cover, as it's all up to the Specters now.

The turrets on the cruiser then spring to life and open fire, impacting in small explosions against the ground close to our group that send some of the Imperials scattering or falling to the ground. Unfortunately, one of the AT-AT walkers starts to fire on the hammerhead cruiser, damaging the back end near its engines, causing it to shake a little. Me and Leia share a worried glance, afraid that the plan was going to fail with those walkers firing.

Luckily for us, Hera then swoops in with the Ghost and fires torpedoes at the walkers, which slam into its side with large explosions, causing the walker to groan and kneel on the ground.

List and the stormtroopers continue to fire at Ryder however, so Kanan springs into action, slamming one stormtrooper aside, and then bashing Lyste in the face when he whirls around to fire at him. Ezra then jumps over him and onto the last stormtrooper, repeatedly hitting him in the head. His helmet was knocked off in the process, but we watch as they spin around until the stormtrooper falls to the ground, and Ezra gives him one last punch for good measure.

"Way to commit," I mutter to Leia, who nods in agreement.

"Sabine's away, now let's get out of here," Kanan says.

"I'm not so sure we're going anywhere," Ezra replies nervously.

Through the smoke, we can see the Imperial walker slowly getting back to its feet with loud creaks and groans, its headlights shining through the smoke.

"I thought I'd hate them when they were first introduced to the military," I say with a sigh.

"Secure the third ship! I'll handle the walker!" Karan yells determinedly, rushing off.

"Handle the walker? How?!" Leia calls after him in bewilderment.

"Just trust us! Go!" Ezra says, rushing forwards.

"I think I know how," I comment, noticing how he was headed straight for the walker, rushing past Ryder.

A blue lightsaber blade then springs out by his side as he makes a beeline for the walker's legs. I watch in awe as he jumps up, slicing through the first leg and then leaping towards the second, slicing it as well. He flips through the air to land on the ground, and the walker tumbles down to the side, its support now all but gone.

"Did you see that?!" Leia exclaims in excited awe.

"If you like that, watch this!" Ezra says confidently.

We watch as he rushes over to where two stormtroopers were aiming their blasters at Ryder. As he closes his eyes, I can feel him focus on the force before he whips his hands back, and the blasters are yanked away from the stormtroopers, headed for him. He catches one blaster with a smile, but fails to see the second one, and it clonks him straight in the helmet.

Both stormtroopers take notice and run over to us, so Leia picks up one of the fallen blasters.

"Get down!" she tells us, and starts firing.

Red laser bolts spew out of her gun and over to the stormtroopers, who weave around in an attempt to get closer. She struggles, not used to the high recoil of the blaster, but eventually manages to take the troopers out. I smile at her.

"That's my girl Leia," I say quietly, and she grins shyly at me, and moves back over to Ezra, who was still rubbing his head.

"That is impressive," she admits, handing him the blaster. "Well, mostly."

"Eh, I've seen better," I remark casually, unable to help myself.

Ezra rolls his eyes. "Oh I'm sure- look out!" he yells in alarm.

Already having sensed the threat, I whip around to face a charging stormtrooper, and raise a hand. He was thrown against the side of a nearby wall, and I used the Force to rip his blaster from his grasp and into my hands, which I then used to shoot him.

Leia smiles happily, while Ezra gapes at me in complete shock.

"You're a Jedi?!" he exclaims in bewilderment.

I shoulder the blaster, smirking at him. "I was," I say, before noticing a troop transport coming in, and drop my blaster. "We've got incoming."

They both look over to see the approaching transport, and Leia gives Ezra a reassuring look. "I'll handle this," she says.

Ezra pulls himself out of his shock and gives her a nod, casting us one last glance before rushing off to join the rest of his team. Getting into character, me and Leia then dash towards the transport, which was depositing a commander and several more stormtroopers.

"Thank goodness you've arrived. The rebels are stealing my ships!" Leia says worriedly, with a hint of false anger.

The commander moves forwards with his squad, and regards the scene as the remaining walker continues to fire shots against the cruisers backside. He then raises a hand to his com link.

"AT-AT 36, you have new orders, shoot to kill. Repeat, shoot to kill!" he orders.

We widen our eyes in alarm, and Leia dashes forwards, grabbing his arm. "No, you can't!" she protests.

"I'm sorry your highness, but we can't let you ships fall into rebel hands," the commander replies firmly, although he does sound slightly apologetic.

"Destroy that ship, now!"

We share a worried look with each other before watching in concern as the walker's blasts against the cruiser start doing heavy damage. Luckily, the Ghost swoops by to fire on the walker more, causing a distraction. This continues on for longer, but the walker was now more focused on the Ghost, allowing the cruisers to get further away.

Soon though, the third one lifts off the ground, and I hide a smile of relief, Leia no doubt doing the same. The Ghost then soars close by on its side, kicking up a lot of dirt and blowing us down to the ground. Recovering, I help Leia get back to her feet, and we notice Ezra boarding the last cruiser off in the distance. She glances at me, and I give her a nod.

"Go on, I'll make sure it looks good from over here," I tell her.

"Oh I know you will," she replies with a smirk.

I watch her rush over to Ezra, who stops to share a quick word with her. They then start shoving each other in a pretend struggle, while I notice Lyste slowly getting to his feet, rubbing his head. Seeing the perfect opportunity, I pretend to look worried for Leia, and start running in her direction as Era aims his blaster at her.

"Mr lady!" I call out in mock terror.

Ezra then shoots Leia with a stun blast, and she collapses to the ground as the door to the ship closes.

"The princess!" Lyste calls out behind me in alarm.

The last of the ships take off into the air by the time we reach her, and I kneel beside Leia in concern. "Are you alright my lady?" I ask her, helping her get to her feet.

"I'm ok Kaia," she says nervously, pretending to be afraid. That quickly turns to fake anger as Lyste stops before us, looking nervous.

"My ships… you lost my ships!" Leia accuses angrily.

"I'm afraid so," he replies uneasily.

"You should be afraid! Just wait until I tell the Senate that the Imperial presence on Lothal is helpless against the rebels!" Leia snaps at him.

Lyste widens his eyes in alarm and raises his arms placatingly. "No no no, that won't be necessary!" he stammers. "I- I assure you, Alderaan will be fully compensated for your lost ships!"

"Fine," Leia says with a grumble. "And I'll need your shuttle so we can return home," she adds.

"My shuttle?" he breathes in horror, glancing around uneasily. "Right… where is it?"

Leia gasps in mock disbelief. "Lieutenant! Did you lose your ship too?" she asks, barely containing her amusement. I swear, trying not to laugh at the lieutenant's sheer embarrassment was like trying to fight a Sith Lord.

"I'll, summon another right away!" he stammers, face going red in embarrassment as he walks away.

Me and Leia watch him go before sharing amused looks with each other, grins on our faces. I may have wished for a more peaceful life when I decided to stay on Alderaan, but I have to admit, it's fun to be in a battle like this, where the Imperials are just humiliated and embarrassed.

I didn't get to see Jarik or Ahsoka again, but I'm sure there'll be another opportunity in the future.

* * *

 _Well, I'm sure you guys were pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of Katooni in this chapter, and I hope you enjoy it! It's actually kind of fun having her and Leia as a partnered pair, and I'm sure it makes perfect sense too, if you remember the ending of Revenge of the Sith. Also, if you guys noticed, I haven't forgotten about the Separatist cruiser that was stolen way earlier in the story, I just haven't found a place for it to fit yet, and am mainly keeping it for when the Rebellion becomes large_

 _Also, side story announcement! I have a new one called "Galactic Civil War," and based on the title I'm sure you can guess what it is. I already have a summary of it posted, but basically its the events of the Original Trilogy with Mara added to the mix, and as you can guess from this chapter, Katooni as well!_

 _Thank you guys so much for your continued support of my stories! You're the best! :D_


	86. Ch 85 - As Time Flies By

It's been two weeks since Jarik, Ahsoka and Mara returned to Ahch-To after escaping Oryx and the Dreadnaught, as well as Thrawn's own escape right under their noses. A day after returning to the Temple, Mara had requested to spend some time on Berk with Hiccup, Zenna and the gang, and maybe even help them out in regards to Calder, the Force-sensitive Outcast.

Her parents agreed, and brought her there, although let her and the Vikings know that they could not stay on Berk, having business matters they needed to attend to back at the Jedi Temple. Knowing that some of it involved their encounter with the Taken King, Mara had understood and watched as they left Berk, leaving her on Berk with the rest of the gang.

Since then, the two Force-wielders spent time doing more work for the Fulcrum Agency, pondered over Elita-One, and also mulled over matters regarding the Force, specifically Oryx and his massive fleet. And also Jarik's irritation and guilt.

* * *

 ** _Jedi Temple; Ahch-To_**

 **Jarik POV…**

 _I gasped, recognizing with terror the face of the monster in my visions._

 _Oryx, the Taken King._

 _"JEDI! REVAN'S BLOOD!" his horrible, growling voice booms loudly, stunning me to the core._

 _He knew I was a descendant of Revan!? The one he fought thousands of years ago?!_

 _"THE LIGHT OF YOUR SOULS, WILL BE MINE!" he roars._

 _Behind him, the Dreadnaught has now stopped turning, allowing the super-weapon to fully face the Knight Hawk..._

*:*:*

 _The planet was in chaos, the invaders attacking and killing everyone, the roar of the whales terrifying to her ears. She fought against her captor desperately, when she was suddenly released, turning to someone else._

 _She looked up... and saw_ him _, frowning down at her._

 _"What's wrong little one?" his deep voice questions._

 _"My mother... where is my mother!?" she pleads helplessly, tears welling in her eyes._

 _He only kneels down, offering her a reassuring smile, as if nothing was wrong._

 _It was cold._

I blinked, brushing aside the brief flashes of memory. The whole escape had shaken me up quite a bit, knowing what we were up against, but i've managed to keep it on the down-low. Although that other memory was unfamiliar... perhaps a family during the Clone Wars? Ah well, no use trying to think about it when it's confusing.

Focusing back on my work, I skimmed through the words of the blue holographic screen, determining what information to pass onto Ahsoka, who would give it to some rebel cell, or what to dismiss as false, or unimportant. Since the encounter with Oryx, I'd come to realize that without a unified galaxy, no one would survive his invasion. Only problem is, the Empire rules the galaxy with an iron fist under Palpatine. It'd be reasonable to suggest that the Empire should stay in place to resist the Hive, being the most dominant force to exist in the galaxy for a long time.

However I know that won't be the case. Thrawn may believe that the Empire stands the best chance but, with every day that passes, more unrest and rebelling against Palpatine's rule happens, in opposition to them. It's far enough along that people will only grow to dislike the Empire more, instead of the other way around. Therefore, the only way to truly unify the galaxy against the threat is to defeat the Empire before they arrive.

Telling the galactic population about the Hive will only cause mass panic and chaos, and then it would be that much easier for Oryx to win. Luckily, Palpatine knows this, as does Thrawn, which is why they haven't revealed it yet.

The door to the hut opens, and Ahsoka walks in. I give her a sparing glance before returning to the screen, decrypting an Imperial file that I'd be sending to Bail.

"What's new today?" she asks.

"Well, I'm just finishing up with this file, which I'll be sending to Bail soon," I told her casually. "Phoenix Squadron managed to refuel their fleet, and some time last week they managed to secure a hyperspace route through Concord Dawn."

She frowns. "Isn't Concord Dawn under control of a group of Mandalorians?"

"Yep. Apparently they got their leader, Fenn Rau in custody, forcing an alliance of necessity. They don't want to fight the rebels for fear of drawing the Empire to their stomping grounds," I explained.

"I'm sure Sabine had fun with that," she scoffs in amusement. "I'd advise them not to mention you around that group, otherwise that alliance is gone in a second."

I rolled my eyes. "Trust me, I sent them a dozen messages already that clearly described that. Me and Sabine are actually in complete, honest agreement for once."

"I thought you already talked about it to her?"

"Yeah, I did, but it's still just a professional standpoint."

"Good point," she agrees.

"Hmm hmm," I reply in agreement. "So, how's Mara been doing over there on Berk?"

"She's doing pretty well actually, all things considered," she says.

I look back at her warily, hands leaving the keyboard of my computer. "All things considered?"

"Life's been a little hectic from what Mara's told me. Mildew tried another anti-dragon revolt-" she explains.

"Typical," I mutter sarcastically.

"-Toothless had to settle a grudge with a Whispering Death dragon, nasty things; and a chief from another tribe visited to renew their annual peace contract," she finishes.

"What tribe?" I ask curiously.

"I think it was the Berserkers," she replies.

"That's nice then. From what Stoick's said once, their chief, Os.. wald, I think? He should be a nice guy," I remark.

She smiles sheepishly. "Actually their chief was a kid named, 'Dagur the Deranged,'" she says, adding a mock dramatic flare with her hand, shifting her position.

I raise an eyebrow at her. "Mara?"

"Mara," she agrees. "Anyways, he's... a bit of a lunatic, but he hates dragons. Luckily, they managed to keep the peace by staging a fake dragon attack, forcing him to leave the island for his own safety."

I shake my head in amusement. "Every time I see the Vikings do something crazy, I always think they couldn't get any crazier."

"Well, at least their lives aren't boring," she points out.

"True. Although ours aren't either," I reply.

"Except for right now," she says with a frown, and I look at her in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"You've been doing nothing but work yourself to death for several days now. Relax, take a break," she replies.

"I thought that's what we came here for... to work on the problems we have?" I retort.

"Not like the way you're doing," she says in disapproval, before sighing. "Do you still feel guilt about Thrawn escaping like that?"

I narrow my eyes and turn back to the computer screen. "Yes, and I'm trying to make up for being a moron."

"You weren't being a moron Jarik," she argues. "Thrawn is smart, one of the smartest people in the galaxy! You can't blame yourself if he outsmarts you as well."

"Unlike most of his opponents, I should know how he works! And I lowered my guard, let him bait me to approach him, and then he nabs my comlink! It was the oldest, most well-known trick in the book," I insist angrily. "I should've seen him coming up with a plan!"

"Which is how he got you in the first place," she agrees, taking a few steps closer. "He knew you were wary of him, expecting him to be capable of anything! So he does what none of us would expect; use a cheap, simple plan."

I let out an irritated scoff. "Way to make me feel better."

"No, I'm saying this so that you understand it wasn't your fault!" she exclaims. "Can you please just look at me?!"

"Fine, happy now?!" I reply, swiveling around to face her.

"Now until you stop blaming yourself," she insists.

"Yeah, well it was my fault. He took advantage of me, and now he's back with the Empire, now likely thinking of ways to take down the Rebellion," I retort.

"Jarik," she says firmly, leveling me with a look. "I'll say it again: Thrawn is good... probably their best there is. You can't be so hard on yourself if he outsmarts you like that. You're only hurting yourself by doing that."

I stay silent for a few moments, letting out a quiet sigh and shift in my chair slightly, looking at the stone wall. After a brief silence, I answer her. "Fine. We can do something later tonight, I suppose."

I hear a few footsteps behind me, and then she drapes her arms around my shoulders, leaning down.

"Thank you," she says softly, giving me a peck on the cheek.

I glance at her with a brief smile in return, before she stands back up and leaves the room. Looking over at the computer, I reach a hand out and shut the hologram off, ridding the hut of its blue glow.

* * *

Later in the evening, we were both seated at a stone table near the edge of the village that was overlooking the ocean. The twin suns were low in the sky, bathing it once again in a brilliant orange, pink, and purple. The windy breeze blew past us, the smell of ocean salt and rain evident.

"The caretakers set this up?" I asked Ahsoka, gesturing to the meal of spetan channelfish.

"Yeah, I asked for an offer, and they happily obliged," she replies, taking a bite out of it.

"Talk about diligent workers," I remark, taking my own bite out of the fish. It was pretty good.

"Yeah well, you know how much they respect Jedi," she shrugs. "I don't think we appreciate Ahch-To's food enough."

"I guess not, considering we just bring things from other markets here to eat," I comment in agreement, frowning. "We should stop sometime."

"Yes we should," she replies. "It's about time we actually let ourselves eat real food instead of the fake packaged crap."

"Oh I'm sure you'd like that," I say with a small smile, taking a sip of green milk.

"Of course I would! I'm a carnivore!" she exclaims, making a face at me.

"Hmm hmm," I say casually, a small smirk on my face.

She huffs, crossing her arms. "You know how much I need proper meat. The Clone Wars gave us enough synthetic food to last a lifetime."

I nod my head in agreement, sharing the sentiment that Clone Wars food was absolutely horrible. "When the clones are eating giant salty desert worms as a substitute, you know it's bad."

"Sure is," she agrees. "Speaking of which, did you know that Katooni helped out the Spectres the other day?"

"Really?" I ask her in surprise. "Since when?"

"She and Leia traveled to Lothal with three cruisers, which were, 'stolen' from them," she explains.

"Wow, didn't think I'd here about her being in the action," I admitted in surprise.

"She definitely took her lessons of confidence to heart." Ahsoka remarks.

"Definitely," I reply. "I wonder how she's been doing as one of Leia's handmaidens? It's hard to think of her as something other than the youngling we know."

"She still is compared to us," she says. "Does she know about Leia?"

I falter slightly, knowing what she meant. "No, she doesn't. Just that she's adopted."

Ahsoka frowns and sighs. "Probably for the best though. It's good to know that she's watching out for Anakin and Padmé's daughter."

"They are good friends from what I've heard," I reply in agreement, taking another sip of the green milk, before eyeing it curiously. "Anyways, where'd this green milk come from? I've never seen it before."

Ahsoka levels me with a serious look, and answers dryly. "It came from the Thala-siren's."

I take a moment to register what she says, before widening my eyes in horror and absolute disbelief.

"WHAT?!" I yell out.

A grin breaks out onto Ahsoka's face and she starts laughing as I look at the cup of green milk in absolutely disgusted horror. She could barely keep herself together, much to my irritation.

"Ahsoka! Why would you do that?!" I demand, pushing the cup away as far as possible. "Those things are revolting!"

"It's... just a- a practical joke!" she laughs, clutching her abdomen.

"I just drank one of those karking, fat seals milk, and you're laughing a me?" I exclaim in disbelief.

She keeps laughing, managing to pull herself together a little bit. "Don't blame me for this it was Alcida-Auka's idea!"

"Oh, that little rascal," I growled, crossing my arms furiously. "So much for being a 'caretaker.'"

She keeps giggling, making me droop even lower in my chair as I continued to sulk. "You're so adorable when you sulk like that."

"I hate you," I muttered.

* * *

 _ **The Ghost; Phoenix Squadron**_

 **Boil POV...**

Rex was off on another assignment for Phoenix Squadron, using our knowledge of the Outer Rim to help us find a suitable base. In the meantime, I decided to join up with the Spectres on their next assignment, one that I could be a great help to. Walking through the hallways as our guests docked with the ship, I caught the group as they were going to meet them.

"Mind if I join in?" I ask them.

"Sure Boil," Hera says, and I step in line with the group, headed for the door, although she offers me an inquisitive look. "I have to ask, what's got you so interested in this mission?"

"Well as a matter of fact, I could be of some help with this. I was a part of the mission with General Kenobi to help liberate Ryloth," I explain.

"Wait, really?" she and Kanan both ask in surprise.

"That's pretty cool! Was Jarik a part of that mission too?" Ezra asks me with interest.

"No, Commander Shan wasn't apart of Ryloth's liberation. He wasn't a padawan until months later," I tell them.

Kanan frowns. "Well, unless I'm wrong, I'm pretty sure Master Skywalker was a part of that battle, so wasn't Ahsoka as well?"

"She was," I confirm.

"Master Windu took part in freeing the capital city of Lessu, so he's remembered the most," Hera adds.

We continue on towards the docking port, and I take notice of how Kanan seemed to look nervous, fiddling with his collar. I raised an eyebrow at him, but he doesn't seem to notice, and glanced at Ezra.

"How do I look?" he asks quietly.

"Hmm, same as always... why?" he replies in confusion.

"No reason," Kanan says stiffly.

A grin starts to form on my face as I realize something. Hera Syndulla... Syndulla, as in Cham Syndulla? Oh boy, we got a lover in here!

We stop at the door, and Kanan nudges Ezra stiffly. "Straighten up a little bit, you're making me look bad!"

"What's the matter with you?" Ezra questions in bewilderment, still not getting it.

"Oh, I see," I say slowly, a smirk on my face. "Kanan here, is looking to impress someone!"

They all glance at me, and Hera sighs in exasperation, while Sabine starts to laugh a little bit. I sling an arm around Kanan's shoulders, and he glares angrily at me as I start talking.

"Word of advice, if you're trying to impress the father of your lady-friend, you're doing a horrible job at it," I mutter quietly to him.

"What?!" he hisses at me, shoving me away. I just chuckle in amusement at him, the grin still on my face. "Nothing is happening, so just- calm down!"

"You calm down!" Ezra retorts.

Before Kanan could say anything else, the door opens up to reveal three twi'lek's, the man leading them being Cham Syndulla. I never met him in person during our strike, so I can't say much, but he is supposedly very passionate about Ryloth. The blue twi'lek woman beside him though seems familiar... though I can't place it. Then she glances at me, and I get the feeling that she shares the same sentiment. We continue to analyze each other, trying to figure out the resemblance when Hera speaks.

"Its been a long time father," she says calmly.

He doesn't respond, glancing around before laying eyes on Kanan. "Ahh... you must be the Jedi I heard about?"

Kanan steps forwards, and I roll my eyes, getting Ezra's attention, sending him a knowing grin. He snickers quietly.

"Jarrus. Kanan Jarrus, I've-" he says, clearing his throat while Hera rolls her eyes. "-heard a lot about you too sir," he finishes, bowing his head.

Cham regards him with a small smirk, and he gestures towards the rest of us. "This is the rest of our crew, Sabine, Ezra, and Zeb," he says... completely backwards. Chopper beeps at him irritably for being left out.

Fortunately that seems to be enough for Cham. "A fine group of fighters," he says with a smile. "Cham Syndulla, at your service my friends," he says, bowing his head with a smile.

"The Liberator of Ryloth?" Sabine realizes, a smile coming to her face. "I studied your Clone War tactics at the academy."

"Yes, the Empire is still trying to figure out how to beat me," he says proudly, before noticing me, and his eyes narrowed dangerously. "A clone?"

Uh oh. Forgot about the whole... Republic, turning to the Empire... thing. Apparently the rest of the group seemed to realize that too, judging by their alarmed looks. Thankfully, Hera quickly placates him.

"Father, you can trust him. He's a trustworthy, and he was once a part of the mission to liberate Ryloth from the Separatists," she reasons.

This clearly catches him off guard, and he regards me with a new sense of respect, although there is plenty of suspicion. To my surprise, the woman beside him whips her head to look at me in new interest, a hopeful look on her face.

"Well, in that case you've earned my respect trooper," he says. "However I also remember the Republic turning into the Empire," he adds suspiciously.

I rub my head. "Unfortunately, us clones didn't have a choice. We had chips implanted into our heads before we were even born, to force us to do what the Chancellor wanted."

He narrows his eyes, analyzing me for any deception. "Humph. If so, that is unfortunate," he remarks, giving me another look. "I must ask you though trooper, what group were you apart of?"

"Father, we don't have time for this," Hera sighs in frustration.

"It's alright Hera," I reassure her. "I never met you during the battle sir, I was with General Kenobi's strike force. My name is Boil."

They suddenly widened their eyes at me in surprise, and the woman gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth, much to my confusion.

"Boil, of the 212th Legion? The one that helped retake the city of Nabat?" Cham questions.

"Uhh, yes?" I ask, slightly confused.

"Wait, do you guys know each other?" Ezra asks me.

"I don't know..." I trail off warily.

"Boil? Sei nerra?" the woman suddenly says softly.

I widened my eyes upon hearing her voice, and the words said, looking at her. She slowly approaches, staring at me with wonder and happiness, and I slowly realize who this was, causing me to widen my eyes in disbelief as well.

She's... so much older!

"Numa?" I whispered quietly, stunned.

"Nerra! Do garei tarhan Do fic dey dan rao!" she exclaims happily, throwing her arms around me in a tight hug. I quickly return it, stunned and in a state of disbelief, but happy to see her.

"Ok, does everyone seem to know each other except us?" Ezra mutters.

"Small galaxy," Zeb grunts sarcastically.

"Quiet you two," Kanan scolds them.

I pay their conversation no mind, and the two of us eventually pull away, smiling at each other. "I... I can't believe it," I say quietly.

"I thought you might've been dead," she says softly.

I scoff lightly. "And look how old it made you," I remark.

"Like you're one to talk," she replies fondly.

* * *

 _Oh wow, a Boil and Numa reunion! This is wonderful to write!_

 _...and sad. Poor Waxer..._

 ** _Translation:_**

 _Nerra! Do garei tarhan Do fic dey dan rao! - Brother! I never thought I'd see you again!_

 _Boil? Sei nerra? - Boil? My brother?_


	87. Ch 86 - Homecoming

**_Author's Note:_**

 _So I'm sure many of you heard about the news Monday... Stan Lee has passed on at 95 years old. ;(_

 _Just want to say how much of an absolute legend he is, and that this news is so sad for everyone, especially since we knew it was coming. He lived a wonderful life, and managed to grow into one of the most popular and inspiring people in the world, despite growing up poor in the Great Depression! Set an absolute ly wonderful example for so many people, and such a nice guy._

 _R.I.P. Stan Lee, you will never be forgotten. My prayers go out to his loved ones._

* * *

 ** _Previously, on A Jedi in Exile..._**

 _"I never met you during the battle sir, I was with General Kenobi's strike force. My name is Boil."_

 _They suddenly widened their eyes at me in surprise, and the woman gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth, much to my confusion._

 _"Boil, of the 212th Legion? The one that helped retake the city of Nabat?" Cham questions._

 _"Uhh, yes?" I ask, slightly confused._

 _"Wait, do you guys know each other?" Ezra asks me._

 _"I don't know..." I trail off warily._

 _"Boil? Sei nerra?" the woman suddenly says softly._

 _I widened my eyes upon hearing her voice, and the words said, looking at her. She slowly approaches, staring at me with wonder and happiness, and I slowly realize who this was, causing me to widen my eyes in disbelief as well._

 _She's... so much older!_

 _"Numa?" I whispered quietly, stunned._

 _"Nerra! Do garei tarhan Do fic dey dan rao!" she exclaims happily, throwing her arms around me in a tight hug. I quickly return it, stunned and in a state of disbelief, but happy to see her._

 _"Ok, does everyone seem to know each other except us?" Ezra mutters._

 _"Small galaxy," Zeb grunts sarcastically._

 _"Quiet you two," Kanan scolds them._

 _I pay their conversation no mind, and the two of us eventually pull away, smiling at each other. "I... I can't believe it," I say quietly._

 _"I thought you might've been dead," she says softly._

 _I scoff lightly. "And look how old it made you," I remark._

 _"Like you're one to talk," she replies fondly._

* * *

 **Boil POV...**

I was still stunned at seeing Numa here, and apparently kicking Imperial helmets if I have to say. She certainly became quite the fierce woman, and I take notice of some small piece of art on her shirt, as well as a familiar symbol.

"Is that a... tooka doll? And the symbol for Ghost Company on your shirt?" I ask her in surprise.

"Yeah, it is. It pays homage to you, and Waxer," she says happily, smiling up at me.

I faltered for a brief moment, remembering the fate of Waxer. How he died on Umbara because of the traitorous actions of Pong Krell...

"So, I can see you too have caught up again," Cham thankfully interrupts.

"I didn't know that you knew Numa," Hera comments, raising a curious eyebrow at me.

"Well, it was something I don't talk about too much," Numa admits, answering in reply.

"That is true," Cham says with a small smile, a genuine one, much to my surprise. I guess he knows the full story about me and Numa then. "I suppose introductions are in order for the rest. These are two of my finest warriors, Numa and Gobi."

Numa and Gobi both nod to the rebel group with a small, and the nod back as well, returning the smile.

"Well, we should get to the briefing. There's a lot to do," Hera says after a few moments, turning around.

She walks back through the ship towards the command center, and I watch her go with a small frown, sensing there's some tension between her and Cham. You don't need to be a Jedi to see it, and judging by the way Cham narrows his eyes a little with his own frown, it's definitely visible. Eventually, we all file in line after her, headed for the command center, thought Numa sticks close to me, which I don't mind at all.

"Maybe we could catch up with the time Boil?" she suggests.

I grin down at her. "Well in that case, might I say that you seem to have grown into a wonderful warrior, if Cham's word is anything to go by."

She blushes shyly at me. "Thanks. And you seem to have grown old in your retirement," she teases.

"I may be old, but I still pack a punch," I remind her. "Besides, retirement is overrated. I don't recommend it."

She giggles in response, and the sound makes my heart soar, along with a hint of nostalgia and longing. Is this how Commander Shan felt when finding Ahsoka again after the war, or when meeting Rylla again? That giggle still sounds so much like the young twi'lek girl me and Waxer found on the streets of that ruined city. That young, scared little girl so innocent about life...

"Oh really? Didn't seem so tough when I bit your finger," she replies.

I gape at her in bewilderment. "Wha- really? I'm still gonna get you back for that!" I stutter.

"Ah, she got you there my friend. She's a tough one," Gobi says behind me with a teasing grin on his aged face.

Cham and even some of the Ghost crew manage amused smiles on their faces, and I let out a groan.

"Don't make me regret reuniting with you kid," I mutter to Numa, who only smiles back at me.

* * *

 _ **Jedi Temple Island; Ahch-To**_

 **Jarik POV...**

I still had questions that needed answers.

Despite Ahsoka's advice... well, ordering really, to allow myself a rest from all of these difficult things and stop blaming myself for Thrawn's escape, I still had more to look into. I wasn't planning on doing too much but, with all of the evil that we're learning exists beyond just the Empire, I have to know who I need to prepare to face. Should I focus on the Empire first? Or the Yuuzhan Vong, and any other beings existing beyond the galaxy. Or what about Snoke?

Leaving the Jedi Village in the middle of the day, I head down towards the well of the dark side, where the kyber caves were.

Perhaps I could find answers there.

* * *

 **Boil POV...**

"The Empire has a light carrier in orbit over Ryloth they use to bomb the Twi'lek rebels," Hera explains, zooming in on the hologram. "The ship's well defended but we can get aboard using the stolen bomber while the squad is still away. One team secures the hanger, the other storms the bridge. Then we jump out before they figure out what hit them."

From where I stood beside Numa, I could see that Cham was obviously disappointed, shaking his head.

"No, this monstrosity has rained destruction and death on the citizens of Ryloth!" he says firmly, glaring at the hologram. "It is not enough that it simply disappears. My people need to see it fall from the sky in flames, as a symbol as our strength."

I glance at Hera, seeing how irritated she was, arms crossed with a frown on her face.

"So, I recommend a change in plans. Using my bomber, schematics, and timetables, we can destroy the carrier when it's most vulnerable," Cham declares.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," I say cautiously, causing him to send me a small glare. "If the carrier was destroyed, then Imperial protocol would just have them send another, and with a larger force."

The disappointed look Numa sends me has me grimace a little bit, but I still stand by my word, knowing that's true with the Empire.

"Besides, if you could've destroyed it, you would've done so already," Hera says with a glare at Cham. "You need us, and we need the carrier!"

"We need each other," Kanan adds. "Cham's intel, Hera's plan. This works, we all win."

Numa, Cham, and Gobi all share quick looks with each other, before Cham gives a brief nod with his head, causing me to raise an eyebrow at them warily. He then stands up to full height and crosses his arms.

"Very well. With Jedi and a former liberator of Ryloth on our side, how can we fail?" he agrees, although with some sarcasm.

I'm not buying it, and they're up to something no doubt. Considering how passionate Cham was about destroying it, there's no way he would've decided to change his idea so quickly. Judging by the look on Hera's face, she thought the same.

* * *

After the briefing, we were all getting ourselves ready for the upcoming missions. Hera, Chopper and Ezra were off somewhere else in the ship, and Cham soon followed them. Ezra later came back, so I assumed they were having a private conversation back there. Since everyone was really minding their own business, I decided to take the opportunity to talk to Numa more, and she felt the same, having approached me.

"So nerra, what have you been up to these last few years?" she asks me.

"Well all things considered, not much actually," I admit with a shrug. "For quite some time, I and several of my brothers who took out our control chips were living on Seelos, spending our retirement in a tank."

"A tank?" she asks in amusement, shaking her head. "You know, that's actually not that hard to see you living in a tank."

"Yeah, I like big weapons," I say sarcastically, causing her to giggle. "What about you?"

"Well unlike you, I've actually been involved in the action," she teases, and I roll my eyes. "After you and Waxer helped to save me, you both really inspired me a lot. I wanted to become a lot like you."

"Considering Cham's high praise of you, I can see that for certain," I reply with a nod.

"I've helped a lot in trying to fight back against the Empire. It's difficult, but I'm hoping we can make a difference for Ryloth," she says with a sigh. "Having that carrier fall from orbit in flames would inspire so many of my people to do the same."

I look at her sympathetically. "I understand. But then the Empire would only send another, and very likely even a Star Destroyer. There would also be more troops on the surface, and it would only get a lot tougher for you guys down there," I reason.

"I suppose," she admits grudgingly.

"Come on, lighten up! There'll be other chances!" I reassure her with a grin.

She smiles back at me, before an expression of curiosity comes over her. "Where's Waxer? I'm guessing he's still on Seelos with the rest of your brothers?"

I stiffen anxiously, knowing this question would come and dreading it. Painful memories shoot through me of all the time I spent with my lost brother, dead for a completely unnecessary reason. She takes notice of my behavior and starts to develop an anxious and worried expression.

"Boil?" she asks uneasily.

I close my eyes as the memories flash by, before sadly sadly. "Waxer, is... Later during the war, we were stationed on Umbara with our legion, and several others including the 501st," I say, eyes darkening. "General Krell had requested assistance, saying that Umbaran's had stolen our armor, and had ambushed the men. So Commander Shan led a platoon along with me and Waxer to aid them."

Numa's eyes slowly widen anxious in dread, fearing and slowly coming to the realization of what I was going to say.

"We eventually figured out that Krell lied, pitting our own brothers against each other. But by then... it was too late," I says sorrowfully, old feelings of grief brushing forwards again. "Waxer didn't make it."

Numa gasps quietly in horror, bringing a hand to her mouth as tears well in her eyes due to her grief. She then envelops me in a tight, desperate hug, crying into my shoulder, and I return the embrace.

"Do ohk cei si'jovi'asi!" she sobs. "Ish mtan go fic solsan, eti ohk go huhsi! Qato, ea qato Waxer?"

I gently pat her shoulder in an attempt to be comforting, having had years to get over my grief, though it was still hard. Especially to see Numa just now learning about his death, decades later.

"I know, I know," I say softly.

* * *

After our conversation, everyone was ready for the mission, so we all piled into the TIE Bomber, now simply waiting as the ships took off to transport us into Lothal. The thud of hyperspace soon sounded, which meant we were underway. I was sitting beside Numa, and she was leaning against my shoulder, still seeking comfort in the loss of Boil.

"Master Windu spoke highly of your heroics at the battle of Lessu," Kanan tells Cham, breaking the silence.

"Ah," Cham recalls with a smile. "Mace Windu hmm? Outnumbered a hundred to on! We charged across Lessu's energy bridge to certain doom. We would not be stopped! They named that attack in songs: The Hammer of Ryloth!" he exclaims proudly.

The door to the bomber cockpit then slams shut, and I stifle an amused laugh, guessing that Hera was irritated.

"Well now, don't forget about the battle I took part in," I add in confidently. "I'd say our odds were even worse than yours."

"Oh, is that so?" Cham challenges.

"You know, I have to agree with Boil on this one," Numa says with a smile. "We had to face off against gutkurrs!"

"Ah, I remember you telling me about that," Cham recalls.

Kanan gets up and then heads to the cockpit, opening the door and glancing back at Cham with a smile. "General Syndulla, I could listen to your stories all day!" he says.

"And I could tell them all day!" Cham replies enthusiastically, before the door was slammed shut the moment Kanan was through.

"Uh, what's a gutkurr?" Ezra asks.

"They were large carnivores, and are absolutely horrible," I recalls with a shudder. "It'll be too soon if I see another one of those things again."

"A pair of them once came after me and Boil back during the Clone War. Fortunately I knew a way of escape," Numa adds.

"You guys knew each other back during the Clone Wars?" Sabine asks.

"Yeah. She was five at the time," I told them.

"Gutkurrs usually leave the people alone, feasting more commonly in the wild or on injured can-cell's," Cham says with a frown. "The droids must have starved them to use as weapons."

"Yeah, killed a lot of good men too with that," I add with some bitterness.

There was some silence as we waited through most of the journey in hyperspace, when ship then gave a brief lurch. That was followed up by the sound of our bomber detaching from the the main shuttle used to ferry us, so I could only assume we're here.

"Everybody get reader. We're here now," Sabine advises.

"I'll head to the cockpit," Cham says, getting up.

After he enters the cockpit, Gobi sits down where Cham used to sit, and the plan soon went into affect. Laser fire sounded outside of the ship, as well as Kanan's voice while he contacted the Imperial cruiser to impersonate a bomber pilot. For some time, worry and anxiety wracked through our heads over whether of not the plan would be successful, or if we might crash and get blown up. The ship shook violently as a blaster shot slammed into the back, causing us to jerk from the effect.

"I thought they were supposed to play the part, not actually shoot us!" Ezra exclaimed in bewilderment.

"It has too look good!" I tell him. "Believe me, I've been through worse with plans like these!"

"Everybody hang on!" Hera yelled from the cockpit.

"I hate it when she says that!" Zeb says in dread.

We all brace ourselves for any hard crashes, and then the ship slams into the carrier's hanger, jarring us violently. A few of us were slammed against the walls or onto the ground, although Numa managed to keep her seat. I was thrown to the ground with a pained groan, keeping my head covered with my arms in case anything else could happen. Thankfully, the screeching and crashing soon ended as the bomber came to a full stop.

Groaning, I slowly raised my head, blinking my eyes a little bit at the deep red warning lights. Nearby, Sabine does the same, before noticing something in front of her, and widens her eyes.

"Explosives?" she mutters in confusion.

I look up in surprise, bewilderment and hurt upon seeing Numa and Gobi standing above the group, blasters raised.

"Sorry my friends," she says.

"What?!" Ezra exclaims.

"Traitors!" Sabine accuses angrily.

"No, wait!" Zeb shouts.

Gobi and Numa then pull the trigger, firing them with stun blasts that knock them unconscious.

"What?! Numa, what are you doing?!" I demand angrily, feeling betrayed. She looks at me apologetically.

"I'm sorry Boil," she says. "Kay Do sohsa dey sei fonol jemae," she whispers.

"No, wait!" I cry out.

She aims her blaster at me and shuts her eyes tightly, firing the blue stun blast.

* * *

 **Numa POV...**

I open my eyes to look at Boil, who was unconscious on the ground beside the others. Doing this to him hurts me so much, and probably hurts him even more. He was betrayed by that Krell during the war, and it led to, Waxer...

Gobi lays a hand on my shoulder and gives me a sympathetic expression, and I look back at him. I blink back the small welling of tears about Boil and hurting him in this way, and try to smile back at him in gratitude. Boil may feel hurt now, but I would never, ever betray or want to hurt him in any other way for the rest of my life. I just need to help my people too, and despite his concerns, I'm sure this plan will help them.

Cham then enters the room, noting the unconscious forms of the group, and nods his head in satisfaction.

"Good work you two," he praises. "Do you have the charges?"

"Yes, they're right here," I tell him, holding up the bag, although a little glumly.

Cham glances at Boil, and then me. "I know it's tough Numa, but you're doing the right thing for Ryloth. If he truly cares about you, then he will understand as well," he says softly.

"Boil does care," I reply in upset. "Eti aan huhsi ji jihsi canka ish ohk talcekan, ish talkan jei nerra."

He gives me a sympathetic look as well. "Do ohk si'jovi'asi ar ayy cea. Kay ish ohk distombe," he tells me. "Now, let's make our people proud!"

*:*:*

Me and Gobi sneak around the side of the TIE Bomber, using the smoke from the damage to our advantage. We watch as the stormtroopers approach the ship with their blasters, and wait for Cham to start his attack.

"Pilot!" one of the troopers calls.

Cham then jumps down from the top of the ship and into the smoke, causing the stormtroopers to raise their weapons at him.

"Drop your weapon! Hands up!" the trooper demands.

Cham then chucks the bag of detonators at the trooper, causing him to groan in pained surprise, before he dashes forwards, knocking him out with a punch. The officer attempts to fight back, but Cham counters his strike and then backhands him harshly in the face, knocking him and his cap to the ground. The rest of the stormtroopers all raise their blasters at Cham, ready to fire.

"Freeze! Don't move!" one of the troopers says.

Seeing the chance, I jump out and grab onto one of the stormtrooper's heads, using the momentum to swing myself forwards and kick the next one away. Gobi comes out behind me and takes down the one I swung off of, and then shoots the last trooper. Satisfied, the three of us group up and start heading for our assigned positions, Cham handing Gobi the explosives bag.

"Set your charges on the munitions racks. I'm going for the engine room," he says firmly.

* * *

 **Boil POV...**

I groaned, shaking my head and slowly pulling myself into a sitting position, rubbing my head. I blinked in confusion, noticing the deep red lights, partially wrecked room, and the rest of the group pulling themselves up with groans as well. What happened?

The memory came back to me in a flash, and I widened my eyes in horror and disbelief, remembering that Numa stunned me, after the others were stunned. For a moment, all I could feel was just a sense of betrayal and hurt, shocked that she would do such a thing. But at the same time, Ryloth really has gotten the bad end of many things over the last few decades, and she just wants to free her people.

"W-what happened" Zeb asks with a groan.

"Our friends, just betrayed us!" Sabine exclaims angrily.

"Yeah," Ezra adds with a groan. "Boil, I thought you were friends with them!"

I groan irritably, and with a sad sigh, still a little hurt. "She's just doing what she thinks is right..." I say quietly.

"Oh really? Seems like stunning and leaving us in this broken bomber is such a good thing to do," Zeb growls sarcastically.

"We... we have to stop them. Maybe I can reason with Numa," I suggest, hoping that I could.

With that being said, we all stood up and moved to the cockpit, where Hera had just roused a groaning Kanan.

"Uh Hera, our 'friends,' have bags full of detonators," Ezra announces, rubbing his head.

"Enough to blow up this whole carrier!" Sabine adds. "We're scrubbing the mission right?"

However, Hera stands back up fully with a determined and fierce look. "No, we're finishing it! We'll stop my father, then we'll take the ship!"

She slams a button on the control console, opening the hatch at the top of the TIE, and then climbs out.

"We'll take the bridge. Zeb, you, Sabine and Boil check the munitions rack for those detonators!" Kanan orders, climbing up after her, soon followed by Ezra.

"They blow those up, and this whole ship will go too. Everyone on Ryloth will be able to see that fireball," Sabine says, climbing up next.

"That's the whole point, to inspire their people," I reply climbing, following after her.

* * *

Sabine led me and Zeb in the direction of the munitions rack, where several large fuel cans and proton bombs were stacked up in huge quantities. Despite the situation, I managed an approving look at the choice. You wanted to blow up a cruiser, that is the perfect place to set it off. I then noticed Numa walking cautiously through the bombs, causing my heart to lurch briefly in hurt, and we stopped by a support beam.

"There's Numa," Sabine whispers. "Get down!"

"I could stun her from here," Zeb suggests, pulling out his bo-rifle, and taking aim. Seeing this, I angrily shoved his rifle back down with a brief glare, which he fiercely returned. "Hey!"

"You are not shooting Numa!" I say fiercely.

"She shot us first!" he retorts.

"Thanks for telling me, I really appreciate it," I retort sarcastically.

"Quiet down!" Sabine hisses. "Look Zeb, if you hit one proton bomb, and you'll touch off the whole magazine!"

"I wasn't planning to miss- ah!" Zeb exclaims, a red laser bolt impacting against the surface nearby, and we all flinch in response, seeking cover. "You should've let me shoot!" he complains.

"Numa, wait!" I call out.

"Boil?" her voice replies. "Please, stay out of this!"

"There's another way to solve this!" I try to reason.

"...But not for Ryloth," she replies with sincere regret, and I close my eyes for a moment with a sorrowful sigh.

"Oh, this is getting us nowhere," Zeb mutters irritably.

The large hanger door at the other side of the room then opened up, allowing a squad of stormtroopers to storm into the hanger, opening fire. Numa and gobi quickly fired back at them, and I pulled out my gun, shooting blue bolts at the troopers.

"See? There's something you can do!" Sabine points out.

"That'll do," Zeb replies in satisfaction, firing his bo-rifle.

With the arrival of Stormtroopers, all five of us took a momentary truce, which proved that we were still on the same side, to take out the troopers. I fired my blaster, striking down two of the stormtroopers, although there were still plenty more. Then a laser blast hit me in my shoulder armor, and I let out a cry of surprised pain, ducking back into cover.

"Boil!" Sabine says in alarm.

She quickly shoots her pistols at the hanger door controls, allowing them to close quickly. A few more troopers were taken out before the door closed, cutting them off, and also coincidentally trapping a mouse droid inside, which moved around sporadically.

"Are you alright?" she asks me in concern.

"Yeah I'm fine," I reassure her. "Worst it'll do is bruise."

"Heh, at least your armor isn't total crap like those bucketheads," Zeb remarks.

"That's because we, didn't wear junk armor. And, we're actually tough," I say with a small grin.

Zeb chuckles in amusement, and then we look back over to see Numa and Gobi still watching us warily from behind the munitions, although I could see a small hint of concern in Numa's eyes before it went away. I sighed sadly, at a loss of what to do. If Waxer was here the whole situation would probably be over. He was the nicer and more reasonable one after all.

"We don't have time for a standoff!" Zeb says irritably. "Got any ideas?"

"Talking won't work, unless everybody isn't worried about shooting the other," I tell them, before adding to myself quietly: "If only Waxer were here..."

"Who?" Sabine asks.

"Never mind," I say quickly. "So what's the plan? Cham might finish his part soon, considering he's not here."

Sabine was looking around, before turning to face us. "Well I've got an idea. But first, catch me that droid!"

She points over to the side, and we follow the direction to see the trapped mouse droid still rolling around, giving out light squeaks of what seems to be nervousness or confusion. Oh boy.

*:*:*

Catching that mouse droid was an absolute real pain, as it was always fast and small enough to evade us, while letting out high pitched beeps of alarm. Sabine, as well as Numa and Gobi were also watching us, the latter two in confusion and bewilderment at what we were doing. Eventually, we managed to catch it, and gave it to Sabine so that she could start messing with it. While she was though, the captain's voice came over the loud speakers throughout the whole ship.

 _"The fire in hanger bay three is out of control. Abandon ship. Get to the escape pods!"_ he orders.

"What?" Zeb asks in confusion.

"Guess the other team pulled it off," I remark with a grin.

"Makes our job easier," Sabine adds.

" _I really mean it. This is the captain,"_ he adds.

"Must be Ezra doing it then," I comment.

 _"Abandon ship! the fire is out of control!"_

After the announcement, Sabine was close to finishing with her touches on the droid when Kanan contacted Zeb.

 _"The bridge is secure. What's your status?"_ he asks.

"Oh the usual, but Sabine has a plan of sorts," he replies.

"Yeah, sort of a great plan!" Sabine says proudly.

She presses a few final buttons before setting the droid on the ground. Activating her arms controller, she starts to direct the mouse droid out in the direction of the munitions, while we watch. Numa and Gobi start trying to fire at the droid, but it swiftly evades and dodges their fire under Sabine's control. Then, it ducks in between them slamming against one of the munitions crates. Moments later, a purple electrical shockwave shoots out, hitting the two and causing them to collapse with groans of pain.

The three of us rush over to see them moving slightly, struggling to pick themselves up after whatever kind of blast Sabine used against them.

"Wow, Sabine's plan actually worked," Zeb calls in.

"Hey, don't sound so surprised," Sabine remarks.

"But there's no sign of Cham," he reports grimly.

 _"Find him!"_ Kanan says urgently.

I crouch down beside Numa, and she looks up at me, guilt and regret in her gaze.

"I'm sorry nerra," she apologizes.

I lay a hand on her shoulder, helping her to sit up. "I understand Numa. You have nothing to apologize for."

She gives me a small smile of gratitude, and Sabine comes over with binders, merely as a precaution. Zeb was already doing the same thing with Gobi.

"Sorry about doing this," Sabine says.

Numa shrugs in response, letting herself be cuffed. "It's only fair. We did shoot you first," she says.

"Huh," Sabine says in amusement, looking up at me. "I can see why you like her," she remarks.

I roll my eyes in response, when Numa's comlink goes off.

 _"Gobi, Numa, proceed with our plans,"_ he says confidently.

"Apologies General Syndulla, but we have been captured," Numa replies.

 _"Cham, we don't have time for this. Imperial reinforcements will be coming,"_ Kanan warns.

 _"Destroy this ship, and the Empire will just send another. But if we take it, we can use it to fight them,"_ Hera adds.

 _"You haven't been here to see what the Empire has done to our world. They plunder our wealth and sell our people into slavery! This ship must burn, for all Ryloth to see!"_ Cham declares fiercely.

I share a sympathetic look with Numa, who is also looking really sad and upset at the reminder. Everyone in the galaxy knows that twi'lek's make for good slaves, especially the females, because of their beauty and complexion. And back during the battle for Ryloth in the Clone Wars, I saw just how cruel people could people to the twi'lek's, especially Numa's people. The idea of her being sold into slavery is horrific and unthinkable for me to imagine.

Togruta's were no different in that regard, which I saw first hand on Kiros. The only difference is that Togruta's are not as widely populated as twi'lek's are, and so are not as popular to have amongst crime empires like the Hutts, or the Zygerrians. It's this reason that Commander Tano was never as affected by the idea whenever I've interacted with her, which in a way connects with Jarik's feelings on the matter as well. But she knows first-hand what it feels like to see her people in slavery.

I'm sure that she and Jarik, would give everything they have to help Numa, Cham, and their people in their freedom from slavery, not just on Ryloth, but across the entire galaxy.

 _"I want freedom from the Empire as badly as you, but this battle can't be won on Ryloth alone. During the Clone War, you didn't just fight for a village, you rallied everyone to liberate the entire planet,"_ Hera says in response. _"_ _You inspired me. The Rebellion is no different. But either you couldn't see that or you didn't believe in me. And that's why I left."_

 _"She's right. We have the ship. We just have to buy her enough time to get us out of here,"_ Ezra adds.

There was silence on their end, when Gobi and Numa share a glance, determination coming to their eyes. Numa also looks at me, and I smile down at her, seeing that same fire in her eyes.

"I'm with you Hera," Gobi says, standing to his feet.

"I, am also with you," Numa adds, doing the same.

Immediately, I take off the binders from her hands, and Zeb does the same with Gobi. Me and Numa share a smile with each other, and then moments later, we receive Cham's answer.

 _"I guess you have you chance, to prove me wrong,"_ he says quietly.

 _"Everyone, get to the turrets!"_ Hera orders moments later.

"We're on our way Hera!" Sabine replies.

"Great, I finally get the chance to compete with and beat you in something!" Numa tells me with a grin.

"Oh really? You think you can take on a war veteran?" I retort teasingly.

The five of us rush off to the turrets so that we can fight back against the quickly approaching Imperials from the light cruiser. I hop into my turret, and swing it around in front of the cruiser to see several TIE Fighters, and an Imperial shuttle approaching quickly.

 _Focus all fire on that shuttle. We can't let them retake the ship!"_ Hera warns us through the comlink.

 _"Five targets inbound!"_ Kanan says, shooting down one.

 _"I'm on them!"_ Sabine adds.

I swivel my turret around to shoot at the TIE Fighters, which were returning their own volley's at the carrier. Letting off a few laser blasts, I managed to take out another fighter, which exploded in white fire.

 _"They got past me!"_ Numa exclaims over the coms.

 _"I see 'em!"_ Ezra replies

"I thought you said you were going to beat me Numa?" I tease her.

 _"Oh that's still very much an option!"_ she retorts, causing me to snicker in amusement.

 _"Kanan, the shuttle!"_ Hera exclaims.

 _"I know, I know!"_ he replies fiercely.

I help try to focus fire on the Imperial shuttle, which now has a much more trouble trying to approach with the lack of TIE Fighters. The combined fire, followed by a few final shots from Kanan's turret I finally enough to bring it down, allowing Ryloth's gravity to send it plummeting to the surface.

 _"We did it!"_ Ezra cheers.

In front of us however, I see that the TIE Bombers are now approaching our position, much to my alarm.

"Blast it all," I muttered, having heard just how deadly those things can be.

 _"We're not in the clear yet,"_ Hera warns us, having seen the same thing.

The leading two bombers then unleash their first volley, sending two scream blue proton torpedoes straight for the bridge.

 _"Incoming torpedoes!"_ Kanan yells in warning, firing his turret at them.

 _"Taking evasive action!"_ Hera replies.

The ship lurches as she slowly moves the cruiser out of harms way of the torpedoes, and I attempt to fire at them, trying to blow them up.

 _"Two targets at 3.9!"_ Sabine reports. She manages to take out one but misses the other. " _Ugh! Missed one!"_

"Numa, headed for your position!" I call out warningly.

 _"I've got it!"_ she replies firmly, swiveling her turret around. Moments later, the second proton torpedo explodes, curtesy of a shot from Numa.

"Great shot Numa!" I congratulate her.

 _"Thanks Boil! Although, me shooting a torpedo is more impressive then you shooting a fighter don't you think?"_ she teases.

I groan in exasperation, rolling my eyes. "Keep focused rookie," I retort.

 _"Aye aye sir!"_ she replies humorously.

The carrier then shakes violently as two of the bombers staring dropping their payload along the ship, and I had to steady myself with a few grunts of exertion.

"That didn't sound good!" I exclaim in concern.

 _"Lousy Imps!"_ Zeb grumbles.

I swing my turret around in the direction of those bombers and open fire, attempting to bring them down. To my annoyance they were starting to prove a hassle, strafing around the cruiser too quickly for me to get a clear shot. Fortunately, several laser blasts from the others managed to take them out, although two more were flying straight for the bridge, unleashing their torpedoes.

"Bridge, you have incoming!" I yell in warning.

 _"Ezra!"_ Hera exclaims in alarm.

 _"Yeah, yeah!"_ he replies, firing his turret at the torpedoes.

He manages to take out one of the torpedoes, but the last one soars closer to the bridge, and I watch with wide eyes, worried that it'll impact. Thankfully, Kanan manages to take out the last one, but it explodes way to close to the bridge. Moments later, the carrier starts tilting violently to the side, making me almost lose my grip on the seat, and I struggle to keep myself upright.

 _"Lost our stabilizer!"_ Hera yells in alarm.

"This is why I prefer battles on the ground!" I exclaim irritably to myself.

 _"I can see why!"_ Numa replies.

The ship continues to plummet until we were almost vertical, however much to my relief it soon starts to slowly rise back up into the proper position. I let out a sigh, glad I no longer had to worry about falling out of my seat. The relief is short lived, as I can now see that the light-cruiser is now bearing down on us, determined to not let us escape.

"So, what's the plan now?" I questioned.

 _"Don't worry, Ezra has one,"_ Hera says over the com.

 _"Seriously? What's the kid thought of now?"_ Zeb asks warily.

 _"I think I have an idea!"_ Sabine says, before her line was cut off.

I was skeptical, but allowed myself to wait for the plan to play out. Soon enough however, a TIE Bomber was pushed out of the hanger bay, and started to drift int he direction of the light cruiser. Watching, I then saw one of the turrets swing around, and with one well placed shot, the bomber exploded right next to the light cruiser's hull. The ship started to collapse down into Ryloth's gravity, blowing up in a massive fireball.

 _"He did it!"_ Numa cheers happily.

"Well, guess Ryloth will see that fireball after all," I remark with a small grin.

Moments later, our carrier started to move away from Ryloth, soon launching into hyperspace. We won.

* * *

Much later, we had rejoined Phoenix squadron with the carrier in tow, and were able to add it to our slowly growing fleet. Our group was standing in the hanger, where Cham's group was ready to leave. Numa and Gobi were standing by his side, small smiles on their faces.

"I'm getting reports from all over Ryloth. Our people are rallying against the Empire. Every hour, more join our ranks," Cham says happily.

"Glad to hear it, sir," Kanan replies with a small incline of his head.

"Daughter, may we speak?" Cham asks Hera, who nods.

They move away to talk in private, while the rest of the group starts to separate. However, I head over to Numa, and Gobi leaves us, seeing that we wanted a more private conversation.

"You've certainly grown into a formidable fighter," I comment proudly.

"All thanks to you," she replies with a smile.

"Me?" I ask in confusion. "I haven't seen you in years."

"You and Waxer inspired me back on Ryloth, all those years ago," she says. "I've always wanted to fight to see the freedom of my people, and you showed me what I could eventually become in order to do so, nerra."

I take in her words with a surprised, but proud and happy nod.

"Well... glad I could be of service," I say, not sure how to reply, but then as an afterthought, I pull off the pieces of my armor covering my left arm, much to her confusion.

"Boil? What are you doing?" she asks me.

"I'm giving you my armor pieces," I tell her.

"What? But it's your armor," she says in protest.

"If you want to be a warrior, then I insists you wear my armor. There isn't anything better," I tell her, holding the pieces in my hands.

She considers, reluctant to do so before nodding, and I help her to fasten the armor pieces onto her left arm. Once we're done, It take a good look at her, allowing a fond smile to come to my face.

"Now you look like a soldier," I remark proudly.

Tears starts to form in her eyes, and then envelops me in a tight hug, and I return the embrace just as tightly.

"Arni'soyacho, nerra," she says softly into my shoulder.

* * *

 _ **Jedi Temple Island; Ahch-To**_

 **Jarik POV...**

I looked down into the hole of the dark side, the cold, ocean breeze whipping around me. The black seaweed and kelp crinkled under my feet, showing the deadness of it. As if it wasn't already prevalent with the harsh look of the rocks, ocean waves, and cold, dark air.

I closed my eyes for a moment, and saw a flash of a memory... or future event... shown to me through the Force.

 _A young girl, maybe her early twenties stood at the foot of the hole, peering in warily._

 _She feels familiar._

 _Then she slips, and falls into the hole with a startled scream, splashing against the water below._

I reopen my eyes and look down the hole with a frown, thinking about the flash of that vision, wondering about the girl. She felt familiar, and I'd almost think of her as Satele, but at the same time, I know it's not her.

Maybe I meet her in the future?

I haven't thought much of this cave, and considering Mara's experience inside it, there's obviously much it can reveal. I know I promised Ahsoka I would stop worrying myself in things so much, yet this has my interest, and with all the evil in the universe, I need to know more.

Knowledge is never complete, no one knows anything. The Jedi of old didn't understand this, and forbade any knowledge of the dark side. To much of it can be dangerous that is true, but to defeat your enemy, you have to understand them.

That's why me and Ahsoka are different, and why I am what the Jedi should've been.

Taking a deep breath to steel my nerves, I close and then reopen my eyes, and jump down into the cave.

* * *

 _This was a tough, but at the same time fun chapter to write. Something that I'm really curious about is how did Numa come across Boil's armor in the show? because you can see her wearing it on her left arm. That'd be an interesting story to cover._

 _Boil, Waxer and Numa are such underrated characters, considering how much people loved them in the 'Innocents of Ryloth' episode. You never really see too much of Boil or Waxer afterwards, aside from their brief scene on Geonosis, Waxer's death on Umbara, and Boil's brief cameo scene on 'Kidnapped.' too bad they never got too much screen time, since they were like the 212th counterparts of Fives and Echo._

 _Also... what's Jarik thinking about?_

* * *

 **Translation:**

 _Boil? Sei nerra? -_ Boil? My brother?

 _Nerra! Do garei tarhan Do fic dey dan rao! -_ I never thought I'd see you again!

 _Do ohk cei si'jovi'asi! -_ I'm so sorry!

 _Ish mtan go fic solsan, eti ohk go huhsi! Qato, ea qato Waxer? -_ He shouldn't have died, it isn't fair! Why, oh why Waxer?

 _Kay Do sohsa dey sei fonol jemae. -_ But I must see my people freed.

 _Eti aan huhsi ji jihsi canka ish ohk talcekan, ish talkan jei nerra. -_ It's just the last time he was betrayed, he lost his brother.

 _Do ohk si'jovi'asi ar ayy cea. Kay ish ohk distombe. -_ I'm sorry to hear that. But he is strong.

 _Arni'soyacho, nerra. -_ Thank you brother.


	88. Ch 87 - Destiny is Confusing

_**Author's Note:** The Honorable Ones episode takes place pretty quickly after Homecoming in this series, so it'd probably be a day after the events of this chapter._

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

I looked down into the hole of the dark side, the cold, ocean breeze whipping around me. The black seaweed and kelp crinkled under my feet, showing the deadness of it. As if it wasn't already prevalent with the harsh look of the rocks, ocean waves, and cold, dark air.

I closed my eyes for a moment, and saw a flash of a memory... or future event... shown to me through the Force.

 _A young girl, maybe her early twenties stood at the foot of the hole, peering in warily._

 _She feels familiar._

 _Then she slips, and falls into the hole with a startled scream, splashing against the water below._

I reopen my eyes and look down the hole with a frown, thinking about the flash of that vision, wondering about the girl. She felt familiar, and I'd almost think of her as Satele, but at the same time, I know it's not her.

Maybe I meet her in the future?

I haven't thought much of this cave, and considering Mara's experience inside it, there's obviously much it can reveal. I know I promised Ahsoka I would stop worrying myself in things so much, yet this has my interest, and with all the evil in the universe, I need to know more.

Knowledge is never complete, no one knows everything. The Jedi of old didn't understand this, and forbade any knowledge of the dark side. To much of it can be dangerous that is true, but to defeat your enemy, you have to understand them.

That's why me and Ahsoka are different, and why I am what the Jedi should've been.

I jump down into the hole, and grab onto one of the dead seaweed vines, swinging myself to the ground and away from the water. Landing on the stone in a crouch, I stand back up, and look around, noting the room though the doorway that was the mirror cave, and walk in that direction, passing into it.

Once through the entrance, I look around the cold room, seeing the sleek, but scratched up stone, the dark side evident in here. Taking a deep breathe, I stand in the middle and close my eyes, focusing on the Force and it's dark manifestation, letting it draw closer to me. I feel it attempt to converge on me in a hostile manner, and push it back, not letting it corrupt me, only do what I ask it to do.

 _If the Force wills it... show me my enemy, the one I must focus on._

There was nothing for a few moments, but when I open my eyes I'm suddenly in the empty, chill area of space that I believe Mara fought the vision of Sidious in. I hear a quiet, of a voice.

 _"Destiny arrives all the same..."_

Then a flash of an image shoots through my mind, of two colorful artifacts, stones, one of which I believe I've seen before... I believe under Vader's castle.

Strange... this isn't really clear, yet when is the Force ever clear to be honest?

 _ **"Do you feel it?"**_

I turn around, seeing the silhouette of a circle, wreathed in dark smoke, kind of reminding me of that portal I saw in the World Between Worlds. And in that circle was a shadowy image, which seemed to morph into a familiar person.

 ** _"The dark side? Or those relics of power?"_**

"Snoke," I state with a frown. "Let me guess, and illusion? Or are you real?"

He chuckles in amusement. **_"That is up to you to decide, young Shan."_**

"I'm not that young, anymore," I challenge. "The Padawan you met years ago has grown up, to become so much more."

 ** _"Ahh yes... a Knight. So you believe yourself to be what the Jedi should have been?"_** he asks with a seemingly disappointed sigh.

"That is up to you to decide," I recall with a smirk.

 ** _"Hmm, so you have grown. Have you thought about my offer, from those years ago?"_** he questions.

"Your hunt for relics?" I ask doubtfully. "What do you hope to gain from that? Power?"

 ** _"Of course,"_** he says with a grin. **_"Though they are so much more. You yourself could know, if you retrieve one from Malachor."_**

"As if I'd need to be going to that place," I say in dismissal.

 ** _"Oh, sooner than you realize Shan,"_** he replies, smirking at me. _**"The destiny, of Ahsoka Tano, lies there."**_

I narrow my eyes at him, wary and feeling a hint of alarmed anger.

"What?" I ask quietly.

 ** _"You'll find out soon, and you will not like it..."_** he trails off with a sinister chuckle, his form dissipating.

"No, wait!" I call out angrily, rushing forwards towards the image of Snoke, but it disappears quickly, leaving me in the regular cave again.

* * *

 **Sith Temple, Malachor I**

 **3rd person POV...**

The dark system of Malachor has always been off limits to Jedi. For over three thousand years since the Great Scourge, and even before that, the cataclysmic event that completely obliterated the fifth planet of the Malachor system, in the Battle of Malachor V. Darkness was the only thing that was known now on these worlds, and has warped the planets environments into a dangerous environment. Malachor V is all but destroyed, torn about by its own wounds in the dark side, while Malachor I is a barren wasteland.

On the outside of Malachor I, there's nothing too interesting about it, just an endless ocean of glazed, liquid carbonite with a cold atmosphere and dark clouds. However, beneath the thin surface were ruins, untouched, slathered by darkness and death, the center of which stood a massive, pyramidal temple, the top of the fortress glowing a sickening red. The dark side was so powerful here that no life could exist, and anyone who even had some level of Force sensitivity would feel the terrifying cold and sense of inhospitality.

However, for a Sith, this was their holy grail, and they drank up the dark side, letting it flow through them, filling them with strength.

And for a wielder of the dark side like Maul, it was perfect.

He'd crashed onto the planet not too long ago, his ship all but useless now, much to his anger. For some time one of the Emperor's pet Inquisitors had been attempting to track him down, and very nearly succeeded his goal when he found him, and starting firing upon him in his TIE Fighter, catching him by surprise. Several shots managed to strike Maul's ship, but he had already been in the process of jumping into hyperspace before the Inquisitor struck his ship.

The incident infuriated Maul, but he could only find some sense of satisfaction that the interference didn't keep him from reaching his destination. He may be stranded for now, but he knew that the Inquisitor would find him eventually, as he was a persistent one. Then, it would be all too easy to kill the fool then and there for his insolence, and take his ship for his own.

Maul roamed along the ruins of Malachor I, statues made of hard ash which long ago used to be both Jedi and Sith, passing by on either side. He passed them without a care, allowing the death to fuel his power in the dark side even more. He was admittedly past his prime as a fighter, but anyone who thought they could defeat him was a fool.

The lightsaber he stole from an Inquisitor who called herself the Fourth Sister, proved that. She thought he was weak.

As he trudged through the ruins with his makeshift cane, a way to hide his lightsaber, he thought back on his previous trip there, with his former master. Seeing the grand and imposing Sith Temple before him made him stop, and think back on old memories.

*:*:*

 _He walked through the ruins of the old Sith structures, bodies petrified to ash surrounding him. Up ahead, the breathtaking sight of the Sith Temple had him widening his eyes in awe and recognition. He remembered this place... he's seen it before._ _Beside him, his master Darth Sidious also looked up at the Temple._

 _"Do you know this place, my apprentice?" Lord Sidious questioned._

 _"Yes master. I have seen it... in my dreams," he replied._

 _He approached a petrified warrior and knelt beside it, reaching a hand to touch it curiously._

 _"It was here on... on this dead world... that the Jedi struck a terrible blow against the Sith," Lord Sidious told him. "Many of our order were struck down. All because they wanted to be **free** ," he says with anger._

 _Darth Sidious then waved a hand, and a small cloud of ash exploded from the petrified warrior and into Maul's face. He choked on it for a moment, breathing in the ash._

 _"Breathe it in, my apprentice. Breathe in the ash of the Empire that came before," Lord Sidious told him. "Let the hate fill you."_

 _Breathing in the ash, Maul was pulled into a terrifying vision. There he could see large armies of warriors in battle with each other, green, blue, and red lightsabers flashing in the darkness. He saw fellow Sith being decimated at the hands of the loathsome Jedi, massacring them all. The Jedi were like devils, demonic orange eyes glaring as they mercilessly cut down the Sith, all the while the cries and screams of them echoed in his head._

 _He remembered the words he thought while seeing this._

 _"Far above, far below."_

 _"We don't know where we'll fall."_

 _"Far above, far below."_

 _"What once was great is rendered small."_

 _"The Jedi... so proud of their lack of **emotion**..."_

 _"...Ironically so **afraid** of those who sought a different way."_

 _"Cowards and assassins..."_

 _"Treacherous hypocrites."_

 _"The Sith deserve their revenge."_

 _" **I** deserve **my** revenge..."_

*:*:*

Maul grimaced, gritting his teeth as he came back out of the memory, reopening his eyes and glaring at the landscape. He could remember the absolute anger and fury he felt towards the Jedi when seeing what they did to his Sith brethren on Malachor all those years ago. It's a shame the whole Order wasn't wiped out when the Temple's super weapon was activated, petrifying everyone within range.

According the legend, a powerful relic lay beneath the Temple, which was capable of incinerating and petrifying all of those Jedi and Sith in the Scourge of Malachor so long ago. He remembers learning about the history of the Sith Temple here, through his Sith teachings. Darth Traya had the temple constructed thousands of years ago, as a way to harness something that was already here as well. And he believes that he has seen this object in his dreams as well.

A swirling, blood red mass, with the shrieks and screams of what sounds like a thousand tortured souls echoing from it, trapped in a strange monolith, left their by beings long before Darth Traya discovered it.

Such a weapon was perfect for Maul to use, in order to exact his revenge on his former master Darth Sidious, and kill him for all the pain that he has caused him over the years. Not to mention, ensure his rule of the galaxy, and to annihilate all of his enemies, and those who would dare stand against him, including the oh so famous Jarik Shan, and if he survived... Kenobi.

Grinning savagely to himself, he could only imagine the power he would have if he discovers the secrets of the Sith Temple.

* * *

 _ **Mirror Cave; Ahch-To**_

 **Jarik POV...**

I spent some time in the Mirror Cave, still wanting to figure out more. When I asked the Force to show me the enemy to focus on, I saw Snoke, vision or otherwise. I would assume that this means I have to focus on him as my greatest enemy, but at the same time, it doesn't answer enough about me. What if Snoke is powerful enough to do something like this, as an attempt to deceive me in some way? Considering he was able to project himself in the World Between Worlds and shoot black fire at me, I would assume he is powerful enough.

So would he be the greatest threat I have to face? That's what it seems like, but the simple fact that there are so many other beings out there who are arguably more powerful than Snoke, like Oryx for example, makes me doubt the possibility. Not to mention right now, the galaxy is still ruled by an extremely powerful Sith Lord; aka Darth Sidious, as well as his also very powerful apprentice Darth Vader.

Once again, the Force is vague and confusing.

I let out a sigh, sitting down on the ground in the cave, mulling over my thoughts and trying to process what to think. In the face of such power stacked against the forces of good, light, and peace, who am I to challenge them? Who are the Jedi to face such a challenge, considering they couldn't even handle Palpatine? Although the Jedi were admittedly very bad in terms of how to handle delicate situations that are beyond their grasping sense of control, something Darth Sidious exploited perfectly.

 _"You're a Shan,"_ a voice says.

I look up, slightly surprised to see the form of Satele's spirit forming in front of me, although I'm no longer unfamiliar with the sight.

 _"A member of one of the most powerful families in our galaxy's history,"_ she continues.

"Even so, how am I supposed to face so many powerful enemies? I have limits," I tell her.

 _"And you have Ahsoka,"_ she adds, making me blink in surprise. _"Together, you can reach powers you could only dream of."_

"..Yeah, we are more powerful together. We're bonded," I say in agreement. "But we're still people, practitioners of the Force. Compared to others like Snoke? Or Oryx? We're not as powerful."

 _"No,_ _"_ she agrees. _"You're even more powerful than them."_

I give her a dry, disbelieving look. "I do hope that my joking personality doesn't stem from you," I deadpan.

 _"No, it's more from Revan,"_ she replies teasingly, and I roll my eyes. _"In all seriousness though, it is true. Together, you and Ahsoka can achieve power greater than what Snoke could hope to achieve."_

"I'm kinda doubtful," I say warily. "First time I met him, Snoke was able to project himself through a portal between space and time. I can't even begin to fathom how that's possible, much less be stronger than that."

 _"That's because you haven't reached it yet,"_ Satele says. _"You and Ahsoka share a destiny, which has been put in motion for many years. Snoke knows about your destiny as well, and he fears it."_

I develop a surprised look, a little incredulous and disbelieving. "Really? What would he have to fear from me?"

 _"Like I said, you and Ahsoka can reach powers greater than him,"_ she insists again. _"Why do you think Snoke seeks those relics so badly?"_

I think about the relics that Snoke originally told me about, and what I've been seeing, considering it. He has said those will make him even more powerful...

"Do you know what those two stones are?" I ask her.

Unfortunately, she shakes her head. _"I'm afraid I cannot say. Not until the Force wills you to learn of them."_

"Typical," I mutter, shaking my head in exasperation. "You say that me and Ahsoka will become very powerful in the Force. How are we supposed to achieve that?"

 _"How do you think?"_ she asks rhetorically. _"For years now, Ahsoka has carried the life-force of Morai, lying dormant within her. It is why her spirit revolves around you two."_

"Yeah, she carries Morai's spirit," I remember, thinking about when she told me about that after we first arrived on Ahch-To. My eyes then widen in bewilderment and disbelief at the idea that comes to mind. "You're not saying that she'll be as powerful as Morai?"

 _"That is not for me to tell you,"_ she replies firmly.

"Because the Force doesn't will it so?" I deadpan, now a little annoyed. Why bother hinting things that'll take forever to figure out when you're not allowed to say, yet at the same time wish me to know? It's dumb, confusing, and exasperating.

 _"Jarik, the Force works in very mysterious ways. Even the Ones could've never hoped to know it fully,"_ she says. _"The Father believed he knew the prophecy of the Chosen One, but he was wrong to believe he understood, and it cost them all."_

I look down apologetically, knowing she was right. "Yeah, I understand," I reply. "Does any of this have something to do with Malachor?"

She's silent for some time before responding.

 _"Eventually,"_ she confirms, making my heart stop in concern.

Malachor has not just one dangerous planet, but two. Malachor V though is admittedly far gone, said to have been fully destroyed, leaving only large asteroids in place of where it once was, although they still churned with the dark side. Then there was Malachor I, which is where the Great Scourge of Malachor happened, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Jedi and Sith, by a some sort of incineration wave. Since those times, the entire system has always been off limits to Jedi, and even the Republic, Separatists, and any other groups were wary of ever approaching the place.

Whatever awaited us on Malachor, could not be good. It's just a matter of when this will happen.

"Me being the last blood relative of our family... was this always meant to be?" I ask her. "Was I always meant to have such a heavy burden?"

 _"Not always... but events happened that ensured the fate would fall to you,"_ she says, sounding a little bit regretful.

I let out an exhausted sigh, feeling a little more vulnerable. "Sometimes I wish I never was such a prominent figure," I say softly. "Me and Ahsoka, maybe even Mara, could've found a nice place to settle down, live out our lives in private peace, while the galaxy spins the way it desires."

 _"Not many ever do._ _When your mother Lara had to let you go, she was heartbroken,"_ she says, shocking me so that I whipped my head up to face her. I wasn't ever expecting to hear about my mother. _"She understood that the Force could not spare her, but she knew that you had your own destiny, that you would fulfill it, and find love and happiness in the darkness. She passed away believing that, and loving you."_

Listening to Satele talk about my mother's thoughts in her last moments brought tears to my eyes, which I wiped away, looking at her, seeing the small smile on her face.

"That... that's just..." I shakily say, unable to form the words. "So what happens now?"

 _"Hard times are coming soon Jarik,"_ she warns me. _"And you must be wary. Darth Sidious has been messing with the rules of time, seeking for knew ways to destroy you."_

"Messing with the rules of time?" I ask in bewilderment, a worrying thought entering my head. "Does he know about the World Between Worlds?"

 _"He seeks to understand it's power. Soon you and Ahsoka must return to the Jedi Temple on Lothal. What you will find is only going to be known by you,"_ Satele informs me, and I'm a little surprised at learning this. _"But you must stop Sidious before he completes his goal."_

"Which is?" I ask her in concern.

 _"Me,"_ Satele says seriously.

I'm silent in response, not sure what she means by that. What could Sidious possibly do that's so worrisome, and involves Satele? She's been dead for several millennia! However, a memory then comes back to me, something I remember my holocron doing right before I first found the Jedi Temple. Recordings of Satele were being played and skipped through, forming a vague message to me, before it turned red. Her hologram had looked right at me, and said the name 'Sidious.' Following that was an echoing scream of the Sith Lord.

That's got to be related.

 _"Go. Spend time with Ahsoka,"_ she tells me. _"What comes next in your journey is more challenging than anything you have experienced before. But I have no doubt that you can pull it off."_

With those parting words and a smile, her spirit then dissipates into nothing, leaving the cave cold and dark. Now, after she's been gone, the Force feels very silent, more so than it was when I got here. I'm getting the sense that this is all the Force is going to give me.

* * *

When I returned back to the Jedi Village later that evening, I could see that Ahsoka was waiting for me, arms crossed, not looking too pleased.

"Mirror Cave?" she questions, and I grimace lightly in response.

"To learn?" I offer meekly.

"About future enemies we can't afford worry about yet?" she replies with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay, I went to see if I could learn more about which enemy I need to focus my attention too, happy?" I tell her in exasperation.

"I thought we agreed that you wouldn't worry yourself to death about things you can't control!" she exclaims irritably, putting her hands on her hips. "It's bad enough that we're Palpatine's number one enemy, so you don't have to add to the stress by focusing on those other things either!"

"I just... it's something that I feel I need to know. I can't help myself!" I say in defense.

"Which is exactly why you shouldn't," she retorts, heaving a sigh and stepping closer, small tears forming in her eyes. "I care about you too much to stand watching you worry yourself to death over these things. Sometimes I feel like you worry about our opponents... more than you think about us."

I gape at her in shock and disbelief, having no idea she felt that way. After that, an overwhelming sense of guilt crosses me at making her feel that way, and tears start to form in my eyes as well. Sensing how upset and desperately in need of comfort she was, I quickly envelop her in a tight hug, which she returns fiercely, burying her head against my chest.

 _"Ahsoka... protecting you is the reason why I worry so much about these things,"_ I say softly over the bond.

 _"I-I just don't want to loose you!"_ she replies, voice shaking through her sadness.

Another sense of guilt comes over me again, hearing how desperate and worried she was about loosing me. It wasn't fair for me to think that I had it hard to worry about all of these threats we're faced with, she's had it equally as hard. She's lost so much... the Jedi Order turned its back on her, then she lost her friends, Barriss, Vifi, and Anakin. She wouldn't be able to handle it if she lost me too, and that would break her. I shut my eyes tightly at the thought of all we've been through as I continued to comfort her.

 _"You won't loose me,"_ I reassure her, softly stroking her back lekku. _"You'll never loose me. I promise you."_

She only squeezed her arms around me more in the hug, as if too reassure herself that if she held onto me as tightly as she could, she'd never loose me, like she has the others. And I refuse to let that ever become a reality.

* * *

 _Tough times for two lovers in the middle of war, having been consumed by it for so much of their lives. But as long as they are together, they can take on anything! :D_

 _I'm sure you all have been waiting for this, for a very... very long time. The next chapter, is going to be the episode Shroud of Darkness._


	89. Ch 88 - Shroud of Darkness Pt 1

_**Author's Note:** Wow, this chapter is a lot longer than I ever expected it to be, despite knowing that I would split it into two parts... I doubt you guys will complain though. :3_

* * *

 ** _Jedi Temple; Tython - 3643 BBY_**

 **Satele POV...**

For the last several days I've been sensing some strange disturbance in the Force, lurking at the edge of my vision. I could not understand what it meant, or why I was feeling it, which made me interested, and worried.

The last time I felt something I could not understand was when Bumblebee first arrived about a month ago. Of course, many of the Jedi were alarmed and cautious at first sight of him, which is very understandable. He was also uneasy and nervous the first few days, being quite young by the standards of his people, he told us. However, despite the conflict waging between his species, possibly far outside of our galaxy, he wanted to help us with our own struggles. Not because it could benefit the Autobots, but because he wanted to, and wanted to help people.

It's something to be admired, and I think that Bumblebee is such a wonderful person, in spite of his differences. He's kind, helpful, good in spirit, and a very good friend. He's become rather close to me and Theron especially, and the espionage missions he participates in with Theron are always practically flawless. It helps with his ability to transform into any sort of vehicle or machine, although within a reasonable size.

I let out a soft sigh on my meditation mat, opening my eyes as I thought about the Galactic War. For the last several decades, there has been so much conflict and war spread across the galaxy, and with the collapse of the Peace Treaty, it'll only get worse. Sometimes I have to wonder whether or not the cost is worth it.

Is this war between the Republic and Sith Empire, which at its roots stems from the Jedi and Sith, really worth the fate of the galaxy?

This continued sense of something trying to connect with me, light or dark, reached my mind again. I try to reach back out to it, figure out what it is even more, but even with all my powers in the Force I could not understand.

Looking to the side of my room, my gaze lands upon my holocron, which actually has been held down my bloodline since Revan. It contains knowledge of all kind, so perhaps it could help reveal this presence better?

Raising an arm, I called the holocron over to gently float before me, and placed my hands on my legs again, still in the kneeling position. Focusing on the holocron, I allow it to open, so that I can access it's memories and see if I can find something helpful. I pass through different files inside of it, brushing them aside with the Force quickly if they had no relevance.

Teachings... lessons... history... Revan's life... the Oryx encounter... warnings of the dark side... Sith lore...

When I was browsing through the Holocron's contents however, it suddenly started to develop a dim red glow, contrasting against its usual blue. Frowning, I sense a small amount of darkness stream forth from it as the Force directs me to see something.

I hear a shrieking, echoey roar in the Force, sounding strikingly similar to a Sith.

 _"Sidious... Sidious..."_

The holocron then shuts itself, collapsing to the floor as the Force leaves it, returning to normal.

I shuddered a little, uneasy with what the holocron just showed me. Standing up, I retrieve the holocron from the floor and place it back in its regular space on my shelf, crossing my arms with my eyes furrowed in thought.

"Strange..." I mutter to myself.

Sidious... it sounds like the name of a Sith Lord, but I've never heard a name like that before. Add that to the brief swell in the dark side, and the Sith scream makes me very sure of this being the work of a Sith.

But is this a rogue?

Whatever, or whoever this Sidious is, I'm sensing that it's related to this strange disturbance I'm feeling in the Force. One thing I do know however, is that the Force wants me to go somewhere, which I felt quite clearly during the holocron's vision.

I was headed for Lothal.

* * *

 ** _Jedi Temple Island, Ahch-To; Unknown Regions - present time_**

 **Jarik POV...**

I walked into my hut, checking to make sure I had everything I need. I knew of course that I did considering our lack of personal items (aside from Mara... teenagers), but it never hurts to make sure.

Ahsoka was out getting Mara from Berk, so that we could meet up with the Ghost Crew. Recently, their fleet has been working double time to find a suitable planet for a proper base for the rebels, but they've been headed off by the Inquisitors, who are more determined that ever to capture them. Luckily, all four of them have yet to show up at the same time, but there have been several close calls, when either the Third Brother or Second Sister would appear alongside the usual chasers, Fifth Brother and Vifi.

Oh it still hurt to think about Vifi... it'll never not hurt to think about all the friends we've lost, either through death, or the Sith.

Anyways, as I was preparing to leave, I caught notice of my holocron again. Remembering what it once showed me years ago, I carefully pick it up and let the Force flow through it, seeing if there was anything else it would show me before we headed to Lothal.

Opening it with the Force, I watch as it stars to glow blue, and then immediately projects the shaky, slightly static hologram of Satele.

 _"...are you alright...(static)...peace is the ideal padawan...(static)...these are the moments we strive for...(static)...the temple is buzzing with...(static)...suggest you prepare to face...(static)...you...(static)...always made me proud..."_

The message was continuing just as I remembered it, only this time it played instantly upon me activating the holocron. This has to mean that whatever Satele is warning me about is going to happen very soon.

 _"...find the temple...(static)...disturbing confrontation...(static)..."_

Once again, the hologram of Satele then clears up completely, getting rid of all the static, and she meets my eyes with a serious gaze.

"... **Sidious**..." she says warningly, triggering a familiar vision in my mind.

 _She stands with another man, similar in his looks to her, staring up at a massive, humanoid looking droid... or something else, which stares down at them. A Cybertronian._

Bumblebee. I know now that this Cybertronian is called Bumblebee, the one Satele met and became friends with.

 _Vision changes to show a much older Satele standing inside of what looks like a dark, shadowy temple. In front of her is a series of misty images, and Darth Sidious appears in the smoke, cackling in delight. Satele stands in a defensive position, and then the vision fades away._

Once the vision fades away the familiar, but no less terrifying, shriek of Darth Sidious roars in my mind. The holocron glows Sith red, but this time I'm prepared for it, and quickly place it on the table before it could burn me.

 _"Jarik..."_

Satele's voice echoing softly from the holocron is so sudden that it shocks me. I quickly return my gaze intently to the holocron, seeing her dim, flickering image. I don't remember this happening before...

 _"He is very close. You must, stop him,"_ she says softly.

The hologram then fades away, allowing the holocron to shut off as if nothing had happened. I take in what she said with wide eyes, her message all but confirming my suspicions about her warnings being very close to happening.

Thinking thoughtfully on this I pick up the holocron and pocket it, and then walk out of the hut as I try to understand what exactly Sidious is doing that even Satele, a Jedi Master who lived thousands of years ago, is worried about. Not to mention how it seems to involve her. The involvement of the Lothal Temple cannot be good, because that's where the World Between Worlds is hidden, a place most likely created by the Ones outside the usual plane of existance.

Sidious is smart, and based on the stories, legends, and Sith lore I've looked at over the course of my life, he's probably one of the most power Sith Lords to have ever lived in the history of the galaxy! The only ones I could think of that top that are Snoke, Vitiate, Darth Bane, Darth Nihilus, and probably Darth Revan. If he were to discover the World Between Worlds...

"Are you ready?"

Ahsoka's voice broke me out of my musing with a startled look, as I wasn't really paying attention. Mara was standing beside her, and they looked ready to go. Ahsoka took notice of my brief surprise with concern.

"Are you alright?" she asks.

I wave it off. "Yeah I'm fine, I was just thinking about the situation," I told her.

"Okay, well, there'll be plenty of thinking once we join with the others," she replies.

"How has Ezra and the others been recently?" Mara asks me.

"Just fine, with a few intense moments," I tell her. "We can talk about it on the way there."

"Okay," she says.

"Best not be late," Ahsoka remarks with a small grin.

"Hey, we're never late," I tell her, smirking. "Just dramatic with or appearances."

She rolls her eyes while Mara giggles in amusement.

* * *

 ** _Oosalon; Outer Rim Territories_**

 **3rd person POV...**

The mountainous and rocky world of Oosalon was relatively desolate with dark, cloudy skies and a few tibidee's flying around, letting out screeching calls to each other. It was relatively normal and peaceful, until the combatants jumped into frame.

Lightsabers clashed with each other in a furious flurry of red and blue, as Vifi and the Fifth Brother were baring down on Kanan and Ezra. The young Jedi switched to his lightsaber's blaster mode and started firing at Vifi, who easily deflected the shots with her red blade, continuing her advance. Returning to his lightsaber setting, Ezra prepares himself to rush for her again.

"I'm thinking this planet's not gonna work out as a base after all!" he exclaims, dashing forwards.

Kanan blocks a strike from Fifth Brother before shoving him back, taking the moment to gather himself.

"Seeing that the key part of secret base is the secret location NO, it will not work out!" he shouts in frustration, twirling his lightsaber before dashing forwards again. "Where's Chopper?!"

"I signaled him! He's either lost or ignoring us!" Ezra tells him, bringing his lightsaber up to block a quick slash, and then retaliates with a jab, trying to shove Vifi away.

Kanan blocked Fifth Brother's attacks with furious slashes, scowling. "Oh he's not lost. Cross!" he yells.

Ezra sucks out of the way of another attack, and runs around Vifi as she tried to slash him, and jumps into the air. Using the Force, Kanan pulls Ezra closer at a higher speed, and the Padawan twirls through the air before slashing out with his lightsaber hard, causing the Fifth Brother to stumble away. He then turns around and thrusts his arms out to shove Kanan, who jumps into the air with an added boost and delivers a powerful swing towards Vifi.

She dodges easily though, being a lot more balanced than the Fifth Brother, and swings back at him in retaliation. Ezra then turns around to see Fifth Brother jumping at him, and he quickly raises his saber to block the attack. He grits his teeth in exertion as the Inquisitor forced him downwards with his strength, scowling fiercely. Kanan and Vifi continues to clash sabers with each other before entering a blade lock, and she opens her mask.

"Such a handsome face," she purrs with a smirk.

"I don't go for crazy, anymore!" Kanan retorts with a scowl.

Vifi shrugs in mock disappointment. "Oh, that's alright. I prefer brains. Besides... Jarik has much better looks than you," she says.

Glancing behind her with a smirk, one of her probe droids then appears out of nowhere and latches onto Kanan's head. He cries out in surprise as the droid starts yanking, pulling him closer to the high cliffside. Vifi closes her mask again and starts swinging her lightsaber in an attempt to cut him apart. It was taking all he could to block her strikes, preventing him from destroying the probe droid as it dragged him closer to his doom.

Ezra widens his eyes in alarm before shoving Fifth Brother's lightsaber away. He dashes forwards and rolls underneath the Inquisitor's attack, bringing out his blaster setting and firing.

Sensing the attack, Vifi turns around and activated her saber's spinning feature to block the blaster bolts, while another shot takes out the droid, sending it screeching down the side of the cliff. Kanan exhales in relief, almost having been dragged off by the droid.

Ezra grins to himself, before yelling in alarm as the Fifth Brother suddenly sends him flying with the Force, soaring over the edge of the cliff.

"KAANAN! Ahh! Kanan!" he screams fearfully.

"I got you, I got you!" Kanan exclaims, having grabbed his ankle to prevent him from falling.

Vifi and Fifth Brother raise their lightsabers with sickening grins on their faces, and she chuckles in dark amusement, the two striding forwards slowly. Glancing back, Kanan noticed their slow approach and looked down at Ezra.

"Ezra! I need you up here!" he calls.

"Hold on, I'm busy at the moment!" Ezra replies.

Looking down near the bottom of the cliff, he spots a few tibidee's nesting, and stretches his arm towards them while closing his eyes. Focusing on the Force, he attempts to connect with the animals, and moments later the take flight.

The Fifth Brother charged forwards, so Kanan pulled with his might to throw Ezra into the air, breaking his concentration with a surprised yelp. Facing upwards, Kanan swings his saber hard at the Inquisitor's strike, batting it aside and causing him to stumble away clumsily.

A few feet away, Vifi sighs in frustrated exasperation at her fellow Inquisitor's clumsiness.

Kanan then grabs Ezra's wrist before he could fall off again, and gives him a look.

"Up on three?" he asks.

"Fine," Ezra replies.

"One, two, THREE!"

With a grunt of exertion, Kanan yanks Ezra up and throws him into the air with all of his strength. Ezra goes flying with a force enhanced leap, twirling through the air and lashing out with his lightsaber, catching the Inquisitor's by surprise. Kanan then jumps to his feet and engages with the Fifth Brother.

Vifi attacks Ezra furiously, forcing him backwards. He quickly blocks a few of her strikes and glances at Kanan, who blocked a slash from the Fifth Brother.

"I got us a ride, come on!" he exclaims.

The two Jedi then weave around the Inquisitor's and start running for the edge as fast as possible. Vifi and the Fifth Brother angrily give chase after them.

"I don't like this," Kanan says uneasily, glancing back at their pursuers.

"Just get ready to jump!" Ezra tells him.

"Jump?! You're crazy!" Kanan exclaims incredulously.

However, Kanan went along with the plan, seeing no choice as they approached the edge of the cliff very fast. With a yell, Kanan and Ezra jump off of the cliff, disappearing into the fog below. Vifi and the Fifth Brother come to a stop, looking down the cliff warily with their lightsabers ready.

A tibidee then soars up out of nowhere, knocking the Inquisitor's back. Flying away and into the sky, Ezra and Kanan were riding on its back, the latter looking on in bewilderment.

"This was you?" he asks.

"Yeah. Not bad huh?" Ezra replies smugly.

The Phantom then approaches to soar alongside them, Chopper waving an arm from his position in the astromech socket. He then maneuvers in front of the tibidee, opening the door so they could get on.

"After you," Ezra says.

Kanan climbs into the Phantom, and before getting on, Ezra pets the tibidee on the head. "Thanks for the lift," he says.

The tibidee wails in response as Ezra steps onto the Phantom, and then flies away when the door closed. Chopper directed them into space, heading back for the fleet. Ezra sits down with a sigh of relief, Kanan deep in worried though."

"Phew, that was a close one," he remarks.

"Yeah, another close one," Kanan says grimly.

Ezra frowns in concern, noting the tone in his voice. "What's wrong?"

"Everywhere we go we run into those guys, and I don't like it," he says. "If this keeps up, we'll never be able to help the rebels establish a base. At least not as long as we're with them."

"So, what are we gonna do about it?" Ezra asks.

Kanan frowns. "I don't know. But it's endangering the whole squadron. We're gonna need advice on this."

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to see if we can get in contact with Ahsoka and Jarik," Ezra suggests.

* * *

Later, Kanan had sent a message to Hera and the crew to head for somewhere remote and away from the fleet, and to see if they could get in contact with Fulcrum. Apparently, they were actually already coming to meet up with the crew, which just made things easier for them.

Having returned from their search out of hyperspace, Kanan and Ezra could see that the Knight Hawk was already docked with the Ghost. Once Chopper reconnected the Phantom, the two got back onto the main ship, where Hera was waiting for them.

"Well, you two seem fine," Hera notes. "How's the Phantom?"

"I don't know. Chopper was flying," Ezra replies with a shrug, gesturing to the ship.

"Oh, boy," Hera says in exasperation.

"So, kid, you find us a base yet?" Zen asks, messing with his bo-rifle.

"No, but we did find two Inquisitors," he replies, walking down the hallway.

"Oh, that's nothing new," Zeb groans in annoyance.

"She's waiting for you," Hera tells Kanan. "Why did you have us meet you out here away from the fleet?"

Kanan sighs. "It's safer this way."

* * *

 **Ahsoka POV...**

I was sitting in a meditative position, placing Jarik's holocron on the floor in front of me. Mara was sitting on the mat opposite to me, watching what I was doing. Jarik was looking over a couple of things back on the ship before he came over here, so I took the moment to give Mara a brief lesson before we set off on or mission.

"So what's with the holocron?" she asks curiously.

"Just a brief lesson," I tell her. "This is one of Anakin's."

Mara hums in interest, and I close my eyes, dimming the lights in the room and then opening the holocron with the Force. Focusing on the recording I wanted, a hologram of Anakin then appeared from it, casting the room in a blue glow.

 _"Keeping your saber moving is key to deflecting the fire of multiple adversaries."_

Anakin's voice brought back memories from the Clone Wars, and I vaguely sensed as Ezra walked into the room, sitting down beside Mara. The two of them watched the recording intently, while I kept my eyes closed in my meditation.

 _"Fluid motion, one into the next, into the next, and so on. I've made some adjustments to the classic Form IV techniques that I think you'll find work well against droids and other ranged attackers. Here, I'll show you. - One, two, three-"_

"He's amazing. I've watched these recordings to help me with my own saber training," Ezra comments in awe.

"You should have seen him in person," I tell him, opening my eyes. "Anakin Skywalker. He was my master."

"Kanan said he was the greatest warrior the Jedi had in the Clone Wars," he says.

"He was powerful, rarely lost a battle. What would have surprised people was how kind he was. He cared deeply about his friends, and looked out for them until the end," I tell him, looking down sadly as I remember what happened to him.

What he became.

 _"Practice these exercises mindfully, and you'll see improvement, I promise,"_ Anakin's voice says, before the holocron shuts off again.

"I wish I could've met him," Mara says longingly.

The knowledge that she has makes me grimace briefly, but I hide it and smile at her. "You would've enjoyed talking to him."

"Do you know what happened to him?" Ezra asks.

"The last time I saw him, he was rushing off to save the Chancellor with Jarik and Obi-Wan. Then everything changed. The war ended and the Jedi were accused of treason," I recall sadly, remembering what happened on Mandalore. "According to Jarik, Master Yoda attempted to face the Emperor head on while he and Obi-Wan fought Vader. Unfortunately, Palpatine was too powerful, and Yoda went into exile. One by one, the Jedi were hunted down."

"By the Inquisitors," Ezra states.

"Or worse," Mara adds. "Like Vader."

The door then opens, allowing Kanan to enter, followed by Jarik a few moments later. The three of us then stand up to greet them, the lights turning back on.

"Speaking of Inquisitors Ahsoka, what do you think about us doing the hunting for a change?" Kanan asks.

"When you defeated one, several more came. Who's to say we wouldn't multiply our problems yet again?" I point out.

"And there's Vader," Ezra adds.

"I don't disagree. But the fact remains, we can't protect our friends from Vader and his Inquisitors," Kanan says, facing Ezra. "I can barely protect you."

"I don't need protecting," he insists.

"Vader is on a whole other league Ezra," Jarik reminds him firmly. "You saw first hand what he's capable of, but even during that fight he was holding back by a huge margin."

"I don't even know if I want to know how powerful Vader could be," Mara says, still to this day a little unsettled by the experience.

I cross my arms in concern. "It's tough times like these that me, Jarik or Anakin would turn to someone like Obi-Wan or Master Yoda. They always had the answer."

"Well, almost always," Jarik adds, and I nod in agreement.

Kanan glances down thoughtfully, and I noted that an idea seemed to be coming to mind, when he looks up with a confident smile.

"Then maybe we should ask Master Yoda," he says.

This catches us by surprise, not expecting a statement like that, Jarik especially.

"You know where Master Yoda is exiled?" he asks cautiously.

"Not exactly," he replies. "But I know a place that we can talk to him."

Me and Jarik share a look with each other before going along with it, turning back to face them.

"Alright. We can head there in our ship," he says.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

Apparently, Kanan's direction has sent us to Lothal, which got my mind thinking. There's only one place here I could think of that would allow Master Yoda to contact Kanan and Ezra.

 _"I think they already know about the Lothal Temple,"_ I tell Ahsoka.

 _"It would seem so. I can't think of any other reason why we'd return here,"_ she says in agreement. _"I never knew Ezra was from Lothal though."_

 _"Makes sense though. He's attached to this place,"_ I reply.

"Ezra, you're from Lothal?" Ahsoka asks him curiously.

"Yeah, this place is my home," he replies softly, gazing at the planet's surface.

After a few moments of silence while I fly us down into the atmosphere, Mara crosses her arms with an amused expression. "Well isn't this convenient."

"What do you mean?" Ezra asks.

"You're talking about the Jedi Temple here on Lothal, right?" I say with a knowing glance.

The two of them are stunned into disbelief.

"What?! You know about it?" Kanan asks in shock.

"Yup!" Mara says cheerily. "There's a lot about us you don't know!"

I roll my eyes in exasperation at her antics. "Near the end of the Clone Wars, Master Yoda sent me on a mission without the council's approval. I didn't know what I was looking for, but the Force led me here."

"What for? Did you learn anything important?" Ezra asks curiously.

I remain silent for a few moments, and so did the other two, since the already know what I learned that day. Ahsoka sends me a small feeling of reassurance, which I accept gratefully.

"My ancestry, and... other things," I finally tell them.

The two share a confused look, wondering what I could've meant. I can only assume that this means Sabine has yet to tell the crew why Mandalore hates me so much. Well, that's something for another time.

"It's just up ahead," I announce, recognizing the location.

Up ahead was the stone spire that I remember to be the hidden location of Lothal's Jedi Temple. Angling the ship in its direction, I bring us down for a landing, making sure the ship is keeping its frequency cloaked so that the Empire can't detect it. Once we had landed, we all exited the ship and walked out to the Temple, gazing up at the spire in interest. Unless you knew about it, there was no way anyone would be able to find it.

"Here it is," Ezra says as we step up to a circle engraved in the ground. "If you, Jarik and Kanan stand here you can use the Force to open the door."

"I cannot," Ahsoka says sadly.

"Why?" he asks in confusion.

I give Ahsoka a sympathetic look, knowing the reason, and Mara looked sad two, seeming upset at the thought of what happened to her.

"Because I am no longer a Jedi. It was my choice, I left the Order," she says, placing a hand on his shoulder. She then looks up at the Temple curiously. "It's probably best if you two open it."

"Alright," Ezra says in acceptance. "Kanan?"

He and Ezra step up into the circle, and I get Mara's attention. "Why don't you help them out?"

"Why?" she asks me.

"It'll be a good learning experience," I explain.

She glances back up at the Temple before nodding, going to stand beside Ezra. Me and Ahsoka both watch as the three of them close their eyes and then outstretch their arms, calling upon the Force. The Temple responds to them, and begins to rise out of the ground, moving in a spiral motion upwards. Ahsoka watches it in fascination, a small smile forming on her face.

 _"Wow. This is impressive. you did this all by yourself?"_ she asks me.

 _"With some guidance, yeah,"_ I reply with a nod.

The Temple continues to rise out of the ground, revealing a small door entrance, although it was different than the one I entered years ago. However, the door continues to rise upwards, which Ezra takes notice of with some confusion.

"Hey, where's the door going?" he asks.

"Uhh... maybe there's more?" Mara offers in reply.

"Keep focusing you two," I tell them.

Ezra glances at Kanan with uncertainty before continuing. Soon enough then, a larger door appears out of the ground, a sight that I'm familiar with.

"This is new," Ezra says in surprise when they stop.

"Well, new problem, new door," Kanan points out.

"Not for me," I say, taking a few steps forwards. "This is the door I entered the last time I came here."

"Good to know," Ahsoka says, and we all walk for the door, though I stop to give R5 some instruction.

"R5, stay here and keep an eye out for any Imperials. Make sure the ship stays out of sight," I tell him, and he beeps in confirmation, rolling back into the ship.

The five of us enter the Temple with Ezra and Mara in the lead, the two of them looking around curiously and in fascination. I walk at the back of the group, looking at the different symbols and writing along the walls, recalling the last time I was here. Ahsoka was also taking the time to investigate the place with interest.

 _"You said the entrance to the World Between Worlds was in here?"_ she asks me.

 _"It's deep inside, accessible through a mural depicting the Ones. It's in a really wide open space underground,"_ I tell her.

Walking down the stairs from the entrance, we enter a large circular room filled with pillars and columns, and a few other doorways along its walls as well. Behind us, the door outside suddenly slides closed, leaving us with a little bit less light.

"Well, no going back now," Mara mutters.

"How exactly did you contact Master Yoda here?" Ahsoka asks.

"Well... he, kinda contacted us," Kanan admits.

"I might know how he did," I offer, crossing my arms. "Master Yoda is powerful, and this Temple is like a beacon to the Force for those who know about it. It's likely that's how he was able to contact you."

"Wow, that's pretty cool," Mara says in awe. "So does that mean Master Yoda knows about this place as well?"

"Probably, I mean he is 900 years old," I theorize with a shrug.

"Good point," Ahsoka adds in agreement.

"I thought I was dreaming when I first heard Master Yoda's voice," Ezra says.

"And I was meditating..." Kanan adds, looking down in thought.

"Then perhaps that's a good place to start," Ahsoka decides.

Agreeing on the suggestion, the five of us sat down in a circle, shifting into meditative positions with our hands on our knees. Closing our eyes, each of us delved into the Force, hoping we could possibly draw Master Yoda's attention that way. However I was meditating more on what Satele has been speaking to me about, as well as what Sidious could be attempting to do. Satele says that his plan involves her but... how?

Unless... could he know as well?

"I see a doorway," Kanan suddenly says in surprise.

"Where? I don't see anything," Ezra says in confusion, looking around.

"Neither do I," Ahsoka adds, doing the same.

"I'm going to assume that none of us can see it except for Kanan," Mara theorizes.

"The Force runs strongly in this Temple, more so than most. It does whatever the Force wills," I inform them calmly.

Kanan then stands to his feet, determined. "I think you're right Jarik. The last time we spoke to Master Yoda we were separated," he reminds Ezra. "Maybe this is my path alone."

"Be careful," Ezra calls out as he walks towards the wall.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't do anything you would do," he teases in reply, causing Ezra to frown.

Mara muffles a laugh. "That's a good one," she says in amusement.

Kanan steps up to the wall and raises a hand, feeling it along the stone. Then, after the next step he takes forwards, he disappears into nothing, as if he were an illusion.

"What happened?! He just disappeared!" Ezra exclaims in surprise.

"As you know, these Temples can be tricky," Ahsoka reminds him.

* * *

 **Kanan POV...**

I passed through the blindingly bright opening, covering my eyes from the light. When it seemed to die down, I cautiously opened my eyes and then gaped in shock, finding myself to be in one of the training rooms of the Jedi Temple, back on Coruscant. It seemed exactly as I remembered, with the set up, lightsaber racks, training equipment, although in the center of the room, someone was kneeling on the ground in a meditative position, fists propped on their legs. At my entrance, he looked up, wearing a white, faceless mask.

"I wondered when you would return," he states.

"A Temple guard," I breathe in surprise. "I've come for knowledge. I need to know how to defeat Vader and his Inquisitors!"

He picks up his lightsaber and then stands to his feet to look at me. "Try to fight, and you will fail. The Rebellion will be destroyed. You will die, and your apprentice, along with Jarik Shan, will become servants of evil."

"What are you talking about?" I ask dangerously with narrowed eyes.

"The dark side, it pulls at them," he states, walking forwards. "It calls to them. Eventually, they will be consumed by it."

"That won't happen!" I state confidently. "Ezra would never turn, neither would Jarik! He knows the dangers of the dark side, as does Ahsoka."

"Are you so sure?" the guard questions doubtfully, activating his lightsaber. "Do you not know who he's descended from?"

I glare at him and whip out my own lightsaber, blue countering against his yellow.

"Stand aside," he orders. "The boy must be eliminated before embracing the darkness, as must Shan."

"I won't let that happen," I declare firmly, raising my lightsaber in a battle stance.

The guard says nothing, but raises his own blade in challenge before lunging forwards. I block his blade with a fierce scowl before shoving him away, lashing out with a strike. He quickly evades and counters with his own slashes and swings, which I either dodge or deflect before backpedaling a few steps. Raising my lightsaber high, I rush for the Temple guard with a fierce swing.

* * *

 _ **Lothal System - 3643 BBY**_

 **Satele POV...**

I brought the shuttle out of hyperspace and into the system of Lothal in the Outer Rim, gazing at the blue, brown, and greenish planet before me. Being a part of the Outer Rim, the Galactic War had yet to spread this far, so there was no real danger of being drawn into a battle by the Sith Empire, however it was still best to be cautious, especially considering I was dealing with a possible wielder of the dark side named Sidious. What could be on Lothal had me interested, although...

"I must admit, you do a fair job of sneaking aboard ships without being noticed by a wielder of the Force," I state calmly.

I sense movement behind me, coming from my son Theron as he leans against the side of the doorframe into the cockpit.

"It's a skill," he comments. "Helps me better on missions you know."

"I imagine so," I reply in agreement. "So why did you sneak aboard with me?"

"Well when the Grand Master of the Jedi, and one of the most high ranking figures in the Republic military decides to head off somewhere without telling anyone, it makes one curious," he says.

I let out a knowing sigh. "Is Bumblebee here too?"

"Sure is. Attached himself to the bottom of the ship," he replies.

 _::I'm surprised you didn't noticed us earlier.::_ Bumblebee's voice comes through the comlink.

"I've been in deep thought," I admit.

"About what?" Theron asks.

"Something keep lingering at the edge of my sight, calling to me through the Force, though I couldn't make out what it was. Eventually though, it called me here," I inform them.

 _::Is it possible that a Sith is drawing you into a trap?::_ Bumblebee asks warily. _::From what I know, they can do that, right?::_

"Possibly," I reply.

"You know that Chancellor Saresh is going to have a fit if she realizes you're doing this right?" Theron points out.

"I'm well aware of that," I sigh in exasperation, pulling the ship down to soar through the atmosphere.

"Okay, so now that that's clear, what are you hoping to find?" he asks, sitting down in the co-pilot's seat.

"I don't know Theron," I tell him. "All I know is that the Force will guide me."

 _::I know the Force is powerful and all, but does it really have to be so confusing?::_ Bumblebee complains.

I smile in amusement. "Even the wisest Master can't understand all of its mysteries."

Theron rolls his eyes. "That makes us feel so much better," he says sarcastically.

* * *

 _ **Present Time -**_ **3rd person POV...**

R5 was seated in the cockpit of the Knight Hawk, constantly going over the scanners over and over again to find no one approaching. If droids could sigh, he would be, with a passionate sigh of annoyance. Really, he admired Master Jarik and the others, but every time they went on their 'Jedi-Force-journey's' it was always super boring, and he always had to stay with the ship and wait for someone to arrive that probably never wou-

The sudden beeping of four signals approaching snapped R5 out of his boredom and put him on high alert. A quick scan showed four Imperial TIE Fighter's flying in their direction, which was worrisome. If they managed to spot the Knight Hawk, R5 would have a lot more problems than boredom on his dome. Firing up the ships engines as fast as possible, he blasted the ship off away from the Jedi Temple, to hide far enough away before they realized he was there.

He could only hope Master Jari, Mistress Ahsoka, and Mistress Mara could handle themselves against the Imperials.

*:*:*

Four TIE Fighters came screeching down the the surface before the large rock formations that were set before them, landing in a sort of semi-circle. The tops opened, and the four Inquisitor's jumped out, namely the Third and Fifth Brother's, the Second Sister, and Vifi. Fifth Brother knelt along the ground and scooped up some dirt, analyzing it with a scowl.

"They have fled," he states in distaste to Vifi. "You're instincts have failed you."

"Have they? Our prey came here, and they are still here," Vifi retorts confidently.

"The Shan's are much smarter than you Fifth Brother. Don't be so quick to judge," Second Sister adds condescendingly.

Fifth Brother growls furiously at her, but doesn't utter a word back at her. Third Brother takes a few steps forwards and looks up at the large rock spire, frowning with narrowed eyes.

"This rock, there is something hidden within it," he declares.

In response, Vifi has one of her probe droids come up to her shoulder, and points at the rock spire.

"Tell me what you see," she hisses.

Beeping sinisterly in response, the small probe droid floats up to the rock and starts to take scans, moving around the side. Sending the image to Vifi, she brings up a hologram on her comink, studying the image and what lay beneath the rock. She widens her eyes, recognizing the style of halls and rooms built into the mountain.

"A Jedi Temple," she says gleefully. "It seems my old friend Jarik has found them a hiding place."

"Their sanctuary will be their tomb," Fifth Brother states darkly.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

We were still in deep meditation in the Temple, and images started to flash through my mind, although only brief flashes that I could barely make out. I thought I could see Satele, along with another man standing before some sort of familiar rock... and was there a Cybertronian beside them? Bumblebee?

"You guys knew Master Yoda," Ezra states, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Yes. He told almost all of the younglings at the Temlple, at one point or another." Ahsoka answers.

"Kanan described him to me: small, green, and wrinkly, and pointy ears," he continues, making us smile fondly in amusement.

"I've seen pictures, and that's basically spot on," Mara comments.

"Don't let his appearance fool you. It's something he gets many younglings with. In spite of his small size, he's definitely worthy of the title of Grand Master," I remind them.

"Yeah, Kanan said the same thing," Ezra admits. "But, he didn't know what he was really like."

"Did you know what he was like Mom?" Mara asks curiously.

Ahsoka frowns, feeling a little sad, something I agree with. "I'm not sure anyone did. He was wise, kind... but when me and Jarik were young he seemed happier. As the Clone War dragged on, he carried a great burden, and a deep sorrow. As if he knew, that one time was ending, and another beginning..."

Both of us had closed our eyes as we remembered the time during the Clone War, before the galaxy was plunged into darkness. Looking back on it now, Yoda seemed to have aged another century during that war, as the dark side continued to grow in strength. He truly was a great Jedi, just caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time, and raised by a faulty Jedi Code. I believe he began to realize that during our two Force journey's, and after Ahsoka was expelled.

Opening our eyes, we both glanced around in surprise to see that Ezra, and Mara were both gone, as if they were never there in the first place. We shared a concern look with each other, only hoping that they were ready for whatever the Temple wished to show them.

* * *

 _ **World Between Worlds, Jedi Temple; Lothal**_

 **Mara POV...**

I slowly opened my eyes, before widening them in shock and surprise to find myself in a black void, filled with stars, twinkling brightly in space. I was kneeling in a circle of blue light, and beside me, Ezra was also doing the same. We both stood to our feet, looking around in awe and confusion.

"Where are we...?" I ask quietly, stunned.

"I- I know this place!" he replies in excitement.

"Special to you it is, hmm?" a voice asks.

We both whirl around and widen our eyes upon seeing a figure before us, seated on a log. He was small, with green skin and pointy ears, and looked old. I was stunned, shocked, and excited all at the same time.

"Master Yoda?! You're here!" I say happily.

"Or here you are, young Mara. Hmm?" he replies with some amusement.

He knows my name!

"Last time I was here, I couldn't see you," Ezra adds, and we both kneel down in our blue circles before him, meeting his eye level.

"Ah, growing your abilities are," he replies with a smile, before his expression becomes more troubled. "And with them... danger."

Ezra looks surprised, and we both share worried and uneasy looks with each other. What could that mean?

* * *

 _ **3643 BBY -**_ **Satele POV...**

As I was flying the ship through Lothal's atmosphere with no real direction, I eventually felt a pull in the Force guiding me to look at a large spire of rock nearby. Following its guide, I turned the ship to head for that rocky spire, and then hovered above the field in front of it so Bumblebee could detach. Once he had transformed and walked away from underneath the shuttle, I let it land, and powered it down.

"So the Force brought you all the way out here... for a rock?" Theron questions with a raised eyebrow.

"It seems like it yes," I deadpan dryly in response. "Must be some impressive rock."

"So there's something hidden nearby?" he suggests.

"I don't know. All I know is what the Force is letting me know," I reply with a casual shrug, pressing a button to open the ramp and walking out.

Behind me, Theron stares after me in bewilderment before rolling his eyes, muttering to himself about not understanding Jedi Masters, causing me to smile. It probably will always be a sensitive subject, but the fact that his mother is a Jedi Master makes his statement seem amusing and perhaps a little bit ironic.

 _::So, what are you expecting to find out in this organic wasteland?::_ Bumblebee asks, looking around the fields of tall grass with a wary gaze.

I stretch out my senses with the Force and look around, to find my gaze being again pointed towards the large rocky spire in front of us.

"Something about the rock... the Force keeps shifting my focus there," I answer.

"A rock," Theron deadpans once again.

Bumblebee just shrugs in acceptance. _::I'll give it a scan then.::_

He walks up towards the large spire, his footsteps shaking the ground for a brief flutter, when something on the ground catches my attention. Kneeling down, I brush aside some dirt to reveal a circle engraved in the earth, as well as more lines spraying out from it. Theron takes notice as well, and kneels down to investigate.

"Maybe there is something here after all," he comments.

"Did you ever doubt me?" I ask with a teasing smile.

He rolls his eyes in response. "Don't get to comfortable yet. For all we could know this is just random coincidence."

 _::I've found something!::_ Bumblebee cries out excitedly.

I raise an eyebrow at Theron, and he sighs in exasperation. "Fine, whatever."

Bumblebee quickly jogs back over in a few strides and crouches down beside us, opening a palm, where a hologram of the rock appears. _::There appears to be some sort of structure hidden inside the rock!::_

I analyze the structure beneath the stone before understanding what it was. "It's a Jedi Temple..."

"Really?" Theron asks in surprise. "How do we not know about it then? I thought you had found everything when Tython was discovered."

"So did I," I admit curiously, looking up at the rock. "It would seem we were wrong."

 _::So how are we gonna get inside?::_ Bumblebee asks.

"Only through the power of a Jedi," I state knowingly.

Looking down at the markings on the ground, I stand in the center of the circle and gesture for the others to move back. Closing my eyes, I focus on the Force before raising an arm, directing its power to open the Jedi Temple. I can hear the sound of rock shifting, and sense that the Temple is now rising up higher into the air, to reveal the doorway for us to enter into the Temple. I can also sense Bumblebee and Theron's astonishment at the sight. Eventually, I finish raising the Temple and lower an arm, opening my eyes.

In front of my was a large doorway, and the rock spire was very visible higher than it was before. I could sense something calling for me to enter there.

"Well, that's certainly a sight to see," Theron comments.

 _::Is there another door or something? Because I doubt I'll be able to fit inside.::_ Bumblebee points out.

"I don't think the Jedi of old built Temples with the size of Cybertronians inside," I tell him apologetically. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait out here."

 _::Alright, I guess.::_ he replies in reluctant agreement.

"Contact us if there's any sign of someone approaching alright Bee?" Theron asks, and he nods in confirmation.

*:*:*

The Temple seemed like a maze to me, thought I continued following the pull that the Force was directing me in. Theron followed along, and despite knowing this was a Jedi Temple, and with me beside him, he still had a cautious hand on his blaster, as we were in unfamiliar territory for him.

"Do you know where you're going?" Theron asks.

"No," I admit. "The Force is my guide."

"The Force is starting to annoy me," he grumbles under his breath.

"You are the one who snuck on board after me," I remind him.

"Great, what was I thinking," he deadpans.

We had traveled far into the Temple, but eventually came upon a large, open cave, very spacious compared to the size of the rest of the Temple. It was pitch black however, so I pulled out my lightsaber and turned it on, lighting the area in blue while Theron activates a flashlight. At the far end of the cave wall, something flashes in our light, getting out attention.

"What's that?" Theron asks.

Curious, we both cross the large cavern to the far wall, where we find a mural painted onto it. It was depicting three personages, along with wolves: Loth-wolves. The figures seemed very important, and I could seemingly feel the Force emanating from this mural. On the left was a woman with green hair and a white dress, a convor resting on her shoulder. In the center stood a tall man with a wizened face, long white beard and tall hat. On the right was a man, clad in dark clothing with pale skin and red eyes, feeling dark in the Force.

"Have you ever seen something like this before?" Theron asks me.

"No... I'm not sure what to make of it," I admit.

All of the sudden, the Force begins to grow cold and dark, forces of the dark side swirling over me, much to my alarm.

 _ **"Do you wish to know who they are?"**_ a dark, growling voice asks.

We whip around tensely, widening our eyes at the sight before us. Appearing before out very eyes was some sort of smokey portal, showing a dark figure within it. He was clad in dark robes, a hood to cover his pale and scarred face, but the yellow eyes glowing from beneath the hood were unmistakable. Stood before him was a cauldron of blue fire, which he waved his hands around continuously.

A Sith Lord.

 _ **"I know what they are,"**_ he continues, a sickening gleam flaring in his eyes.

"What the kriff?!" Theron exclaims in shock.

"Who are you Sith?" I demand, standing in front of my son and taking on a defensive stance.

He starts to chuckle, the sound managing to send shivers down even my spine!

 _ **"I am called Sidious!"**_ he declares, making me widen my eyes in stunned horror. _**"And you... Grand Master Satele, and Theron Shan!"**_

A horrible, sickening grin forms on his face, his teeth appearing rotten to e even from this distance.

 ** _"Finally..._ mine _to destroy_ _, at last!"_** he declares.

A horrible, cackling laugh of Darth Sidious rings in my ears, as I prepare myself for whatever this Sith Lord tries to throw at us.

* * *

 _Ooooohhh mmyyyy gooosssh! Darth Sidious is absolute insane! Why and how is he even doing this in the first place, and what would he gain if he manages to kill Satele and Theron?!_

 _I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. With this time travel thing I was a little unsure of how you all would take it, so I tried to make it a realistic seeming as possible. However in the end this is my fanfiction, and my story, so I do what I want! :D_

 _Provided it's not cringeworthy or plain stupid of course. :3_


	90. Ch 89 - Shroud of Darkness Pt 2

**Jarik POV...**

I frowned, sensing a sudden darkness seeping through the Temple, far below our current position. I tried to focus in on it more but it was... strange, and foggy. I couldn't sense it properly.

 _"Can you sense that?"_ I ask Ahsoka softly through our bond.

 _"...I'm not sure. What do you sense?"_ she replies.

I allow her to get a feeling of what I'm sensing, and in response she feels troubled.

 _"No, I can't sense it. Do you think this could be related to what Satele warned you about?"_ she asks.

 _"Maybe,"_ I say with a quiet sigh. We were silent for a few moments before I spoke up again. _"Have you ever considered the kind of life we could have... away from all of this?"_

 _"Sometimes,"_ she admits. _"I often imagine it though as life on Ahch-To."_

 _"It is quiet there. Away from the war, away from our burdens... just the three of us, and the others on Berk,"_ I say softly in agreement.

 _"Maybe one day we could have an even larger family... away from the war,"_ she suggests, feeling happy at the thought.

A small smile forms on my face at the idea. _"Wouldn't that be something..."_

For several moments after that, I don't sense any form of response from Ahsoka, or her being anywhere nearby, making me frown in confusion. Opening my eyes, I look around in stunned surprise upon seeing I was in a different area, but a familiar one. Standing to my feet, I turned around to see the mural of the Ones before me, the Force seemingly beckoning me to approach it.

 _"He's almost achieved his goal..."_ Satele's voice suddenly echoes in my mind. _"Enter the World Between Worlds, and restore the shift in time..."_

Furrowing my brow cautiously, I look at the mural before allowing a determined expression to form on my face, and approach it. Raising my right hand, I place it on the Daughter's hand, letting the Force flow through it. It shifts in response, and I watch as the mural starts to glow with golden lines, and Morai looks up at her Father with a nod of her head.

 _"We are the Ones who guard the power. We are the middle, the beginning, and the end,"_ she says softly.

The Father then points towards the wolves, and like before they lift their heads to gaze at me, before standing up and walking to the side. I follow their path and watch as they start to form a circle, showing the location of the portal, which is now open. Before entering however, I feel another chill of the cold flow through me, and glance behind me for a moment with narrowed eyes. I can almost feel an image forming in my head, with Satele standing close by, a man right beside her...

Looking back forwards, I step up to the portal and then enter the World Between Worlds, to put a stop to whatever Sidious is trying to do.

* * *

 ** _3643 BBY -_ Satele POV...**

Darth Sidious begins to wave his hands around the fire, speaking in the language of the Sith. His eyes glowed a sickening yellow as he glares at us.

"Any ideas?" Theron asks me in alarm.

Hearing the words that Sidious was saying, I recognized them as some sort of Sith Sorcery, and took notice of how the blue flames in his cauldron were responding to his movement. Realizing what he was about to do, I shoved Theron behind me and readied myself in the Force as Sidious unleashed his fury. Waves of blue fire shot out from the cauldron as he thrust his hands forwards, along with an echoey scream that I recognize from the holocron.

Holding my arms out, I called upon the Force to block the flames, parting them so that they shot alongside either side of me. I grunted in exertion, ignoring Theron's surprised yell as I parted the continuous wave of blue fire. Whoever this Sidious is, I've never encountered someone who seems nearly as powerful as what he's doing right now! There is Darth Malgus, but he is most powerful in physical combat, being a furious fighter and warrior unmatched by many. But this... this is something else!

The power behind this fire attack kept shoving me backwards slowly, dragging me across the ground, but thankfully he eventually let up in his assault, and I collapsed to my knees in exhaustion. Theron came up beside me with a worried hand on my shoulder.

"Satele, are you alright?!" he asks in alarm.

I look up at Sidious as he begins to cackle, the laugh echoing loudly throughout the cavern we were in. He approaches the edge of the portal, moving around his cauldron of blue fire.

"We have to leave, now!" I exclaim, getting to my feet.

Theron is more than happy to agree, and he pulls me to my feet before we start running for the exit as fast as we could. Behind us, the blue fire of Sidious starts to follow, his horrific scream heard alongside it.

* * *

 ** _Present Time -_ Ahsoka POV...**

When Jarik had suddenly disappeared it was a little bit alarming, and I had looked around in surprise and uneasiness. I eventually managed to come to the conclusion that the Force was showing him whatever he needed to do, in order to help Satele in whatever way she seemed to need him for. Kneeling on the ground, I continued with my meditation, hoping for some words of wisdom from Master Yoda, or whatever else the Force wished to show me.

 _Ahsoka..._

I opened my eyes in confusion, looking around warily. Did I just hear... did I hear Anakin's voice? No, I couldn't have. Shaking my head, I looked forwards again and closed my eyes, continuing my meditation.

 _"Ahsoka. Why did you leave?"_

Anakin's voice clear in my head startles me from my meditation, and I look up with wide, shocked eyes. I can sense him... right behind me. I can see him clearly in my mind... glaring at me.

 _"Where were you, when I needed you?!"_

I look down, feeling a sense of shame and hurt by how he was talking down to me, blaming me for this. Am I... am I the one too blame?

"I- I made a choice. I couldn't stay!" I reply anxiously.

 _"You were selfish!"_ he accuses, making me widen my eyes in horror.

"No!" I breathe out, closing my eyes to hold back the tears threatening to form.

 _You abandoned me! Left me for that wretch who claims to love you!"_ he yells in my mind.

Hearing Anakin speak so hatefully about Jarik made me choke back a sob. "How- how could you say that? Jarik wanted to help you!"

 _"He's nothing by a lying, traitorous fool, just like you have become! You FAILED ME!"_ he roars, causing tears to come to my eyes. How could Anakin ever think this about him, or me... what happened to my Master? His voice then suddenly becomes dangerously cold, and quiet.

 _"Do you know, what I've become?"_

I then sense a horrible darkness forming in the place of Anakin. Cold, mechanical breathing starts to echo through the air, as the presence of Darth Vader I felt starts to breathe down my neck, glaring at me. Darkness swirled around him, more powerful than when the Son corrupted him on Mortis.

"No..." I whisper in horror, tears starting to stream from my face. "AAHHHH!"

With a furious yell full of grief, I whirl around with my lightsaber, aiming to cut through this horrible feeling of Darth Vader, who was once my Master, but there was nothing there, except for the cold steps of the Jedi Temple. I lower my lightsaber and deactivate it with a shuddering sigh.

Letting it drop to the ground, I lean over and let the tears start to flow, as I sob for the fate of Anakin.

* * *

 ** _World Between Worlds, Jedi Temple; Lothal_**

 **Mara POV...**

"Master Yoda, you're powerful. You must know a way to destroy Vader and his Inquisitors," Ezra asks.

I listen as Master Yoda lets out a quiet scoff, shaking his head. "Padawan... Thousands of Jedi once there were. Then, came war," he says, pointing upwards.

We direct our gaze to where Master Yoda was pointing with his cane, and something begins to form. A smoky image lightens up to reveal an army of CLONE Troopers, all standing in perfect formation, with massive cruisers taking off into the air behind them. The image then shifts to show those troopers firing, against many Jedi warriors, who were slowly being taken out as they tried to retreat.

"In our arrogance, join the conflict swiftly, we did," he continues. "Fear, anger, hate..."

Ezra looks down thoughtfully, while I think about how similar what Master Yoda is saying to what my parents have said as well.

"My parents, especially my dad have said similar things," I says.

Master Yoda nods his head. "Understand this all too well, did they. Consumed by the dark side the Jedi were. See through it, only your father did young Mara."

"But, was it wrong for the Jedi to fight? Is it wrong for me to protect my friends?" Ezra asks with a frown.

"Wrong? Hmph! Wrong..." Master Yoda replies. "Long time fought I did, as did Ahsoka and Jarik."

With another wave of his cane, he shows another image in place of the previous. There, me and Ezra see as a younger version of mom and dad appear, lightsabers out as there were fighting against battle droids... dueling General Grievous together... and then dad was standing before the Jedi Council, looking angry.

"To fight, or to not fight, difficult decisions they are. For in fighting the battles, the bloodshed, already lost we did, in the Clone War," Master Yoda tells us. "Set up for many years it was, by the Emperor, blinding our sight, using to his advantage our ignorance."

While he was speaking, I caught a glimpse of Master Yoda looking off to the side, as if he was staring at something, or someone. However when I followed his gaze, I didn't see anything there, and shrugged to myself.

"So... by fighting in the Clone War, you had already lost?" Ezra questions.

"Yes," he replies. "Thousands of years there were Jedi, yet misguided we became, as time passed. And see it I did not... until lost Padawan Tano we did..."

"When she was expelled?" I realize, and Ezra shoots me a surprised look.

"Expelled?" he asks with wide eyes.

"Foolish we were to expel her. Uncaring we were, blinded by the Jedi tradition, and cost us it did," he says sadly. "Understand you must, that know everything, one cannot. And after her loss, consumed by fear I was... though see it I did not," he tells us.

"You, were afraid?" Ezra questions in surprise.

"Yes," he says with a small laugh. "Surprised are you? A challenge, lifelong it is, not to bend fear into anger."

Me and Ezra share a worried look with each other, thinking about what Master Yoda was telling us. Whenever I fight the Second Sister... I'm starting to think that's exactly the mistake that I've been making.

I'm afraid of her.

* * *

 ** _World Between Worlds, Jedi Temple; Lothal_**

 **Jarik POV...**

I stepped through the portal, keeping myself standing upright this time so that I'm not dumped onto the ground. Once I'm in the World Between Worlds, I look around at the tremendous and awe-inducing place, where all of the glowing transparent bridges, pathways, and portals lie scattered in every direction, as far as the eye could see. Stars twinkled beyond in the black void of space, while I looked around.

"Alright... where too now?" I ask myself quietly.

The sound of voices nearby gets my attention, and I look over, surprised to see Master Yoda, along with Ezra and Mara, who were kneeling before him. They were only several feet away, so I take a few steps closer, listening into their conversation.

"...In our arrogance, join the conflict swiftly, we did," Master Yoda says. "Fear, anger, hate..."

Ezra and Mara develop thoughtful expressions on their faces, as they think about what he's saying.

"My parents, especially my dad have said similar things," Mara says.

Master Yoda nods his head. "Understand this all too well, did they. Consumed by the dark side the Jedi were. See through it, only your father did young Mara."

I look at Mara with a small sense of pride, glad she was taking me and Ahsoka's lessons to heart. And to hear that Master Yoda was agreeing with them... it was wonderful. But, did they really not notice me yet? I'm practically right beside them.

"But, was it wrong for the Jedi to fight? Is it wrong for me to protect my friends?" Ezra asks with a frown.

"Wrong? Hmph! Wrong..." Master Yoda replies. "Long time fought I did, as did Ahsoka and Jarik."

With another wave of his cane, a smoky image forms in the air above them. I'm surprised to see myself and Ahsoka as we fought against battle droids, then against General Grievous on Florrum, and me standing before the Jedi Council, not looking too happy. I'm pretty sure this is when they demanded I remove the Force bond with Ahsoka.

"To fight, or to not fight, difficult decisions they are. For in fighting the battles, the bloodshed, already lost we did, in the Clone War," Master Yoda says. "Set up for many years it was, by the Emperor, blinding our sight, using to his advantage our ignorance."

Looking down from the image during Master Yoda's lesson for the two teenagers, I blink in surprise upon seeing Master Yoda looking at me, an indescribable expression on his face. I return the look, and his gaze becomes softer, and he gives me a tiny, almost unnoticeable smile, which I return softly. Mara seemed to take notice of Master Yoda's look, and turned to face me. However to my surprise, she narrowed her eyes as if confused, before shrugging, turning back to he original staring.

I guess she and Ezra couldn't see me.

 _"Come, time is almost run out..."_ a voice says.

I turn around to see Morai come soaring by in convor form, heading down a long pathway. Following after her, the scene of Master Yoda, Mara and Ezra soon seems to fade away, and then once again, voices start to fill my mind, echoing around me.

 _This place is ancient... like a World Between Worlds._

Huh... that was Ahsoka. Does she come in here too?

 _A pathway between all time and space..._

 _...greater than any Jedi..._

 _He who controls it, controls the universe..._

Well that doesn't sound comforting. Not at all.

 _...shadow of greed, that is..._

 _In the Spirit World, your emotions become your reality..._

 _Everything we know about them, was wrong!_

There's Master Yoda, Hiccup, and someone else I don't know.

 _...you know him Elita?_

 _I do..._

Elita... Elita One?

 _I know all about waiting._

 _We'll see each other again... I believe that._

Something tells me that's the girl I saw in my vision back on Ahch-To.

 _Balance. Powerful light, powerful dark._

 _...because of your sacrifice..._

 _Death follows him like a shadow..._

 _...it is his nature!_

Morai then takes a turn towards a certain portal, reminiscent of what the portal to Lothal looks like. She perches on top of it, and I head in that direction, looking up at her. She chirps down at me fluttering her wings, and I look at the portal, readying myself for whatever I might find.

"Show me," I finally say.

The portal then starts to reveal an image from a blue glow, and to my confusion I see the familiar cavern that the portal on Lothal is hidden. My confusion turns to shock when I see Satele standing there alongside another man, who if I'm correct is... Theron? And the they whip around, as a smoky circle forms behind them, depicting a cloaked figure, who I recognize in an instant, shocked and horrified.

"Sidious?!" I exclaim in disbelief.

 _"And you... Grand Master Satele, and Theron Shan!_ _Finally..._ mine _to destroy_ _, at last!"_ he declares with a sickening grin.

A horrible, cackling laugh of Darth Sidious rings around the scene, and Satele prepares herself, keeping Theron behind her. I then watch, horrified as Sidious starts to perform some sort of Sith Sorcery, speaking words in a language I do not know, before shooting blue fire at the pair. Luckily Satele manages to block the flame,s although with great effort.

"How can he even do this?!" I exclaim in disbelief.

 _"He's is among the most powerful Sith Lords in history..."_ Satele's voice suddenly says, and her spirit forms beside me. _"He's long since sought for this power."_

After some time the fire dissipates as Sidious halts his attack, but he continues to laugh. Satele and Theron then start to run for the entrance, but Sidious shoots fire again, chasing after them.

"Well, what am I supposed to do to help you?" I demand, staring at the scene with wide, horrified eyes.

 _"As he has broken the laws of time... you two, must do so in order to set things right,"_ she tells me, before disappearing.

So helpful of a Force spirit.

Glancing around at the portal wildly, I grumble to myself in a panic, trying to know what to do as I continue to watch Satele and Theron being chased by the fire. It's quickly gaining on them before they could reach the other side of the cavern...

"Break the laws of time, to set it right..." I mutter to myself, thinking furiously. Sidious obviously should not exist in that time period...

"Kriff it all," I growl angrily. Taking a step back, I charge at the portal with a yell and then crash through it, a massive burst in the Force following the effect, making me lightheaded.

*:*:*

 ** _3643 BBY -_ Jarik POV...**

I roll across the ground, and look up to now find myself in the same room as they are, Satele and Theron about to run by.

 _"You cannot escape my might!"_ Sidious says tauntingly to my ancestors.

Glancing back, I see no visible portal for wherever I came from, and decide to worry about that later. The fire seems to be just about to burn at Theron's heels, so I dash forwards directly for them. Satele and Theron then notice me and look over in surprise, when I swing my right arm back and focus on the Force, calling it in defense. I then slash through the blue fire right as they pass me, and skid to a stop in between them and Sidious.

The fire I slashed with the Force is blown off to the side, and it stops as Sidious lets out a furious roar of rage. Both Satele and Theron suddenly stopped in their tracks, looking at me in shock.

"What the- who are you?!" Theron demands.

"Talk later," I reply, too caught in the moment to realize I'm actually talking to a living member of my family!

Well, in the past, living.

 _"So... you continue to get in the way of my plans... Jarik Shan!?"_ Sidious demands furiously.

I close my eyes for a moment, knowing that pretty much screwed me over.

"What?!" Theron exclaims in shock.

"Shan...?" Satele murmurs in confusion, very much alive.

Opening my eyes, I glare back at Sidious and pulled out my lightsaber, twirling it around for a brief moment before pointing it threateningly at him.

"You've been ruining my life since the day I was born," I state coldly. "It's only fair.

 _"I will not be stopped by your blunder Jedi!"_ he growls. _"Soon, you will all die as one!"_

Satele then steps up beside me, much to my surprise, and seems to accept my appearance without question, at least in the current moment. I glance at her for a moment, taking her appearance in, noting how despite her short stature, her presence just screams wisdom and power. Reminds me a little bit of Master Yoda.

"That will not happen today Sidious," she declares firmly.

Darth Sidious only starts cackling in response. _"Fools."_

With a loud roar, he suddenly sends a furious burst of flames shooting out of the portal, catching me by complete surprise. It blows me and Satele back with the violent ferocity of the attack, and my lightsaber deactivates. Theron was also thrown back against the wall, and as I look up, I see some of the fire wrap around his ankle and start pulling him quickly to the Sith Lord.

"Ahh! Kriffing Sith!" he yells in alarm, scrambling onto the ground to keep himself back. He pulls out his blaster with one hand and tries firing at the portal, but it only deflects off of it like a shield.

"Theron!" Satele exclaims in worry.

Thinking fast, I dash forwards and grab onto Theron's arm, holding on to a nearby stalagmite with my mechanical arm, trying to keep him from being pulled further. Then I see something that terrifies me even more.

"He's coming through!" Theron shouts.

Sidious was cackling in glee as he started to push himself through the boundaries of the portal. How he even managed to connect to the World Between Worlds is beyond me, but if he's only now coming through, that means he was prevented from entering before, because he's not actually in it like I was! But now that he's latched onto someone...

"Satele, cut him off!" I yell.

Thankfully she doesn't question it and rushes towards the fiery coil dragging Theron closer, and with a slash of her saberstaff, cuts the blue fire apart. I hear as Sidious lets out a furious scream, and a sudden burst throws us all away from where Satele cut the fire. I hit the ground again with a pained grunt, slowly pulling myself up.

"Did it work?" Theron asks warily with a groan.

"I don't know..." Satele replies cautiously.

I blink my eyes for a few moments and then turn my gaze towards the portal. It's still there... but right in front of it, a cloaked figure is slowly rising from the ground. We all widen our eyes in horror as Sidious stands to his full height, yellow eyes gleaming.

"I told you Shan... you cannot stop me," he says fiercely, a grin on his face. "Your line ends here. Before your story can ever begin."

He then thrusts his arms out, and two lightsaber hilts and shoved into his hands from underneath his cloak. With a violent snapping hiss, two blood red blades flare to life, and he holds them up, allowing their glow to accentuate the sickening grin on his face.

"Theron, you have to get out of here," Satele says as we stand up. "Get to Bumblebee."

I glance at her for a moment, surprised at hearing that name as well. Theron seems reluctant at first, but eventually nods his head.

"Alright," he says.

Me and Satele share a look with each other, sharing the same thought without having to speak. Facing Sidious, I pull out my blue lightsaber while Satele activates her saberstaff, getting into a ready battle stance.

As Theron makes for the doorway however, he's suddenly slammed painfully against the wall by a burst of the Force from Darth Sidious, knocking him out cold. Me and Satele barely have time to cry out in alarm before Sidious leaps at us with a furious yell, slashing his lightsabers. I roll to the side and bring my blade up to block his attack, and Satele does the same on his other side.

I lash out with my lightsaber towards his side, but he easily parries my blade and swings at me, causing me to backpedal. He unleashes a frighteningly fast series of attacks, leaving me shocked and scrambling to keep up. He then throws me against a stalagmite painfully, turning his attention on Satele. I groan, looking up as she duels the Sith Lord, flipping around his strikes and slashing for his back. However he also evades her attack and sends her flying with a Force enhanced kick.

The speed, ferocity... and sheer power behind Sidious is terrifying. I don't even know if I can hope to fight this!

Sidious then pays the two of us no heed, and marches for Theron, who is slowly waking up. Why would he...

I then widen my eyes in horrified realization. He's gone through the trouble of all of this... going back in time... to wipe out the Shan bloodline! He probably considers me his most dangerous adversary, and if he kills Theron, he kills me before I could be born!

"At last, the Shan's are no more!" he declares, raising his lightsabers.

"Oh no you don't!" I yell fiercely.

Jumping to my feet, I dash for Sidious while pulling out my green lightsaber, at the same time Satele gets to her feet as well. Sensing us approaching quickly, Sidious scowls and spins around to face us, dragging his lightsabers across the ground. I twirl through the air and send slashing blows at him, while Satele jumps in with a vertical strike. Sidious deflects my attacks before the three of us get into a blade lock.

He starts to cackle again, the sound grating on my ears, and quite frankly more annoying now than terrifying. It's all he seems to do.

* * *

 ** _Present Time - World Between Worlds, Jedi Temple; Lothal_**

 **Mara POV...**

The shaking of the area around us, followed by dust appearing out of nowhere for whatever reason, has us looking up in alarm.

"What's happening?!" Ezra asks in alarm.

"Found you, the enemy has," Master Yoda says grimly.

"Oh no..." I say worriedly, looking up.

"But Master Yoda, how are we supposed to win if we don't fight back?" Ezra asks urgently.

"Win? Hmph," he replies, as if the thought is silly. "Win... How Jedi choose to win, the question is."

"We already chose! We're going to fight!" he says firmly.

I glance at Ezra in some concern, before looking back at the old Master as he sighs in apparent disappointment.

"Seek more guidance from Jarik and Ahsoka, you must," he tells us. "Find... Malachor."

"Malachor?" I asks, frowning in confusion.

"Whose Malachor?!" Ezra adds urgently.

The sound of cracking and shaking around us gets our attention as dust and small rock falls around us. When we look back to Master Yoda, we widen our eyes upon seeing him not there, and are instead back inside the Lothal Temple.

"Master Yoda? Master Yoda!" Ezra yells desperately.

I get to my feet, getting a bad feeling about how the Temple was shaking unnaturally. "He's gone Ezra, we have to go. Come on!" I tell him.

*:*:*

 **Ahsoka POV...**

Anakin...

Anakin is Darth Vader... he's murdered, betrayed, suffered, and caused terrible things. He's become a monster... is it all my fault?

The shaking of the Temple around me causes me to look up in concern, and I can sense darkness nearby. How are we supposed to defeat the Empire, against such odds, and such loss? Unless...

"There's still a way," I remember, a small smile forming on my face. Jarik told me about his, Obi-Wan and Master Yoda's original plan when the Empire was first created.

Anakin's children. Luke and Leia.

With these thoughts in mind, I get back to my feet and rush our of the room to meet up with the others.

* * *

 ** _3643 BBY -_ Jarik POV...**

I stumbled backwards, glancing up in alarm before rolling to the side as a red lightsaber came slashing down in my previous space. Sidious came whirling towards me like a hurricane, slashing and stabbing with his lightsaber faster than I could keep up. I catch his two sabers with my red and green blades, but he quickly shoved them to the side and kicks me away.

Satele then leaps for him in an attempt to kick, but he leans back out of the way. She attempts to follow up by sweeping her lightsaber at his feet, but he backflips over it and points his saber at her, while I get to my feet. He grins savagely at the both of us while we circle around him, waiting for our next move. A groan from behind me gets my attention, and I glance back to see Theron slowly coming too.

Unfortunately, my brief distraction cost me, as Sidious suddenly dashes forwards with a gleeful yell, slashing with his lightsabers. I quickly raise my lightsabers in alarm in order to block them, but while I catch one blade with my blue lightsaber, the other slashes through my metal arm, not severing it, but causing it severe damage. I stumble back onto the ground with a pained yell, the artificial nerves shocking me where they connect to my real shoulder.

"Jarik!" Satele exclaims in alarm.

Sidious chuckles, and then whirls around to block both blades of Satele's saberstaff, using his height advantage to tower over her.

"Your bloodline is nothing compared to me!" he declares, shoving her away.

Turning off one of his lightsabers, he then outstretches a gnarled hand and sends a burst of Force lightning shooting out at Satele, catching her by surprise and sending her rolling back across the ground with a pained cry. Satisfied, he then turns around and makes another move for Theron, lightsaber raised while I watch, recovering from the stinging of nerves.

With a furious yell, I jump forwards and place myself between him and Theron, blocking his attempted killing swing with my good arm, holding his lightsaber back with my blue blade. He growls in anger and moves viciously, swinging his lightsaber left and right in furious attacks, causing me to stumble back onto the ground in order to avoid them. He then slashes at me again, and I give a startled yell of pain as he slices his blade across my side, not too deeply to be serious, but enough that it hurts a lot. My lightsaber is then batted out of my hand, rolling a couple feet away.

"You're nothing Shan," he snarls. "Perhaps I do not need to kill Theron, as you have presented yourself to me like a pig for slaughter!"

I glare up at him through my pained expression, but before he can strike, he's suddenly blown away by a powerful Force burst from Satele, slamming him into a wall. She continues up the barrage, keeping the Force on him to pin him there. Yelling in fury, he slowly pushes back against her power, putting his lightsabers and allowing electricity to flow across his fingertips.

As Satele attempts to subdue the Emperor, I glance back at his still open portal, sensing it to start fluctuating a little bit. It's power is waning, meaning it'll close off soon.

"Satele!" I called out, getting her attention to glance at me. "The portal is closing!"

She glances over at the portal and also widens her eyes in alarm, before narrowing them back at Sidious. I pull myself up to my feet, grimacing in pain as the harsh stings from his cut against my side make themselves clear. Calling my two lightsabers back to me with the Force, I slowly glance between Satele and Sidious, the latter of which was growing even closer and closer to her, despite her attempts to contain him with the Force.

What do I do?!

Eventually, Sidious breaks out of Satele's grip with a yell, sending her flying back with a powerful Force push, combined with a lightning strike.

"I am not Darth Malgus you fool!" he roars in rage.

Scowling to myself, I run forwards as fast as I could and does something he could never have expected, and bodyslam him. He yells in surprise and rage, while I shove him towards the portal as fast as I could run, getting so close. However he retaliates, gripping me with the Force and stopping me in my tracks, before slamming me against the ceiling and the floor. I groan in pain, as he strides up to me, glaring down at me with yellow eyes flaring in fury.

"You're a pathetic excuse for a Jedi," he snarls, spitting down at me.

"Sidious!" Satele yells.

He looks up, only to give another outraged yell as Satele once again hits him with a blast of the Force, sending him flying straight through the portal, his back hitting the side of his fire cauldron.

"You talk too much!" she proclaims.

"No... NO!" he roars in fury.

Standing to his feet, he thrusts a hand out, sending blue fire screaming at us. I struggled to move, managing to get to my knees, but I wasn't going to make it in time!

*:*:*

 **Ahsoka POV...**

As I ran through the Temple, I suddenly sensed a feeling of fear and danger through the Force. Coming to a brief stop, I focused on it, not sure how, but knowing that it was from Jarik. I can't exactly describe what I did next, I just sort of... did it. As if I knew all along.

Reaching through the Force to him, I could see an image of Morai in my mind, and a surge of immense power came over me, lending itself to Jarik across the bond.

*:*:*

 **Jarik POV...**

When the fire seemed like it was just about to hit me, I could suddenly feel unimaginable power flowing through me, coming from Ahsoka across the bond. this strength was enough for me to raise an arm, and completely stop the fire in its tracks, white light beaming out of my right hand. The fire seemed to explode in a redirection, getting sent back towards the portal Sidious was standing in.

It slams into the portal, and with one final roar of rage from the Sith Lord, the portal collapses in on itself, the impact too much too handle. Feeling that power drain from me right afterwards, I slumped over with a heavy breath, panting as I tried to take in air. A hand against my shoulder caused me to look up, to see Satele's concerned face gazing down at me.

"Are you alright?" she asks me with worry.

"I'll... I'll live," I manage in reply. "Thank you."

Slinging my right arm over her shoulders, she helps lift me too my feet, and from there I manage to support myself on my own.

"It is no problem... Jarik," she replies, frowning at the end. "You are a Shan as well?"

"It's... complicated," is all I can say in reply.

"And this Sidious," she adds. "Where did he come from?"

I look at her questioning gaze, unsure of whether or not I should tell her.

"He..." I start, before sighing. "Promise me you won't tell anyone, and Theron can be the exception?"

"You have my word," she replies. "It is the least I could do for you after you appeared to help us in our time of need."

Nodding in satisfaction, I slowly give the answer in reply. "Sidious, is a Sith Lord... from the future."

"The future?" she asks in bewilderment. "Would that make you so as well?"

"I am," I confirm with a sigh. "The last of the Shan bloodline."

We were silent for a few moments, as she was obvious bursting with questions, just unsure of what to ask, or how to say it. The mural directly behind us then starts to shudder, dust falling from the ceiling around it, and a sense of urgent warning streaming through the Force.

 _"You must get back now..."_ I hear Morai's voice say in my head.

"I'm afraid I have to go," I tell her.

"Must you?" she asks in uncertainty.

"I'm already breaking the laws of time further," I tell her. "The only reason I came was to stop Sidious, who obviously did something he shouldn't."

"In order to kill you... before you could be born?" she deduces in realization.

I nod my head grimly. "Yeah..."

"Very well. I bid you farewell then, Jarik Shan," she says in response. "I will keep this place a secret, as no one should have power over time."

With that, she turns away, and I watch her head back over to Theron, who was pulling himself to his feet, before turning my attention to the Daughter's mural.

"This is really confusing..." I mutter to myself.

* * *

 ** _Present Time - Jedi Temple; Lothal_**

 **3rd person POV...**

The four Inquisitor's finally manage to bring the Temple up completely, the artwork and lines surrounding its front glowing red from the misuse of the dark side to open it. Grinning to herself, Vifi closes her mask while the four Inquisitor's march for the Temple entrance.

Activating their lightsabers, they head inside single file, Second Sister first, followed by Vifi and then the Third Brother, with the Fifth Brother going down last.

"The secrets of this Temple will be ours," Vifi states victoriously.

*:*:*

 **3rd person POV...**

In a small room which multiple corridors in the Temple connected too, the five Force users that came on the mission all met up with each other. However when Jarik entered the room, holding his side and stumbling along with pained grunts, Ahsoka and Mara widened their eyes in alarm, the former rushing forwards to help him.

"Oh Force, Jarik! Are you alright?!" Ahsoka exclaims.

"I'm fine, but we won't be if we stay here," he grunts in reply.

"What happened?!" Mara asks in worry.

"Later Mara, we gotta go," he insists.

"But guys, you won't believe what me and Mara-" Ezra starts to say

"Tell us later! Come on!" Kanan interrupts fiercely, waving the group down the tunnels. Ezra and Mara soon follow him, followed lastly by Jarik and Ahsoka as she helps to support him in their run, one of her hands held to his injury while she held his right arm around her shoulders.

*:*:*

 **Vifi POV...**

Walking down the steps into this Jedi Temple was admittedly unsettling, from how it was shaking lightly, causing dust and small pebbles to break off from the ceiling. Not to mention the only light here came from our lightsabers, and the Force was not welcoming. Not comforting like I've found the dark side to be.

Beside me, Fifth Brother was anxious and jumpy, expecting someone to jump out of the walls and strike at any moment. Third Brother was more controlled, and Second Sister was just as calm on the outside, although I could sense their wariness. Second Sister though was mostly focused on striking back against the girl Mara Jade, and then her father Jarik.

The thought of those two made me roll my eyes underneath the mask, irritated and exasperated with her obsession with them. I suppose she can feel angry towards them, yet it was her own blunder that keeps causing her to fail and be humiliated when in battle against them. How she was promoted to be the next Grand Inquisitor with her failures is beyond my comprehension.

"They must be here somewhere," Third Brother says quietly.

"This Temple is making it difficult to sense their location," she replies.

"Well, there is only so many places they could go. And I do have the best experience with Jedi Temples," I say casually.

"Is that so, Seventh Sister?" Fifth Brother questions doubtfully.

"Doubt me if you will," I retort. "But remember that of the four of us, I alone grew up amongst the Jedi."

"A most sickening prospect," Second Sister hisses in disgust, and I shoot a glare at her back.

Becoming quiet again, we reach the bottom of the stairs into a large, circular room, and looked around cautiously. There wasn't any side besides the cracking and groaning of the stone, as pebbles and dust continues to fall. We subconsciously form a circle upon noticing the different tunnels branching off from this chamber, and decide which place to search next. A sudden and loud crack of the rock had us whipping our lightsabers around in its direction, expecting someone to be here, however, it was only a false alarm.

Yet why could I now sense multiple beings approaching... some feeling familiar?

Behind us, the sound of a lightsaber has us igniting could be heard, and we turned around to see a figure calmly approaching, a yellow blade held in front of him. However what was shocking, was the Sentinel armor that he was wearing from the Jedi Temple guards back during the Clone Wars. And...

"Grand Inquisitor?!" Fifth Brother exclaims fearfully.

"What?" Third Brother says in shock.

 ** _"You should never have come here, servants of the dark side,"_** a voice says behind us, followed by another lightsaber igniting.

Another man approaches, this time holding a green lightsaber by his side, clad in a golden mask and armor, and a dark hood and robes. I widened my eyes in shock, fear overcoming us as we recognize this figure as Revan! How?!

"Revan?!" Second Sister hisses in disbelief.

All around us, Temple guards activate their yellow lightsabers, having us surrounded as they slowly march closer to us. Grand Inquisitor swings his lightsaber to the side, an impassive expression on his face while he, Revan and the guards continue their advance.

Glaring at all of our enemies, we form a defensive circle and activate our sabers spinning feature, holding them out in an attempt to be threatening. These... these ghosts however, pay no heed, and continue their advance. Grand Inquisitor approaches Second Sister, while Revan approaches me, his famous mask filling me with fear. Snarling, I slash my lightsaber out at him several times, Second Sister attempting to do the same.

However, Revan wards off my attacks with laughable ease, and the sentinels draw even closer, pointing their lightsabers at us. We try to force them back, but it is unstoppable, and a bright light starts to flare in my face as Revan slams a lightsaber overhead against me.

"No! NOO!" Second Sister shrieks in rage.

I'm blinded by the light, and by my terror.

*:*:*

 **Jarik POV...**

The Temple was seemed to be collapsing, although in what way I'm not sure, as while it's shaking and releasing pebbles, small rocks, and forming cracks in the walls, nothing seemed to be truly falling apart.

Nevertheless, the five of us ran for the exit as fast as we could, trying to get out of the Temple before the Inquisitor's found us. Ahsokka helped to support me as we ran, my right arm slung around her shoulders, but all I could think about was the fate of this Temple. The loss of this place to the Sith was awful and very worrying. If Darth Sidious manages to uncover its power...

"Up ahead! A way out!" Kanan exclaims, seeing the opening.

Mara and Ezra run after him quickly, but as me and Ahsoka were following, we came to a stop. Sensing a familiar presence in the Force, turned around curiously to see it.

Sitting on a boulder at the end of the hallway, was Master Yoda. He looked much older and exhausted now, as age seemed to finally be catching up to him. However, he smiles warmly at us, looking genuinely happier than either of us had ever seen him before, and waved a small, three fingered hand.

We smile back at him fondly, giving him brief nods, just as glad to see him again. Sharing a glance with Ahsoka, we give Master Yoda one last parting look of farewell, and then continue out of the cave.

Outside, the markings that surrounded the entrance to the Temple were glowing a Sith red color, and the whole structure still continued to shake. Up in the air, we watched as the Knight Hawk came soaring in above us, and Mara waved her hand frantically.

"R5!" she yells, getting his attention.

Through the comlinks that me, Ahsoka and Mara wore, his voice beeped at us while the Knight Hawk floated gently above the ground, the entry ramp extended.

"He says Imperial forces are on their way!" Mara tells us.

Once we piled into the cargo bay, the ramp closed up and R5 took off into the air. We were all exhausted from the run, and Ahsoka set me down on one of the crates, sitting beside me to examine my injuries.

"These are lightsaber wounds... what did you do?" she asks me incredulously.

"Later," I say with a sigh. "I promise I'll tell you."

"So you'll be alright dad?" Mara asks in concern.

I give her a reassuring smile. "I will, thank you."

After a few moments of silence, Ezra speaks up. "Back in the Temple, me and Mara saw Master Yoda!"

"Saw him?" Kanan asks in surprise, and Ahsoka looks over in interest as well. "What did he say?"

"He told us to find Malachor," Mara answers, looking over at us. "Who's Malachor?"

Kanan, Ahsoka and I all share worried looks, and memories of my encounters with Snoke come to mind. Back when I first spoke to him at the end of the Clone War, he told me about Malachor and the hidden power underneath it. And just before this mission as well...

"Malachor isn't a person Mara," Ahsoka answers gravely. "It's a place."

Mara and Ezra share a surprised look with each other. "Well... what kind of place?" Ezra asks uncertainly.

Mara widens her eyes in sudden realization. "Wait... Malachor V?" she asks meekly.

I let out a tired sigh, getting everyones attention, as well as a sad, knowing look from Ahsoka. I know this better than anyone, considering how tied to it my most famous ancestor is.

"Malachor, is a place of evil," I say ominously.

* * *

 ** _Jedi Temple; Lothal_**

 **3rd person POV...**

An Imperial dropship flew through the air as it headed for the uncovered Jedi Temple, Imperial forces moving to secure the area.

Already on the ground, the dark lord of the Sith, apprentice to the Emperor, Darth Vader, strode purposefully into the Temple, escorted by two Stormtroopers. His mechanical breathing echoed against the rocky tunnel surrounding him. As he came to an open room, the Stormtroopers stepped to the side, allowing him to gain a clear view of the four Inquisitors, who he looked down on.

"My Master will be most pleased with this discovery," he states, his voice booming.

"Lord Vader," Fifth Brother says in greeting, and all four Inquisitors bow their heads before their master.

"The Jedi continue to grow in their power my lord," Second Sister reports with a scowl.

Darth Vader is silent for a moment before responding, his breathing the only sound that could be heard.

"It will be their undoing," he states ominously. "Shan and Tano will soon be revealed."

* * *

 _Hello dear readers! Wow... there was a lot going on in the Shroud of Darkness, so much that even when split into two chapters, they're among some of the longest I've written! I hope I did everything justice enough for you guys, because it has enough crazy that it makes me uncertain on whether it was done well._

 _I'm also hoping that I did Sidious, Satele, and Jarik's power levels in their fight properly, as Satele and Sidious both are very powerful in the Force, the latter obviously still stronger. I'm also hoping that his defeat isn't too unbelievable considering the circumstances, and I will admit some scenes of dialogue make me a feel a little bit of cringe, but it's done the best that I could do. After all I'm still just one teenager with a huge imagination, not some god like Dave Filoni._

 _I originally planned to have Bumblebee meet Jarik in these chapter (at least briefly), but with all that was going on there was just no realistic way to fit it in. Anyways, thank you all so much for supporting this story, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I love reading your reviews and hearing your feedback on the story, it means a lot! :D_


	91. Ch 90 - What Comes Next?

_**Author's Note:** Little late on the chapter from writers block :P_

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

The door to our bedroom opens up, and Ahsoka helps me move inside and towards the bed. She helps me to sit down, and I grimace slightly when the lightsaber cut stings from the movement, and let out a soft exhale. She gives me a concerned look before moving towards the shelves, getting the medpac. I pull off my cloak and armor pieces covering my torso, leaving just my shirt to allow easier access to the wound, which was a long slash along my left side.

Retrieving the medpac, Ahsoka comes back to sit down as well on my left and pulls up my shirt, revealing the injury. She takes a good look at the wound with a frown, as well as the damage done to my mechanical arm, then returns her gaze up to me with searching eyes.

"Alright, what exactly happened? Who could you have possibly fought for this too happen?" she asks, and pulls out an irrigation bulb to apply a small amount of fluid to clean off the wound,

"Well, I don't know if you would believe it, but... I fought Palpatine," I state simply.

"What?!" she exclaims in shock, halting her progress with a jerk and causing my injury to sting painfully for a moment.

"Ahh geez," I grimace, holding a hand near the wound.

"Sorry," she quickly apologizes, returning to cleaning it before setting the tool away, getting out some other things. "What in the universe do you mean you fought the Emperor?!"

"It's complicated, but remember how the Lothal Temple is the entrance to the World Between Worlds?" I ask rhetorically.

She nods in remembrance, taking a cloth to wipe away dirt or cauterized skin, along with the cleaning fluid, and then grabs a bacta patch. "Uh huh."

"Well, somehow, he managed to tap into one of those portals and send himself back in time, and I had to follow him," I tell her.

"Wait, the World Between worlds can also travel between time?" she asks in alarm. "How did Sidious do that?! Please tell me he hasn't done anything or can't get that power again!"

"I don't know how he did it, but he projected himself to Satele in the past, and her son Theron. When I followed through to that other time period, I helped fight him back to the present, although it was really hard, obviously," I summarize, gesturing to the injury.

She stares at me for several moments, worry and uneasiness evident on her face before she returns to my injury, and places the bacta patch over it. I grimace at the slight sting before letting out a quiet sigh at the relief I could feel as the healing substance takes effect.

"Why would Sidious go back in time like that?" she asks me warily.

"He considers us, more particularly, me, the most dangerous threat he has right now. Have been for some time apparently," I say with a shrug. "He decided the best way of getting rid of me was to make sure I would never be born, so he tried to kill Theron."

Ahsoka widens her eyes in alarm for a moment before letting out a shaky sigh of relief. "Well, I guess it's safe to say he didn't succeed," she manages with a small smile, before growing concerned again. "But if he broke time like this once, who's to say he won't try it again?"

I look down grimly, unsure. "I don't know. In order to physically be in the past though he had to seize one of us with Sith sorcery to allow him to travel through the portal, probably because he never physically entered the World Between Worlds, which let me pass through with no problem."

"So in theory, he should he trapped from it," she decides.

"Hopefully..." I trail off, sharing a concerned look with her.

 _"But now the Empire is in control of the temple,"_ she says sadly.

 _"Yeah. If he manages to figure out how to enter the World Between Worlds from there..."_ I start.

 _"...he'd gain dominion over all of time, and reshape the galaxy into however he sees fit,"_ she finishes knowingly.

We sit together with each other in silence, afraid to think bout the possibilities of what could happen should the Emperor ever discover the secrets of the Lothal Jedi temple. If he ever does, then we can kiss our entire galaxy, and its history goodbye, replaced with only the vision of Darth Sidious. It's too horrible to even want to consider.

"We'll have to do something about it," I say. "We could try to drive them off and away from it, but at the same time that would never work. A prize like a Jedi temple will not be leaving their hands unless the Emperor has a change of heart."

"Which of course won't happen," Ahsoka sighs.

"...then that means we'll have to destroy the place, so that Sidious can't control time," I say in resignation.

"Jarik, the World Between Worlds is a whole other plane of existence, beyond our power or comprehension," Ahsoke replies. "How would we, just two regular Force users in the galaxy possibly hope to do something like that?"

"You hold Morai's spirit, and I share the bloodline of one of the most powerful families in history! Surely we could come up with something!" I try to reason.

"We are still just mortal," she points out. "Even with all of that, we aren't like the Mortis Gods, much less the Force itself."

"Then we could just destroy the temple itself, make the entrance inaccessible to him," I offer fiercely.

"Maybe," she says, although still unsure. "Until then, why don't we leave that issue for later? There are other things we have to worry about," she suggests.

"Yeah, you're right," I agree with a sigh. "It's just really stressful to know that he could access it at any moment if he finds the entrance."

"I have a feeling that he won't, at least not for a while," she says. "And if he does, we'll be able to sense it I'm sure. You have before."

"Don't disclude yourself, I'm sure you'd be able to sense it as well. You're a lot more gifted in the Force," I reply.

"Maybe," she comments. "Now that I know more about the place."

We remain in silence for a few moments, during which she takes the time to start the rest of me after noticing part of a bruise on my back, and tells me to remove my shirt. She starts looking over all the bruises littering my back and chest with deep concern, causing me to wince whenever she pressed too hard on some. Most of these had to have come when Sidious was slamming me into the rocky ceiling and ground with the Force, which was not fun.

I don't even know how I could prepare to fight someone like him. Despite his age he is still really fast and skilled with a lightsaber, not to mention full of extreme power in the Force.

Ahsoka adds some small amounts of bacta fluid to the bruises to help them heal faster, and I roll my right shoulder, feeling a kink in it.

"The things you do to yourself Jarik..." she mutters to herself while going about her work.

"In my defense I was fighting the Emperor," I point out.

"If Satele wasn't there you'd be much worse I'd imagine. Guess I'll have to thank her if she ever decides to say hi to me," she replies.

I roll my eyes but let her continue applying the bacta, rubbing it along the worst of the bruises. I'm just glad R5 wasn't a part of this... oh and speaking of droids...

"How bad is your arm?" she asks me.

I glance at my metal arm, noting the saber slash through it and attempt to move it a little. In response the lower half beneath the cut sparks a little and trembles in a vain attempt to move, and I grimace when the connection between flesh and metal is shocked a little.

"Not very good," I admit with a sigh.

She grabs the area of the slash on my forearm and narrows her eyes at it, examining the damaged wires and twisted metal.

"He may not have cut through your arm completely but, a lot of the wires are cut through or melted together from his lightsaber," she observes grimly. "Most of this will have to be replaced."

I let out a frustrated sigh.

"Great. That's gonna take a while to fix, considering the lack of thing to fix something as sophisticated as that," I grumble.

"The good news is that none of the wires connecting with your nerves up higher are damaged, so me and R5 should be able to repair it with the right parts," she adds, disconnecting it at the elbow.

Ahsoka sets the ruined part of the arm aside, and I look at the bit that remains, just my upper arm, with a glum look. She notices and frowns down at me, sitting beside me again while I pull my shirt back on, struggling for a moment since I only have one hand to work with.

"Are you alright?" she asks softly.

"I'm fine, it's just... hard not having a real arm sometimes. Even years later," I admit.

"Maybe you'll never be able to get over it, but you've done really well," she reassures me. "Loosing your arm during the Bombing wasn't your fault, but sometimes we just have to... live with these things," she trails off sadly.

I look at her with a worried frown, noting the sense of sorrow in her voice and through the bond, which wasn't fully connected to me. It was something else.

"And... are you alright?" I ask her.

She looks up at me with some confusion, so I explain further.

"In the temple... you saw something too I'm sure. It's heavy on your mind," I tell her knowingly.

She sighs sorrowfully, glancing down to try and suppress some of her grief.

"When I was alone in the temple... I heard Anakin's voice," she says. My breath catches slightly in realization, and she continues. "He was so, upset... and mad at me. He was saying that I abandoned him after the Bombing."

"You're not at fault for what happened to him Ahsoka," I interrupt firmly. "If anything, I'm more at fault than you."

"But what if it is my fault?" she insists. "I could've come back to the Order, but I just left! He needed me, wanted me to come back to him but I didn't! I pushed him away..."

"Ahsoka, you did not push him away!" I tell her with a look. "He didn't blame you for that, and neither did I! You had every right to do so."

"But he _needed_ me," she continues. "If I hadn't left, he wouldn't have gotten so upset, I'm sure! He was married, and I'm the only other person that knew about it. He was alone without me-"

 _"Ahsoka!"_ I exclaim through the bond, making her stop in surprise. She whips her head around to look up at me, and I can see the hint of tears welling up in her eyes.

 _"You've helped me to overcome my guilt many times before, so now I'll do so as well,"_ I tell her. _"Anakin's turn to the dark side was not your fault. Palpatine was manipulating him ever since he was a child. The rules of the Jedi gave him no one to turn too, and barely any of the Council members trusted him! They didn't understand what he needed!"_

She listens to me, sniffling every so often, and I look at her sadly, feeling an ache in my heart at the sight of her so upset.

 _"Whatever you think, just understand that you leaving the Order is not something he would've ever blamed you for,"_ I tell her gently. _"There were too many other things going on that added to his fall. It's not your fault."_

Ahsoka lifts her gaze to look at me through her tears, and eventually wraps her arms around me in a hug, seeking comfort. I return the embrace with my right arm, seeing as I couldn't do it with my left, and send soothing feelings of comfort over to her. She buries her face in my chest while I hold her tightly.

 _"Why did it have to be him?"_ she asks quietly.

 _"I don't know,"_ I reply sadly. _"We just have to remember the good person he was, and hope we can save him in the end."_

 _"Thank you Jarik..."_ she whispers.

* * *

Afterwards, the two of us returned to the common room area, where Kanan and Ezra were sitting down, chatting with Mara and each other. Ahsoka was doing a lot better now, and I had pulled my cloak back on as usual. They looked up at our arrival.

"There you guys ar- WOAH!" Ezra exclaims in shock. "What happened to your arm?!"

"It needs to be repaired," I say simply.

"Wait, your left arm is a prosthetic?" Kanan asks in surprise.

"Yeah, has been since the War," I tell him impassively.

"Are you serious?! How'd you lose you arm-" Ezra starts to question in bewilderment.

"Ezra," Kanan interrupts with a frown of disapproval.

"Sorry," he apologizes. "But... what happened at the temple for that?"

Despite his disapproval, I could tell Kanan was also curious like him, as well as a little confused. I suppose that could be confusion on how I got injured when we were just receiving visions.

Although, I wasn't.

"Story for another time, new topic of conversation please?" I answer in exasperation.

"We'll be back with the fleet in a few minutes," Ahsoka announces.

"Okay, great," Mara says.

"Keep trying to find a base for your group. There's bound to be some places in the Outer Rim that the Empire wouldn't think to look," she suggests, continuing. "Once you do, we'll focus on what Master Yoda told us."

"You aren't going to help?" Kanan asks.

"We have to wrap up a few things, and prepare ourselves for the trip to Malachor. You should as well," I advise them.

"Dad, wasn't Malachor, y'know, destroyed during the Mandalorian War?" Mara asks in confusion.

"Destroyed?" Ezra asks in confusion.

"One of the systems planet's was destroyed when the ancient Jedi Revan activated a superweapon in the middle of a battle thousands of years ago. It killed a lot of people, on both sides," Kanan explains.

"Malachor has more than one planet, that's just the name of the system," Ahsoka explains. "Malachor V is the planet that was destroyed."

"So, if it's the system, then what planet are we going to?" Mara asks.

"There's five planet's in the Malachor system, but if I have to take a guess, we're going to Malachor I," I tell them.

"Okay, so then what's on Malachor I?" Ezra questions.

Me and Ahsoka share a brief look, having a silent conversation through our bond about what we knew of the place; specifically, about the fact that Snoke told me to go there as well in the Mirror Cave.

"I'm not sure," I finally say in response. "But Malachor has a dark past, and has been really significant for the dark side throughout history. So it will not be pretty."

Mara gives the both of us a suspicious look, which means she knew we weren't telling the full truth. Ahsoka replies with her own look to assure her that we'd explain later.

"I don't like the sound of it," Kanan admits. "But if his is what Master Yoda advises, then I don't us having much choice."

"In the mean time, keeping searching for a suitable planet for a base," Ahsoka says. "I'd talk to Rex and Boil, since they know the Outer Rim better than most. See if you can contact Rylla or Ketsu Onyo as well. They're bounty hunters, so I'm sure they'd have some suggestions."

"Will do," Kanan says in understanding.

"Then we'll meet up with you for the trip to Malachor after you've found a place," Mara says, glancing up at us. "Right Mom?"

"Yep," she confirms with a small smile.

"One last thing. As I've already said, Malachor wreaks of the dark side. So you should train yourselves to recognize and resist its influence, as well as improve your saber skills," I tell them. "There may be worse things than Inquisitors there."

"Okay, I get it," Ezra says determinedly. "As long as we can learn how to defeat them and Vader, I'll be ready for anything."

* * *

Once we had spoken with the two members of the Ghost crew, we arrived back with the rebel fleet and dropped them off. During our brief stop, the rest of the crew inquired about my arm in obvious surprise, so I probably haven't told them about it yet. Must've never came to me.

I assured them it was alright and could be fixed. However they rummaged up some parts in their cargo that Sabine felt would be enough to repair it, which I was surprised at, but also grateful for. Ahsoka confirmed the pieces were enough for what she needed, so we thanked them before setting out again, this time back to Ahch-To. Going to Malachor might be one of the most dangerous things we've done yet, and that's say something. So we'd need to be prepared for anything that might happen.

And to talk with Hiccup, Stoick and the rest of them in case something... horrible happens, when we're there. But by the Force, I will not let something happen to Ahsoka and Mara, and definitely not the latter. She still had so much life to live, and had friends in the gang as well, who would be filled with grief for a long time.

Kids shouldn't have to go through that. Not like me and Ahsoka did.

"Hey Dad, I'm curious," Mara says, pulling me from my thoughts in the cockpit. "I know Malachor V was destroyed when Revan set off the superweapon, but what happened on Malachor I?"

I'm silent for a moment before responding. "Well, as we said already, Malachor is a place full of the dark side, and it's always been off limits to Jedi. There was another reason as well."

"Which is?" she asks, sitting down.

"Several thousand years ago, there was an event known as the Great Scourge of Malachor I, a few centuries after Revan's time," I explained. "We don't know what exactly happened there, but many Jedi confronted the Sith on the surface in an all out war. In the end, both sides took a huge toll."

Mara looks surprised and unnerved by the story. "Wow, that's hard to imagine," she admits. "Is that why the Jedi banned the system?"

"It was the final straw," I reply in agreement. "Most of what we know about it now are old legends, stories told to us as younglings. Some of which describes some sort of weapon that wiped out everyone."

"If there is a weapon there, do you think that's what Master Yoda wants us to know about?" she asks me with wide eyes.

"I'm not sure, but it's possible," I tell her.

Ahsoka then walks into the cockpit, taking notice of us being there.

"What's our time?" she asks.

"We're still a few minutes away from Ahch-To," I answer.

"Alright, well I just came to let you know that R5 and I have done some work on repairing the arm with the parts Sabine gave us, so it should be ready soon," she tells me.

"Thanks," I reply gratefully.

"How much longer do you think it'll take the crew to find a base?" Mara questions.

"I don't know, but their search should be close to finished. They've been at it for some time," Ahsoka answers.

"It'll have to be well hidden, if they want to evade the Empire, and one person in particular," I remark.

"You mean Thrawn?" Ahsoka asks with a frown. "He's not focused on Phoenix Squadron."

"Yet," I reply. "When they become big enough of a threat to the Empire they'll send him in I'm sure. I've been monitoring his progress against a group led by someone named Nightswan, and it's only a matter before he defeats them. They're smarter than most rebel groups, but he's smarter."

"Well that's encouraging," Mara says sarcastically. "Everytime he's in the picture he always comes out on top."

"That's just who he is," I say with a helpless shrug.

"If he turns his sights towards Phoenix Squadron, then we'll focus on that then. For now, we should focus on our current problems," Ahsoka suggests.

"Fair enough," I say in agreement.

"I guess until they find I base, I'd be interested in spending more time on Berk, see how the gang is doing," Mara says.

"I think that sounds good, for all of us," Ahsoka adds in agreement.

"What do they even do there usually?" I ask her.

"Sometimes crazy things," she admits. "The last major thing that happened when I was there was when Hiccup, Snotlout, Toothless, Zenna and I were stranded on Outcast island."

"You were stranded where now?" Ahsoka asks in bewilderment, and we both stare at her wide eyed.

"Hey in my defense we managed to get out of there pretty successfully. It was kinda fun," she says defensively, although with some amusement.

"How in the universe did you even get stuck on Outcast Island of all places?" I ask with a frown.

"I was riding Toothless with Hiccup and Zenna during a search and rescue mission," she explains. "Snotlout was being- well, Snotlout, and things escalated from there when a waterspout sent us there, breaking Toothless's tail."

"Why didn't you call us then to come pick you up?" I ask.

"Hiccup found things to fix it, and besides, I thought it was a good teaching moment for me to survive on my own for a little bit," she tells us.

I raise an eyebrow at her response while Ahsoka shakes her head simply in some amusement.

"You've certainly grown a little bit wiser," she observes.

Mara turns a little bit of a sheepish red. "Thanks. Biggest threat for me there is Calder and he's kind of a chump," she says quietly.

"Hmph," I reply in amusement. "Chump with a sword made of an unknown metal that can resist lightsabers."

"Still don't know what it is," Mara says in agreement.

* * *

 _ **Phoenix Squadron; Outer Rim**_

 **3rd person POV...**

The crew of the Ghost were standing around a hologram projecting two maps of several star systems, one blue and one yellow. Along with them were Commander Sato, Rex and Boil, Ketsu Onyo, as well as Rylla and her partner Hayden.

"Thanks to Rex and Boil's old Republic map, and the map Zeb's lasat friends made I think we finally have a suitable location for our base," Hera explains, and the holograms merge together, allowing a certain spot to glow brightly.

"The Yost system," Ketsu says in recognition. "There's no sign of the Empire, but there is a habitable moon, one that I think will provide everything you need."

"Promising, but Yost is several parsecs away, and our carrier does not have enough fuel to complete the journey," Sato says in concern.

"We can't afford to leave it, unguarded and immobile," Rex adds.

"So, then find a place nearby that has fuel. I'm sure the Empire has several ports that you'd be able to snag a little bit," Hayden suggests.

"Well, I've been tracking Imperial fueling shipments. There's one schedules to arrive at the horizon base soon," Sabine informs them.

"It's risky. The Empire's tightened security on all of its depot's in the sector," Kanan warns them.

"If there's fuel there, what choice do we have?" Ezra asks rhetorically.

Rylla frowns at the hologram. "Those fueling stations often come under siege from pirates and criminals, considering its successful business," she says. "However those raids happen on cargo ships that depart. So most of their attention would be more focused on defenses beyond the base, instead of right on it."

"That sounds like a plan then," Boil decides.

With everyone in agreement, the group begins to disperse to do whatever it is they need to do to prepare for the upcoming mission, while the bounties hunters stick around for a moment, Ketsu keeping to herself.

"With all the crap we do, I never once thought we'd be getting involved the Rebellion," Hayden mutters to Rylla.

"Would you rather it be the Crimson Dawn?" she replies with a raised eyebrow.

"No!" he shoots down immediately. "Honestly, what were you thinking when you decided to take on a job for them?"

"We were desperate, and they offered. I didn't know better," she explains with a shrug

"Whatever," he says. "I still don't know if helping them out is a good idea."

"Hayden-" she sighs.

"I know you have your morals and all that, I get it. But if the Empire finds out we've been helping them, no one is going to accept us for a bounty!" he interrupts with uncertainty.

"They won't find out, my friends will make sure of that," Rylla reassures him.

"If you say so," he says, before glancing at Ketsu. "I'm gonna be honest though, she's the last person I would've expected to come here."

"I heard that Hayden," Ketsu suddenly says, glaring at him.

"Well you can't blame me, you were always a sourpuss!" Hayden retorts. "I would've thought being mentored by us would've made you turn out better."

Rylla rolls her eyes in exasperation at the argument between the two.

"You were never the mentor, Rylla was. And you were always irritating," she shoots back with a frown of annoyance. "Anyways, don't get used to me being here."

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Hayden says, getting the last word in.

Sabine then walks up to the group, a pleased smile on her face. "Hey, thanks for coming out to help you guys. Your intel was really good."

"It was no problem Sabine," Rylla says with a smile.

"Yeah I had to bust my entire work schedule to put that together," Hayden says in dramatic annoyance.

Rylla elbows him for his behavior, but Sabine rolls her eyes, knowing him well enough to know he was just being sarcastic.

"You think you guys will come around some other time?" she asks.

"Well I've got stuff to do for my clients, so don't count on it," Ketsu tells her.

"Same here," Hayden adds.

"But if you ever need help with something, I'd be glad to help out," Rylla promises her.

"Thanks," Sabine says with a smile, before heading of with the rest of the crew.

"Hey Rylla, speaking of 'friends,' when were you ever going to tell me that you were friends with _the_ Jarik Shan?!" Hayden asks incredulously.

"Seriously?" Ketsu mutters with a dark look in her eyes.

"Was never important at the time," Rylla shrugs in reply.

* * *

 _There's only three more chapters I have planned before the fated Twilight of the Apprentice episode happens, and everything changes! :O_

 _I'm so excited to get working on that, and it certainly is going to be crazy! Nothing will be the same again after that chapter._


	92. Ch 91 - We Are Family Pt 1

_Did you know that Alvin the Treacherous is actually voiced by Mark Hamill? I never knew this until just recently, but now that I do know I can definitely hear Mark's voice being channeled through, kinda like his Joker acting!_

 _The more you know right?_

* * *

 _ **Isle of Berk; Ahch-To**_

 **3rd person POV...**

The entire gang, along with Mara and Zenna, were gathered in the cove on Berk, where Hiccup had asked them all to be there. Hiccup let out a long yell into the sky imitating the call of a Night Fury, which echoed around the forest for some time. When he was done, Snotlout decided to interrupt with his own opinion on the exercise.

"That's why you brought us out here? To honk into the wind?" Snotlout demands.

"Just wait Snotlout," Fishlegs replies in some measure of annoyance.

"Dragon calls," Snotlout scoffs in disinterest, sitting on a log. "Whatever."

He then takes notice of the twins sitting against the log and smirks sinisterly in amusement, pulling out a medallion. Mara raises an eyebrow from a mixture of amusement and exasperation, while Hiccup was more confused and annoyed. Catching the light of the sun, Snotlout used the medallion to shine a spotlight against the rocks, and started moving it around. The twins' eyes followed it eagerly, not realizing the trick that Snotlout was playing on them.

"Uh, guys?" Hiccup questions.

"Idiots," Snotlout says with a chuckle.

"Snotlout," Hiccup says, frowning.

"So stupid..."

"Seriously?" he demands in annoyance.

"What?! It's fun!" Snotlout says defensively, before sighing, putting the medallion away. "Ugh, fine."

"Ugh, gone again!" Tuffnut exclaims in disappointment.

"Oh Force, how are you two that dumb?" Mara sighs, holding a hand to her head.

"Exactly!" Snotlout exclaims in agreement, as if they were making a point. Mara just rolls her eyes.

Hiccup does a Night Fury call again, causing Zenna to perk up in interest, but inevitably ignore it, focusing her attention back on Mara, who scratched her behind the ears. Snotlout looked around at the roar, before facing Hiccup with a frown.

"And nothing!" he says sarcastically. "Can we go now?"

Toothless' sudden roar makes Snotlout look around in surprise, and Astrid eyes him with a smirk, arms crossed.

"You were saying?" she asks in amusement.

Toothless drops down into the cove with a roar, before looking up happily at the group. Zenna chirps excitedly, and Toothless warbles back at her.

"Fine. I hate to admit it, but that was pretty cool," Snotlout admits quietly.

"Yeah, not bad Hiccup," Mara says with a smile.

"Not as cool as that disappearing shiny thing," Tuffnut interrupts with a smirk. "You can never catch it."

"Fishlegs, you wanna show us your dragon call?" Hiccup asks.

"Thought you'd never ask!" he replies excitedly, and Mara internally grimaces upon sensing his upcoming lecture. "The call of the Gronckle is as unique as the dragon itself... raw, guttural, intense, yet with a subtle lilt."

"J-j-just do it, already!" Snotlout exclaims mockingly in annoyance.

Fishlegs lets loose a guttural roar, which is swiftly answered by Meatlug, who comes flying down into the cove with an excited look on her face.

"Well done, Fishlegs," Hiccup congratulates.

"Oh, I'm not done. Watch this," Fishlegs says proudly, and then lets loose another roar into the air, which has the twins grimacing in clear and obvious disgust.

"I don't even wanna know what part of his body that came from!" Tuffnut exclaims repulsively, before his eyes light up in fascination. "Or do I?"

Mara reaches over to smack Tuffnut on the helmet with the hilt of her lightsaber, causing him to yelp in surprise and pain. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"Can you please stop with the kriffing junk for one second Tuff?" she asks in exasperation.

"What, it was an honest question!" he replies defensively, and then his helmet is swiftly smacked again, but this time by Zenna's tail. "Ok fine, sorry," he grumbles, while Ruffnut laughs at him.

Fishlegs exhales in exhaustion, holding his chest tiredly. "I gotta take a knee."

Moments later, a small herd of gronckles flies across the cove with the own answering roars, and Meatlug flies up to join them.

"Wow, nice herd," Tuffnut comments dryly.

"Be home for dinner! You're having granite!" Fishlegs calls out to Meatlug, before smiling. "That's her favorite."

"Okay. Anybody think they can beat that?" Hiccup questions.

"I'll give it a shot," Astrid replies smugly. "Watch this."

She climbs on top of a small rock for some height advantage, and lets loose her own Nadder call, which is more of a whistling howl. A small group of Nadders quickly respond and fly across the cove, to which Stormfly swiftly joins them. Zenna squawks excitedly and takes flight, lifting into the air with heavy flaps of her wings to soar alongside her mother. Mara watched her go with a smile on her face, marveling at how she was almost adult sized.

"Good job, Astrid, first try!" Hiccup says happily.

"Yeah, but what about Mara's dragon call? Shouldn't she have one?" Ruffnut demands with a frown.

"No, not really. I have my own way of calling Zenna," she replies simply.

"What do you mean you have your own way?" Snotlout asks in confusion.

Mara simply taps her head with a finger while grinning, but when they all stare at her with blank looks, aside from Hiccup and Astrid, she rolls her eyes. "Oh forget it, I'll just show you," she grumbles.

Looking towards the sky, she stretches out with the Force to connect with Zenna's mind. The dragon quickly senses her presence and connects them with excitement, before leaving the Nadder pack and racing for their position, landing beside Mara with a thud, chirping happily.

"Woah, how'd you do that?" Ruffnut asks in surprise.

"Do you really not know how?" Astrid asks dryly.

"Don't tell me you forgot that Zenna is Force sensitive, and therefore shares a mental connection with me?" Mara deadpans, raising an eyebrow.

Fishlegs' eyes are wide in fascination, and Snotlout has the decency to look a little embarrassed, while the twins just stare dumbly at her.

"Of course you did, why am I asking this?" Mara says sarcastically, scratching Zenna's neck and causing the dragon to purr happily. Hiccup just groans in exasperation.

"Uh, I have an important question," Tuffnut asks, raising his hand.

"Oh, here it comes," Mara sighs in exasperation.

"Is it actually important this time?" Hiccup asks with a sigh.

"Uh, yeah. It always is," Tuffnut states. "Like, why are we even doing this anyway? I don't get it."

"Huh, that actually was a decent question," Mara comments quietly to Astrid.

"I suppose they do have their moments," she answers in reply, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well, first of all, you never know when you're gonna be separated from your dragon. And the only way to communicate is to call it," Hiccup answers.

"Sorry. Didn't get it."

"Second of all," Hiccup continues irritably. "It's Bork week, and my dad asked us to put on a dragon air parade."

"Why do we care about this Bork guy anyway? Wasn't he a dragon killer?" Ruffnut asks in disinterest.

"Hey, Bork only killed dragons in self-defense. He studied them, wrote about them, lived and breathed them!" Fishlegs explains enthusiastically.

"Even I knew that," Mara adds.

"And without him, there would be no Book of dragons," Hiccup continues.

"And without the Book of dragons, there'd be no..." Fishlegs starts to say.

"Reason for you to live?" Snotlout interrupts mockingly, causing the twins to chuckle.

"Dragon academy, actually," Hiccup corrects. "And there would be no really cool dragon air show."

"So when we do this really cool dragon air show, who's he gonna fly with?" Snotlout asks, gesturing to Toothless.

"I'm working on that," Hiccup replies with a sad sigh, and Mara looks over at him in concern, sensing his sadness.

"Okay, another question!" Tuffnut asks, raising his hand. "Why is Mara not gonna be a part of it then? Zenna looks big enough to ride."

Mara glances at Zenna, who squawks, preening herself. "Well, simply put, my parents and I don't know when we have to leave again, so we're not gonna be involved with your activities incase we have to depart for Malachor in the middle of them."

"I thought you guys had some sort of schedule for that?" Snotlout asks sarcastically. "Seems like a pretty dumb schedule to me."

"They did tell us they would be leaving once the rebels found their own base, remember?" Hiccup reminds them. "Finding something is never a determined amount of time."

"What's so important about this Malachor place anyways? Sound like a stupid name," Tuffnut comments in disinterest.

"A lot, actually," Mara replies quietly with a sigh. "We're hoping there's something there to help us defeat the Sith."

"That does sound pretty important," Astrid comments with a nod.

"And dangerous," Hiccup adds. "You sure you don't want us to come along with you guys as well? The offer is still there."

"I know you're very selfless and all that Hiccup," Mara replies. "But quite frankly, that would be, the absolute worst idea ever."

"You saying we can't handle danger Mara?" Snotlout challenges. "Because if Hookfang and I are there, we would obliterate everything!"

"Could you possibly obliterate a Sith Lord and several Inquisitors?" Mara asks rhetorically.

Snotlout scoffs in reply. "Pfft, of course we could!"

"Alright, Snotlout, I think I can safely say that none of us except for Mara and her parents would have any chance against those guys," Astrid says in disapproval.

"Just because you saw a few, doesn't mean we can't take them," he retorts.

"Your chances against a Red Death alone are better than they are against the Sith," Mara says firmly.

"Woah, you kidding?" Tuffnut asks in surprise. "Those guys sound dangerous, I want to meet them!"

"Are you insane? You'd die in a second!" Mara exclaims irritably.

"But we have dragons! What do these Sith guys have?!" Snotlout demands.

"Guys, this is serious!" Hiccup interrupts firmly, casting disapproving looks in the direction of Snotlout and the twins. "Inquisitors and Sith Lord's are no laughing matter! They aren't simple soldiers like the Outcasts! They're whole purpose is simply to hunt and kill Jedi, people like Mara and her parents! If they say we can't take them in a fight, I'm inclined to agree, especially after me and Astrid saw them in action ourselves!"

Snotlout and the twins managed to back down, feeling a little apologetic. "Fine..." they all said quietly.

Mara sighs in exasperation, running a frustrated hand down her face. "It's fine you guys, just... Hiccup's right though, they aren't something to joke about."

"I wish we could help you out with this," Astrid says sadly.

"It would be nice," but unfortunately you can't," she replies, and Zenna reaches her head down to nudge Mara, and she pets her in return.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile...**_

Gobber sang a merry old family song to himself as he tore apart his forge looking for the contents of Bork the Bold's dragon studies. While this was going on, Stoick, Jarik and Ahsoka were in conversation with each other just outside of it.

"This sounds like a very dangerous mission you'll be going on," Stoick comments.

"The most necessary missions, often are the most dangerous," Ahsoka remarks in reply.

"Aye, that's true. I can certainly say that advice held true for the ending of the Viking and Dragon war," he agrees with a nod. "What are you expecting to encounter on this... Malachor?"

"Nothing pretty that's for sure. The planet we're going to was the site of an old battlefield between hundreds of Jedi and Sith," Jarik says grimly. "It was a massacre."

Stoick hums to himself with a concerned frown on his face. "That does sound like a terrible place. I can't think of many battles in Viking history as terrible as the one you just described."

"Jedi and Sith have been at war with each other for thousands of years. The current Empire is only another form of that conflict," Ahsoka says with a sigh.

"And your doing this at the word of one of your old Masters, who was a tiny little midget troll?" Stoick questions, before grimacing. "Sorry, that was a little rude."

Jarik and Ahsoka however both just smiled in amusement. "It's perfectly fine," she reassures him. "Besides, your son is not so different in that regard. He's the smallest and weakest Viking, yet managed to achieve the biggest accomplishment known to you."

Stoick chuckles in agreement. "Aye, that's very true. Hiccup is of Viking material," he says proudly.

"Isn't that right eh?" Gobber chimes in out of nowhere, with a wild grin. "I mean, who would've thought that skinny fishbone of a kid would defeat the biggest dragon known to man?! The sight of that still gives me the willies!"

"Thank you, Gobber," Stoick replies in exasperation.

"Anytime Stoick!" he replies, before going back to his searching, and Stoick just sighs.

"Well, I best be off then. Bork week's gonna need a lot of preparation," he states.

"Well, no need for us to keep you waiting chief," Jarik says, and they both give him a casual wave as he walks off. The two of them then turn to Gobber, and watch as he sifts through his junk while singing to himself.

"You need any help Gobber?" Jarik asks.

"Nah I've got it, don't you worry," Gobber reassures them.

Satisfied, the two married Force users start walking away from the forge, only to run into Mildew and his sheep on their way out. The old man gives them a narrowed stare of disgust and irritation, to which they reply with neutral expressions.

"Mildew," Ahsoka greets calmly.

"Greetings witch," he says with a scowl, and Jarik bristles at the insult towards her.

"You know, it wouldn't hurt to show some kindness to people here and there. Everyone would be a lot happier," he suggests.

Mildew scoffs at them. "Oh, and what would two users of dark magic know about kindness now eh?" he retorts, shoving past them. "I don't have time for your bewitchment tactics."

"Whatever makes you happy old man," Ahsoka replies, frowning at him as he shuffles towards the forge, his sheep following dutifully beside him.

 _"I don't know how anyone on Berk could've stood this man for as long as they have,"_ Jarik tells Ahsoka.

 _"I'd be willing to bet that even Master Yoda would snap if in his presence for too long,"_ she replies dryly.

Jarik chokes back a laugh, visualizing the sight of an infuriated Yoda banging on Mildew's legs with his walking stick while grumbling to him about behavior.

 _"I would so pay credits to see that,"_ he replies.

*:*:*

"Bork, oh, Bork, we sing your song the man who studied dragons long without your work there'd be no Berk woe's the day you went berserk!" Gobber sings to himself, throwing different weapons and tools on the ground, brushing aside other objects.

He then uncovers a small chest hidden away in all his stuff, and grins happily, pulling it out and blowing off the thick layer of dust.

"Ah ha ha! Gotcha," he cheers happily.

He steps down from the ladder and turns around, only to run smack dab into Mildew, who was glaring at him inches from his face.

"Aah!" he cries out in shock, taking a step back before glaring. "Mildew! You don't sneak up on a man with a hook for an arm!"

"Yeah, but I've got an emergency!" he says, scowling, and his sheep Fungus baas up at Gobber, who watches with a dull look. "My wagon wheel just snapped coming into town. My cabbage is all over the road!"

"Can't it wait, Mildew? I've got to get these archives over to the great hall!" Gobber explains, shoving past him.

"But my cabbage, Gobber!" he exclaims, before scoffing angrily. "What ever happened to customer service?"

Gobber stops with a frustrated sigh, and sets down the chest on one of his worktables.

"All right," he says, and walks out of the forge.

Mildew watches him go before glancing at the chest containing Bork's work, and the dagger sitting on top of it. He reaches out a hand to touch it, but Gobber suddenly pokes his head back into the forge.

"Whaa-?" Mildew gasps in alarm.

"You touch that dagger and I'll show you how well it works!" Gobber warns him, dragging his hook across his throat for emphasis.

Mildew scoffs at his retreating form, before eyeing the chest again with narrowed eyes.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

"You think he'll like it?" Astrid asks me.

We were currently seated on Stormfly's back, flying around looking for Hiccup so that we could show off Astrid's progress with the Deadly Nadders. Zenna was flying alongside us, as while she was close to growing into adult size, she still wasn't big enough for me to fly separately, so until then, I wasn't go to push it.

"Of course he will, he's practically falling head over heels for you," I say casually.

"Wh- what?!" she sputters, whipping her head around to look at me in bewilderment. I hide my smirk and scan the ground, spotting Hiccup and Toothless nearby.

"Oh look, there they are!" I say, ignoring her and pointing them out.

Although Astrid gives me a wary look, she decides to let it go and steers Stormfly down to land just behind them and Zenna swiftly follows. We dismount, and she rushes up to Hiccup excitedly, gesturing towards the sky. I keep myself from smirking once again.

"There you are. Hey, check out my Nadders. I finally got them flying in perfect formation!" she says, pointing up to where all of the Nadders were soaring through the sky.

"Wow, yeah, that's... that's great," Hiccup replies half-heartedly.

I stare intensely at him, sensing his sadness and feelings of guilt running through him. You didn't even need to have the force to see that he was obviously bothered by something, which Astrid quickly picked up on.

"Hiccup?" she asks dangerously.

He sighs in response, and turns to us. "I've just been thinking, Stormfly has other Nadders. Hookfang has a whole herd of Monstrous Nightmares. And Toothless has... Toothless has no one."

"He has you. And he looks pretty happy, if you ask me," Astrid says, gesturing to how he was playing in the grass, while Zenna stood beside him with a curious expression on her face.

"You know what I mean," he says quietly.

"Hiccup, Toothless will be fine," I tell him. "It's not that different from my situation if you ask me. I'm one of the only Jedi padawan's left in the entire galaxy, but I don't let it bother me."

"Yeah but, you still have your parents, along with those other friends of yours like that Ezra kid for example," he argues in response.

"Look Hiccup, like Astrid said, Toothless is perfectly happy. And it's quite possible that there are other Night Furies out there but, you don't have to worry about it," I reassure him.

"If you say so," he replies uncertainly, and I almost roll my eyes at how stubborn he was being.

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot," Astrid says in remembrance. "Your father and Gobber are looking for you."

We both mount Stormfly again while she delivers the message to Hiccup. "They wanna see you in the Great Hall. They looked serious."

With that being said, we take off into the air and Zenna swiftly follows.

"Keep an eye on Hiccup for me will ya?" I ask Astrid.

"Of course I will," she replies, sounding almost insulted I even asked her to do so. "He does stupid things a lot."

"Oh you don't say," I mutter sarcastically, and we both share a laugh at that.

* * *

 _ **Later...**_

 **3rd person POV...**

Mara, Zenna, and the rest of the gang were all getting their things ready for their flight to the Isle of Night when Stoick swoops into the dragon academy on his thunderdrum Thornado, with a searching gaze.

"Has anyone seen Hiccup?" he asks, before taking notice of what the group was doing. "Where are you lot off to?"

"Uh, just a training exercise," Astrid offers sheepishly in response.

"Ah-ha," Stoick grunts, although slightly suspicious.

Just then, Jarik and Ahsoka both entered the arena, looking around and spotting Mara. She whips around in alarm as they both approach her with knowing looks on their faces.

"Mara?" Ahsoka says.

"Oh, hey Mom, hey Dad!" she replies sheepishly, smiling up at them innocently.

"What are you doing?" Jarik questions suspiciously.

Before she could answer, Stoick had approached Fishlegs with the same question, and the Viking teen was trying hard not to look at him.

"Fishlegs?" he asks

Fishlegs shrieks in fright and whips around to look at Stoick, mumbling and whimpering to himself. He catches Mara's gaze for a moment, who was a looking at him with an expression that promised death if he spoke. However, his nervousness and fear of Stoick quickly won out.

"We're going to the Isle of Night to look for Hiccup! It's an island full of Night Furies, could be dangerous, maybe not. Wanna come?" he blurts out quickly.

Astrid groans in defeat and smacks her forehead on Stormfly's wing while Mara grimaces, looking up sheepishly at her parents, who send her a disapproving look. Even Zenna has the decency to look sheepish at the gaze of the two Force wielders.

"There you are, Stoick," Gobber says, hobbling into the arena. "Strangest thing at Mildew's place. It's completely cleared out, no sign of him anywhere."

Jarik and Ahsoka pull their gazes away from Mara at the knowledge and share a troubled glance with each other, while Stoick had his own troubled expression, eyebrows furrowing.

"That can't be a coincidence..." Jarik says in concern.

"How do you mean?" Stoick asks, worried.

"Mildew's disappearance, along with Hiccup and Toothless' disappearance at the same time?" he explains. "They're connected somehow, and I have a bad feeling about it."

Ahsoka glances at Mara with a furrowed brow. "You were going to fly to a place called the 'Isle of Night?'" she asks. "A place filled with Night Furies?"

"Uh... yeah?" she confirms hesitantly.

Jarik and Ahsoka look at each other, conveying a silent message that expresses their fears.

"That's not good," Ahsoka says grimly.

* * *

 _ **Isle of Night; Ahch-To**_

 **Hiccup POV...**

As I climbed up a rocky incline to follow after Toothless, I couldn't help but get the feeling that something was wrong. Glancing around, I couldn't see the sign of the other Night Fury anywhere, and it was... way too quiet.

"Somethings not right," I mutter to myself in concern, before looking towards Toothless. "toothless come back!"

Toothless moves to follow my call, but then out of nowhere, several bolas all fly at him and bind him up within a second, causing him to roar in alarm.

"Toothless, no!" I yell out in fear.

I started to rush forwards, but instead quickly found myself restrained by an Outcast soldier. He grabbed my arm and then shoved me harshly onto the hard rocky ground, while several other Outcasts all pulled on ropes to restrain Toothless. I glanced up, only to see several familiar figures approaching, all with smug smirks on their faces.

"Well well well, if it isn't Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third," Calder says sinisterly.

"Calder," I groan angrily.

Off to the side, I could see a few Outcasts pushing a fake replica of Toothless out of its cover. And beside Calder, another familiar figure also walks up, raising a smug eyebrow up at me and smirking gleefully.

"Alvin," I recognize.

"Amazingly realistic, wouldn't you say Hiccup?" he asks me sarcastically.

"Let go of him!" I exclaim fiercely, struggling against my captors, but to no avail. I was inwardly cursing myself for being such a skinny fishbone with no real fighting talent. "What do you want?"

"I want me own dragon trainer, and by the looks of it, I've got him!" he declares.

"As for me, I'm more interested in learning more about that Mara girls magical powers, along with her dragon," Calder says casually, sharpening his sword. "You're gonna lead them right to us."

"Hey, didn't Mara easily kick you butt in a fight?" I manage to retort with a smirk. "Now that her parents are around, you'd get creamed."

He points his sword at my throat, glaring down hatefully at me. "Watch what you say Haddock. You'll do what we say, and we'll get what we want."

I glare back at him, before shifting my gaze to Alvin. "I will never train your dragons Alvin!"

"Oh I think you will," he chuckles in response. "And once you have, I'll use em to destroy Berk! Take him!"

The Outcast painful wrestles me to my feet, but all I could think about was how could they have possibly done something like this!

"I don't understand, how did you do this?!" I demand desperately.

*:*:*

Toothless was being chained down to the ship, while Savage kicked me on board with my hands bound behind me. I glared back up at him, only to stare in shock at the sight of the person revealed to be standing behind him.

"Mildew, what are you doing here?" I ask in bewilderment.

"Ah, look at ya. The brightest boy on the island, and yet, here you are, trapped by a silly old man and his sheep," he says with a gleeful smirk.

I widen my eyes in horrified realization. He was working with the Outcasts! "How could you do this!?"

"You did it, Hiccup! You believed our Bork notes. You followed the map we drew. You walked right into our trap, all for the love of a dragon," he says condescendingly. "Mm, maybe you'll think twice next time about where you place your loyalties. Maybe if you didn't become friends with those foul witches, you'd be making better decisions!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Calder walking forwards with a heavy, hateful glare on his face, however to my surprise it wasn't directed at me. It was actually directed towards Mildew.

Alvin laughs as he walks onto the ship, shoving the old man aside. "There won't be a next time. Raise the sails! We're headed home... to Outcast island," he says gleefully.

All I could do was stare back at him with dread, as the ship took off to its destination. Mildew smirked at me before beginning to walk around the ship, when he came to a stop in front of Calder. He widens his eyes in surprise before narrowing them, sharing the exact same hateful stare that Calder was giving him.

"Move out of my way you foul witch," Mildew scowls.

Calder's eyes flash yellow for a moment, and he raises his sword threateningly at Mildew, who backs up nervously in alarm.

"Don't think for a moment that you have control over me old man," he threatens dangerously.

Alvin chuckles, walking up to them and placing a hand on both of their shoulders. Their gazes don't leave each other for a moment, and I start to notice how similar their expressions are... along with their facial features.

"Now now, there's no need for tension between a father and a son here on my ship eh?" Alvin says with a cheery tone, although there was an underlining note of warning to his voice.

Hearing Alvin's declaration makes me widen my eyes in absolute disbelief. Did he just say... what I think he just said?!

"No chief," Calder finally says.

Alvin walks off in satisfaction, and Mildew swiftly follows after him, but not without sending one last scathing glare at Calder, who all too happily returns the hate.

"Mildew... is your father?!" I exclaim in shock.

"Yes," he growls angrily to himself.

"Do I feel sorrow for you," I remark dryly to hide my stunned bewilderment.

"There's one thing that we can agree on Haddock," Calder replies, sending me a glare before walking away.

* * *

 _Woah... didn't see that one coming huh?_

 _Next chapter is the second part of the episode 'We Are Family,' and the departure of the Shan family from Berk for their mission on Malachor. Following this will then be the chapter that the showcases the Star Wars Rebels episode 'The Mystery of Chopper Base.' If you guys have followed the lore of Star Wars and Dave Filoni closely... you'd know about a certain meeting that takes place on Atollon between some important individuals..._

 _And then, Malachor happens._

 _IT'S SO CLOSE!_


	93. Ch 92 - We Are Family Pt 2

_**Note:** Calder is MILDEW's son, not Alvin's :3_

* * *

 _ **Outcast Island; Ahch-To**_

 **Hiccup POV...**

My wrists were bound together as I was led by Alvin, Calder and Savage, through the caverns on Outcast Island containing cages filled with furious dragons.

"Where's my dragon, Alvin?" I demand coldly. "Where's Toothless?"

"You'll see him soon enough. Don't you worry," he replies in mock sympathy, a grin on his face.

"You know, I have to admit... luring me and Toothless to the Isle of Night, building a fake Night Fury... not bad," I remark casually.

"Ha ha! 'Not bad...'" he scoffs in contempt. "Says the one-legged boy in manacles."

"Of course it was a good plan. After all it fooled you didn't it?" Calder adds with a devilish smirk, sending a shiver up my spine.

I glare angrily back at them. "But turning Mildew into an Outcast? Using him against us? Come on, Alvin. That's low-hanging fruit... even for you."

Savage lets out a chuckle of amusement, to which Alvin responds by angrily smashing him in the face with his fist, shutting him up.

"No one thinks you're funny, boy. Now, keep movin'!" he says, shoving me forwards with his bone.

"A-and Calder, Mildew is your father right? So that means you were born on Berk. Why do you hate us so much?" I ask, but he glares furiously at me.

"The only thing I have to thank Mildew for is giving me life!" he snarls. "He's a wretched excuse for a living person. He scorned me for my magic, called my mother a witch! He cast us off of Berk, and the rest of your people did nothing to stop him!"

I widen my eyes in astonishment and some mixture of sorrow at his fate.

"Don't expect any sympathy from me Haddock," he says, spitting on the ground.

"But-" I start to say, before Alvin shoves me harshly.

"Shut up! We're here," he announces.

We arrive in a large cave, which must be the main area with cages where they kept the most dangerous of dragons. They walked me up to a cage containing a Whispering Death, and we all turned our heads to look at it. The Whispering Death growls and roars in anger, before tunneling into the ground. However, a chain attached to it prevents it from going far, and it resurfaces once again, shrieking in fury, frightening the 'caretakers' in the cage.

"You know it's gonna keep doing that, right?" I tell Alvin. "It is a Whispering Death."

Savage shoves me forwards to the next cage, and I look inside to see a Scauldron drinking from a trough of water. It looks up, swishing the water in its mouth, and I only have a moment to widen my eyes in alarm before ducking as it shot a stream of water at me, completely blasting the Outcast right behind me. I glance at the Outcast that was hit, grimacing at the sight of his body, knowing that there was no way anyone could've survived a direct blast of that boiling water. However, it was quite evident that Alvin and Calder didn't care, although Savage looked a little uncomfortable.

"A Scauldron... impressive," I manage to say, hiding how I felt about the dead Outcast. "You might wanna cut back its water."

"Oy, write that down," I hear Alvin mutter.

Moving on to the next cage, I looked inside to see nothing there, and the Outcast 'caretakers' rushed forwards in alarm, glancing around the cage. However I can see the slight glimmering shine that comes along with a Changewing that is camouflaged.

"It's escaped again!" one of them exclaims.

"No it hasn't you fools!" Calder says irritably. He could probably sense it with the Force.

"Yeah he's right, it hasn't escaped. "It's right behind you, actually. Changewing," I confirm

The Changewing suddenly appears from its camouflage and spits a glob of steaming, green acid at us. We all duck down for cover when it hits the iron bars, except for Calder. The lucky punk probably sensed it wasn't going to hit us.

"Whoo! Wow, you guys really don't have a handle on these dragons, do you?" I comment with some amusement.

"Well, that's why you're here," Alvin says, shoving me along with a hand on my shoulder. "Welcome to your new job, Hiccup."

"A job? Me? As inviting as that sounds, I'm gonna have to pass," I reply casually.

"Hiccup, Hiccup, Hiccup... Why do you have to make things so difficult?" he asks me in mock exasperation.

"Really not the first time I've been asked that question," I deadpan.

Alvin has me stop by the next cage, which I notice to be a lot more reinforced than the others, making me wonder what could possibly be trapped inside. Once I get a good look however, the sight of the dragon inside there makes me stop in absolute shock, disbelief, and fear. They captured the Hssiss Alpha dragon! The same one from the Red Death's brood!

"In the name of Thor..." I whisper.

The Hssiss dragon opens its eyes from where it was lying on the ground, and at the sight of us, it snarls in wild rage, getting to its feet. Facing us, it unleashes a horrifying shriek, causing us all to wince in pain and hold our heads as the invasive presence threatens to tear us apart. Luckily for us however, Calder retaliates with a yell of his own, raising an arm and using the Force to send the dragon slamming against the wall.

"You have a Hssiss dragon?!" I shout in disbelief.

"Ah, so you recognize this kind of dragon?" Alvin asks me.

"Recognize him? I've personally encountered it before!" I respond in a panic. "How'd you even manage to get that thing?!"

"It wasn't easy. Cost us a lot of men," Calder says casually. "It was only thanks to me that we reigned in this beast."

The Alpha snarls furiously at us, glaring with its beady, evil eyes. "If you're expecting me to train that thing, then I'm sorry, but there is no way that is possible!"

"Oh really? So you must be a dragon training fraud then huh?" Savage accuses with a glare.

"No!" I retort, giving the Hssiss Alpha a wary glance. "But these dragons, are untrainable. Their very nature consists only of chaos and savagery, due to their connection to the dark side!"

"The dark side?" Calder questions with a frown.

"The dark side of the Force!" I confirm. "The Force is the power that let's you do the things that you do, and is what let's Mara do her own thing as well..." I explain before trailing off, not willing to give any more information about.

Calder is looking very thoughtful, as well as Alvin, who looks between us with a slowly building smirk.

"Well, I think we'll have much to talk about later, Mr. Haddock," Calder promises.

"Oh what I have done...?" I whisper quietly to myself.

They had me continue our 'tour' of the cavern but I couldn't keep from giving the Hssiss Alpha a wary and nervous look, to which it responded with its own narrowed gaze. I could spot a glimmer of recognition in those slitted pupils, making me swallow nervously. Upon reaching the next cage, I widened my eyes in horror at the sight of Toothless chained up inside and seemingly unconscious, restrained from head to tail with a muzzle on his snout.

"Toothless!" I exclaim.

Thankfully, he seemed perfectly fine as he could open his eyes, but once he caught sight of me he started thrashing and snarling in an outraged fury, attempting to escape. He eventually calms down, but then fixes a piercing glare at the Outcasts. They all wince once again, leaving me to realize that he was using some sort of mental Force attack in his rage. However it was quickly stopped when Calder retaliated with a wave of his hand, smacking a piece of rock into Toothless, who yelped in pain.

"Don't hurt him!" I say angrily to Calder.

He only shrugs uncaringly at me in response. "He hurt us first Haddock."

I glare at him angrily again before shifting a concerned gaze on Toothless. "Hang in there, bud. I'll get you out."

"He's not going anywhere," Alvin announces. "Neither are you. You will help me train these dragons."

"And if I don't?" I reply challengingly.

"Well... then they're no good to me. None of 'em! Especially yours!" he retorts with a fierce glare, pointing a finger at me.

I glanced back at Toothless in concern. I didn't care for the Hssiss dragon, they could kill it for all I cared, but the rest of the dragons are innocent, simply caught up in the wrong place. And if I were to lose Toothless too...

I can't let that happen.

*:*:*

Stuck in this cage, I was picking at the bars to try and loosen them for an escape, so that I could free Toothless and the rest of the dragons. I quickly stopped my attempts upon hearing voices approaching, quickly recognizing them as Mildew and Alvin.

"Alvin, I gave you what you wanted. We had a deal!" Mildew protests.

"I didn't like that deal. So I changed it!" Alvin retorts.

Looking out of the cage, I noticed Alvin marching down the cell area, with Mildew being dragged along by Calder. He shoves Mildew into an open cage, glaring down at him.

"Well doesn't this look appropriate for someone like you, huh?" Calder says sarcastically, shoving him to the ground.

"You can't do this to me! I'm your father!" Mildew yells at him.

"You don't have the right to call yourself my father after all the scorn you showed me for my gifts!" Calder seethes hatefully. "Because of you, me and my mother were cast to sea, left to rot! And now she's dead, because of your selfishness!"

I watch the scene with wide eyes, taking this all in.

"Well, your days are now numbered, _father,_ " he spits, saying the word with absolute venom. "Just like hers were!"

Alvin chuckles and then stalks towards Mildew intimidatingly. He then grabs his sheep Fungus and starts to walk away with Calder, who slams the cage closed.

"No! What are you doing with me Fungus?!" Mildew asks in alarm.

"Preparing your final meal! It's lamb!" Alvin responds with a chuckle.

Mildew gasps in horror. "Fungus! No!"

"Berkians. Still as dumb as the day I left!" Alvin remarks to Calder, who laughs in dark amusement.

"What have I done?" Mildew moans, almost sobbing.

Despite all of the things Mildew is done, and how much I dislike him, I can't help but feel sorry seeing him like this. Of course, the issue with his son is absolutely inexcusable, but if he could makes things up with him, perhaps his life might be better.

* * *

 _ **Isle of Night; Ahch-To**_

 **Mara POV...**

 _"Whatever happened to Hiccup and Mildew is connected, the timing is too close for it to be otherwise."_

 _"If you're going to the Isle of Night, then travel quickly. It's very likely that Hiccup and Toothless are in real danger."_

 _"Not just from possible Night Furies. I have a bad feeling that there actually aren't more Night Furies."_

Mom and Dad's words to our group echoed in my mind, which they told us just before we departed from Berk to search for Hiccup. They were very hesitant on letting me go with the search party, because we were still on standby for the message of when the rebels found a suitable planet for a base. Thankfully though, I managed to convince them to let me travel with the gang to search for Hiccup, and promised that I would be back no matter what if the call came through. So, after the speech my parents gave to everyone about 'making haste,' we took off for the Isle of Night.

Following the directions of the map Fishlegs carried, we flew as swiftly as possible, not arriving until it was night time. I was riding with Astrid on Stormfly, while Zenna flew alongside us. Along with the rest of the gang, Stoick and Gobber also flew aboard Thornado to help in the search for Hiccup.

"The Isle of Night! Finally, the chance to see Night Furies in their natural habitat!" Fishlegs squeals in excitement. "I'm bursting at the seams!"

"Don't wet yourself. I'm right behind you!" Snotlout exclaims in annoyance.

"Gobber and I will check the North side. You kids head south," Stoick orders. "If we find anything, you'll hear it from Thornado."

"All right, this place is gonna be crawling with Night Furies, so let's fly low till we get a sense of where Hiccup might be and how many Night Furies there are," Astrid tells the rest of us.

"Remember what my parents said though, that there might not actually be any Night Furies," I remind the gang.

"That doesn't make any sense though. Why would there not be any Night Furies?" Fishlegs asks in confusion.

"Yeah, that part had me confused too Mara," Astrid admits. "Why would they say that?"

I shrug my shoulders, an uneasy expression on my face. "I'm not entirely sure, but its something we could all sense. And I'm worried about what may have actually happened to Hiccup."

"Well, doesn't that sound nice," Ruffnut says sarcastically.

"Nicer than you!" Tuffnut teases, causing her to growl at him.

"Guys focus!" Astrid exclaims in annoyance, turning to look at me. "Well, they could be wrong, we don't know yet. Nevertheless, make sure to keep low and keep an eye out for Hiccup, Toothless, or Night Furies!"

Everyone readily complied, and we all set out in different directions, flying around the island for any sign of our quarry. Most of the terrain consisted of rocky ground and too many dead trees in my opinion, and as far as I'm concerned I'm not sensing any life anywhere.

"I have a bad feeling about this," I say quietly to myself, frowning at the landscape.

"Hey, a Night Fury!" Astrid says excitedly, pointing out the shape of one in the distance. "Let's check it out!"

Me and Astrid come in for a landing astride Stormfly, closely followed by Zenna, and Fishlegs and Meatlug. Upon landing however, I instantly noticed something very wrong about it, especially considering there were no life signs through the Force coming from this Night Fury look-alike. It seems like Astrid noticed something as well.

"Uh... guys, this isn't a..." she starts to say.

"NIGHT FURY!" Tuffnut screams.

The Night Fury replica suddenly explodes in a fiery burst of gassy fire, courtesy of the twins. We cover our faces in reaction, and Zenna gives a startled yelp, fluttering her wings. Looking up, we could see the replica blown to bits as the twins landed on the ground.

"But it's very realistic," Fishlegs manages to comment.

"Yeah. Good thing we came along when we did," Tuffnut says proudly. However I was pretty upset, and so was Astrid for that matter.

"Are you two kriff-heads insane?!" I exclaim angrily in disbelief.

"What were you thinking? If that was Toothless, you could have killed him!" Astrid adds furiously.

"Yeah, well, if my chicken had horns, he'd be my yak," he replies dismissively.

"And if I were weak and girly, I'd be my brother," Ruffnut adds.

"Yeah!" Tuffnut cheers, before frowning at her. "Wait. What?"

I dismount Stormfly and walk over to the remains of the Night Fury replica to analyze them, when the load roar of Thornado gets out attention. Stoick and Gobber both swoop in, and immediately dismount from the dragon.

"We saw the Zippleback fire from the sky. Did you find something?" Stoick asks urgently.

"We did. A fake Night Fury," Astrid informs him.

"Where is it?" he demands.

"Uh... gone? Blown to pieces, actually."

Everybody immediately looks over at the twins, harsh glares on Stoick and Gobber's faces. They were still mounted on Barf and Belch, and Tuffnut was rubbing one of Belch's horns, while Ruffnut picked at her nails. Both completely ignored the glares, completely uncaring of the situation.

"Eh. Well, what do we have here?" Gobber says in recognition.

He takes the piece of the ruined Night Fury from Fishlegs and gives it an investigative sniff, nodding his head in recognition, before holding it out to Fishlegs.

"Smell this," he tells him. Fishlegs does so, before immediately gagging in pure, absolute disgust. "Nasty, isn't it?"

"Oh, I wanna smell. Put it near my face!" Tuffnut asks eagerly.

Everybody ignores him, thankfully. "This false head was made of dragon skin then covered with ash from a charred Loki tree," Gobber explains.

"Loki tree? Never heard of it," Snotlout says in dismissal.

"That's because it only grows in one place," Stoick says grimly.

"Outcast island," Gobber confirms.

"Oh, no. Hiccup is on Outcast island!" Fishlegs says in horror.

I look at the remains of the fake Night Fury, tapping into the Force for a moment, and then walk over to Gobber with an expectant hand.

"Can I borrow that really quick?" I ask him.

"Ok," he shrugs, although a little confused. "What for?"

I take the piece of debris and hold it in front of me, laying my other hand on top of it. "My mom's been teaching me a little trick called retrocognition. Should help us to figure out what happened."

"Retro- what now?" Snotlout asks in bewilderment.

"Retrocognition," I correct him with an eye roll. "Basically, it's a skill where Force users can use an object to perceive the memories of people who have come into contact with said object."

Those who understood what I said, which is everyone but Snotlout and the twins, widened their eyes in surprise.

"Woah, I never knew you could do that!" Astrid says in awe.

"Well, technically, I've never tried it before," I admit sheepishly. "A Jedi named Quinlan Vos was renowned for it, making him the Order's best tracker. Dad actually worked with him once to chase down an intergalactic criminal."

"So it's possible you can see what happened here?" Stoick asks me.

"I'll try my best, but my mom is only semi-familiar with the skill. Not many people could perfect it," I tell them.

"Well, give it a go then," Gobber tells me.

Nodding my head, I look at the piece of rubble in my hands and take a calming breathe, focusing on the Force. Stretching out my senses towards the broken piece, I try to sense for the people its come into contact with the past, and after a few moments, get a brief flash of images, which I just manage to make out. In them I could see Hiccup and Toothless, surrounded by Outcasts with a fake Night Fury rolled in front of them. I could also see Alvin and Calder in that image. Pulling out of the visions, I reopen my eyes and drop the piece of debris on the ground, partially excited at doing that successfully for the first time, and also worried for Hiccup's wellbeing.

"Well? What did you see?" Stoick asks.

"Just a brief flash, but it was enough," I reply worriedly. "Alvin and Calder both used the fake Night Fury to lure them in. They've been capture all right."

"That's not good," Gobber says in concern.

"Yeah, we already knew that, so what was the point of your weird Force thingy?" Tuffnut demands.

"To confirm what really happened Tuffnut!" Astrid exclaims in annoyance.

I roll my eyes at them. "Whatever. There is something else though."

"What is it?" Stoick asks.

"Mildew was here as well. I can only assume that he's the one who wrote those Bork notes about Night Furies, which is now proven fake," I tell them grimly.

Everyone widens their eyes before narrowing them angrily, furious about what Mildew did.

"That no good sack of old bones!" Gobber exclaims angrily.

* * *

 _ **Isle of Berk; Ahch-To**_

 **Jarik POV...**

"I hope Mara's mission goes without any serious trouble," Ahsoka says with a sigh.

"I'm sure they'll be just fine. Mara's tough," I say to reassure her.

"I don't doubt they'll succeed, but I can't help but... worry for her. Despite being adopted she might as well be our daughter," she replies, looking up at the night sky. I come up beside her and swing my right arm around her shoulders, looking up at the sky with her. "This life is... hard."

"It always will be unfortunately," I reply sadly. "Especially with what'll come next."

"Malachor," she says in grim understanding.

"I just hope that Master Yoda's making the right decision in having us go there," I add with uncertainty.

"Sometimes we can never know what choice is right or wrong, only what we must do," she says. "Have you received any visions about Malachor lately?"

I shook my head. "No, it's been quiet ever since Lothal. All I'm certain of is what we already know."

She hums in understanding, and we focus our gaze on the starry fields of the night, taking this moment to marvel at the beauty of the stars and galaxies. Without any light pollution caused from artificial city lights, the skies are crystal clear at night, making everything visible. Adding to the sights are the natural surroundings of Berk, full of wildlife and greenery, unlike many places in the galaxy. Ahsoka then turns to me, with a nervous, and uncertain look on her face.

"Whatever happens on Malachor, we'll always be there for each other right?" she asks softly.

I stroke the back of her head tenderly, running my hand down her lekku.

"Always," I promised her.

We embraced each other in a tight hug, letting our love for each other flow across the bond we share. Along with the hug we then also allowed ourselves a passionate kiss to share our love and happiness each other, her arms draped around my neck while I cupped her cheek and held a hand around her head. In this moment we allow ourselves to free our thoughts of everything except each other, to rid ourselves of our worries that plague us every day during this Force-forsaken war against the Sith.

*:*:*

In our bed we were wearing our nightclothes, me wearing a simple dark shirt and pants while she had on burgundy colored leggings and a tank top. We laid softly and quietly in the bed, snuggling close with each other for comfort and happiness. She was cuddling against my side in content and burying her face in my chest while I had my arms around her to hold her close. I softly caressed her thigh, while would intertwine her legs with mine in absentminded playfulness.

 _"Who's 'little' now?"_ I ask softly across the bond, referring to her nickname for me.

 _"Oh stop it,"_ she grumbles in reply, although with fondness. _"Size matters not, remember?"_

 _"Maser Yoda's not here to correct us right now Sweetie Horns."_

 _"That's why you have me to do that for him Little Jari."_

I rolled my eyes a little big and pulled her a little closer, and she let out a sigh, pressing her face into the crook of my neck.

 _"I'll always love you Ahsoka."_

 _"And so will I to you Jarik."_

We fall asleep together this one last night, embracing each other to be assured of our love and happiness. I held her in my arms, a hand resting on her hip while she lay snuggled comfortably against my side, head resting underneath my chin so her montrals could point up perfectly on either side, her lekku splayed out in front of her.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

"What's the plan?!" Astrid yells to Stoick, the wind blowing hard against us.

"Alvin knows we'll be coming in from the sky. We have to find another way onto Outcast island," Stoick tells us.

"I'll handle Calder if we ever run into him," I add, and he nods back at me in understanding.

Gobber then looks down at the ocean, spotting something and pointing it out. "Stoick!"

"Is that-?" Stoick asks, following his gaze.

"I think it is," Gobber says in confirmation.

We all follow their gaze to see what got their attention, and as we started following Stoick by flying in its direction, I also managed to recognize it, widening my eyes.

"Are you serious?" I ask, half laughing.

*:*:*

Hiding within the hull of Trader Johann's ship is probably one of the strangest, yet coolest things I've done with the Vikings yet on Ahch-To, honestly. Trader Johann is quite the interesting character, full of a generally jolly attitude with the most bizarre stories one could come up with. Although there is something about him that nags in the back of my mind, I don't pay it any mind, considering he is, like I said, quite the character.

"Trader Johann!"

"Trader Johann!"

"Ah, Outcast! My favorite of all the islands I travel to!" Johann exclaim gleefully, as I hear the ramp being lowered.

"I bet he says that to all of the islands he travels to," I mutter quietly, causing a few of the teens to snicker in amusement.

"He definitely does," Gobber replies quickly, a smirk on his face.

"That's right. Look around. I have weapons of every imaginable description. And a little something special for my friend Alvin!"

Seeing as that's our cue, we all rush up ready for battle the moment Johann yanks open the hatch to let us out. Stoick immediately starts to wreak havoc, throwing Outcasts to the side with one punch each. I follow after him, jumping through the air with a twirl and kicking another Outcast in the face, knocking him out cold. I leap for another before he could react, sweeping his feet out from under him before using the Force to blast him off the ship. Astrid makes short work of her opponent, smacking him with an oar before kicking his feet and sending him rolling away in pain.

Snotlout and the twins manage to knock out several Outcasts quite confidently, and even Fishlegs was joining in on the action, smashing a wooden chest over another Outcast with a scream, before tossing him over the side. Astrid, Ruffnut and I look at him with some surprise as he talks happily in exhilaration.

"That felt really good! Is that wrong?" he asks timidly, to which I just smile at him.

With everyone taken care of, Stoick was left with one more Outcast to interrogate, holding him in the air with just one arm.

"Now, where's my boy and his dragon?!" he demands fiercely, glaring at him.

* * *

 _ **Outcast Island; Ahch-To**_

 **Hiccup POV...**

I spotted the arena from the height of the Nadder's back, and pointed it out. "That's where they have Toothless!"

I direct the Nadder to zoom in that direction, causing Mildew to grunt in a small amount of fear. Flying through the tunnels, we quickly come back to the dragon cages that Alvin and Calder showed me around earlier. Dismounting upon landing, I rush over to the cage that contains Toothless, only to widen my eyes in dismay upon seeing he wasn't there.

"Toothless is gone," I say in worry.

"Ah! Alvin must have moved him," Mildew comments beside me.

Without warning, all of the dragon cages suddenly opened up, releasing the Scauldron, the Changewing, and the Whispering Death, who all snarled at us, We back up in alarm, returning to our Nadder who growls fiercely at the dragons in return, in a defensive battle stance. Up on a ledge above us, I then see Alvin and Calder appear, grinning maliciously down at us.

"Let's see what you can do with some real wild dragons, Hiccup. _Especially_ this one!" Alvin exclaims gleefully, pulling a lever.

The heavily reinforced cage suddenly opens up, and I widen my eyes in horror and dread upon seeing the dragon that slinked out of it.

"A word of caution, this particular dragon has a huge grudge for you Haddock," Calder calls down, chuckling. "I won't be bothered if it kills you either Mildew!"

Beside me, Mildew gulps in fear as we both eye the Hssiss dragon slinking out of its cage, only to rise to its full height, and immediately lock eyes with me, its pupils narrowed into thin, hateful slits. It lets out a furious, challenging shriek, that makes even the other three wild dragons cringe away from it. Alvin and Calder smirk down at me, and I only glare back at them before analyzing the scene.

"Mildew, whatever happens in the next minute, do exactly what I tell you," I tell him firmly.

"Why?" he manages to demand angrily.

I don't have time to snap at him in aggravation, because the Hssiss dragon suddenly lets out its horrible shriek, attacking our minds with its dark Force energy. The Nadder, Mildew and I all cry out in pain and clutch at our heads, while the Nadder whimpers in pain. Gritting my teeth, I manage to recall the lessons about blocking mental attacks through the Force, and use that knowledge as best as I could to protect myself. Thankfully, I could feel the effect lessen almost instantly once my shields were up, giving me some relief. The Hssiss Alpha soon stopped its shriek after that.

"Oh, thank Thor I learned from Jedi," I say with a relieved sigh.

Apparently the Alpha wasn't differentiating in its targets, because the three other wild dragons had also been affected. Shaking Mildew, I pull him and our Nadder back to the present, and they stop whimpering or growling in pain.

"What was that?!" Mildew demands.

"Hssiss dragon. It can use the Force, but in a dark and evil way," I tell him simply, dragging him along to climb back onto the Nadder.

"Ok, I'm all ears," he whimpers in reply.

The Alpha lets out a primal roar and opens its mouth, shooting a blast of red lightning at us. Thankfully, the Nadder reacts in time and dodges to the side, letting the electricity pass harmlessly on the other side. Our Nadder then jumps again when a glob of acid is shot at us from the Changewing, and roars back in challenge. The Alpha roars to the other dragons, immediately taking forceful charge of the group, and begins stalking towards us dangerously.

Up from where they were safe watching, Alvin chuckles in amusement, a savage grin on his face while Calder easily watched. The Whispering Death then lets out a harsh screech, before plunging into the rock and out of sight.

"At least that one's gone!" Mildew exclaims hopefully.

"Well, uh, not for long, actually," I reply warily, as the Whispering Death starts tunneling for us. "Changewings shoot acid. Scauldrons fire boiling water. Hssiss dragons use the dark side of the Force, and Whispering Deaths hunt from underground!"

Mildew screams nervously as the Nadder takes off running, the rest of the dragons giving chase. The Alpha shoots another burst of red lightning at us, narrowly skimming over our heads, while the other dragons try to flank us. Then, just as the Whispering Death was about to resurface right beneath us, I direct the Nadder to take flight into the air. Doing so causes the Whispering Death to snap out of the ground and try to bite us, narrowly missing. Doing so however, causes the rest of the dragons to all crash into each other in a tangled heap.

As we fly through the exit tunnel provided to us by the Whispering Death, I can just make out Alvin and Calder's yells of outrage, followed by the Hssiss Alpha roaring in fury. We quickly came out of the ground and into daylight, soaring high above the island before coming in for a landing away from the Outcasts.

"You know your dragons. I'll give you that," Mildew says, breathing heavily.

"Hiccup!" I hear someone yell.

Looking over, I widen my eyes in surprise and relief upon seeing my dad come in for a landing, along with Mara, Gobber and the rest of the gang. Zenna lets out a happy screech, squawking excitedly upon seeing me, and I dismount, approaching them.

"Oh, thank Thor you're all right," dad says in relief.

"I am, but Toothless is in trouble," I tell them urgently.

"And Mildew is on the back of your dragon," Tuffnut whispers.

"I know," I reply in exasperation.

"Weird," he says.

"Definitely weird," Mara comments in agreement, smiling at me and scratching Zenna's chin.

Out of nowhere, Gobber suddenly yanks Mildew off of the Nadder, and he yells in fright as Gobber wrestles him harshly to the ground with one arm, holding his stone hammer threateningly over his head.

"I should run you through right now!" he yells angrily.

"No, no, no, Gobber! Gobber, no!" I exclaim, stopping him. "He helped me escape."

Gobber gives Mildew a surprised, confused, and wary look, and I turn back towards the others, my dad in particular.

"Dad, I owe Mildew my life," I tell him.

Everybody, even Mara, stares at me with wide eyes in bewilderment.

"Getting weirder," Tuffnut adds incredulously.

"I'll explain later. Right now, I have to get to Toothless," I say urgently.

"Uhh... I think we may have a bigger problem," Mara suddenly says, sounding shocked and horrified.

*:*:*

 **Mara POV...**

"Uhh, I think we may have a bigger problem," I interrupt in shock, pointing out the approaching danger with wide eyes.

Everyone follows my gaze, to where we could all see, and unless my eyes are deceiving me, the HSSISS ALPHA from the Red Death's nest! It was scurrying across the rocky terrain at really fast speeds right for us, shrieking in murderous bloodlust.

"Odin's beard!" Stoick shouts in surprise. "Is that a Hssiss dragon?!"

"Actually, it's _the_ , Hississ dragon," Hiccup says nervously. "That's the Alpha from Dragon Island."

"What?!" Fishlehs yelps in fear. "How did it get here?!"

"Calder and a lot of Outcasts helped to capture it," Hiccup says uneasily.

Behind us, the dragons all chittered and shuffled around nervously, most of them recognizing the Alpha from the battle against the Red Death. I narrowed my eyes at it and glanced at the rest of the assembled group, coming to a decision. Zenna also gives her own nervous squawks of recognition, although how I'm not entirely sure.

"Alright then. While the rest of you look for Toothless, I'll deal with the Alpha," I tell them.

"What? No! I'm not letting you take on that thing by yourself!" Hiccup immediately protests. "Besides, it's after me!"

"It may hate you, but as soon as it sees me, it'll be sent into a bloodlust. I actually fought them with my parents, remember?" I remind them.

"But-" Hiccup continues.

"Very well. Good luck with that dragon Mara," Stoick interrupts, sending me a trusting gaze.

"Thanks," I reply gratefully, before running away from the group and in the Alpha's direction.

I sense Zenna quickly follow after me, feeling a instinctive need to protect me. I'm almost considering sending her back, but eventually just let her come with, finding myself touched actually. The more the merrier anyways right? I activate my purple lightsaber and move towards the side to get its attention so that the rest of the gang can continue searching for Toothless without much trouble.

"Hey! Over here!" I yell towards the dragon, and Zenna roars herself in challenge.

The Alpha slows down and turns its head to look at us. Almost instantly, its beady, evil eyes zoom in on me in furious recognition, and it shrieks in a murderous fury, dashing straight for us.

"You ready girl?" I ask Zenna, who squawks in confirmation.

Facing the Hssiss dragon, I slowly twirl my lightsaber in preparation as it fast approaches like the demon it is. With a terrible howl, it leaps through the air towards us, claws outstretched and teeth gleaming. I quickly react and jump into the air, flipping over it while Zenna dodges to the side as it smacks into where we just were moments ago. The Alpha whips around to snarl, and shoots a burst of red lightning in my direction. I roll to the side and pop back up, raising an arm to blast it with the Force, and Zenna helps by shooting a burst of purple flame. Our combined attacks send the Alpha slamming into the rocks with a pained growl.

It quickly gets to its feet and roars in rage, dashing for us again and swiping at me with its claws. I quickly backpedal in alarm to avoid it, and lash out with my lightsaber, but its claws actually deflect my blade, and it slaps it away.

"Oh kriff," I mutter nervously.

The Alpha shrieks and lunges forwards at me, but Zenna body slams it away, sending it rolling across the ground with a protective growl, wings flaring outwards. She roars at the Alpha angrily, and it snarls with outraged fury, scurrying back towards us. The two dragons rush at each other and meet in a ferocious fight, clawing and scratching at each other with angry roars. I quickly call my lightsaber back to me, and whip around to face the fight, only to see the Alpha roll on top of Zenna, who yelps in pain, a heavy claw scratch on her jaw.

"Zenna!" I call out fearfully.

Activating my lightsaber, I leap forwards with an angry yell and slash at the Alpha with my lightsaber, causing it to scurry back off of Zenna with a pained shriek, a long scratch having been cut through its face. With it distracted for a moment, I turn my attention to Zenna, Taking her head in my hands.

"Are you okay girl?" I ask her in concern, petting her head as she slowly gets up.

Zenna chirps happily at me before squawking in alarm again. I only have time to look up before the Alpha shoots a powerful blast of lightning at us, hitting the ground and causing an explosion the sends us tumbling towards the edge of a nearby cliff, just barely reaching the edge. The Alpha wastes no time in dashing for us with a loud shriek, slashing with its claws and throwing Zenna off the side. I cry out in fear for her, but luckily I see her manage to regain flight about halfway down.

However the Alpha turns its attention back to me, and leaps through the air in my direction, claws outstretched to kill. Time seems to move slowly in those few milliseconds, and in an act of pure instinctive terror, I bring up my lightsaber and jab it straight through the center of its skull, killing it before it could even roar in pain. To my alarm though, one of its claws snagged onto my shirt, and since its momentum had it jumping off the cliff, I was harshly pulled off as well, and began falling through the air with it.

I let out a fearful cry, calling the Force in my direction to hopefully lessen the impact so that I would survive, and below me the Hssiss Alpha's corpse hits the ground with a cracking splat. Just when I felt I was about to reach ground level as well, Zenna suddenly soared out of nowhere and caught me on her back, flapping her wings to get higher into the air.

"Zenna!" I gasp in shock and relief, eyes wide in happiness. "Oh my gosh you are amazing!"

I quickly hug her neck in gratitude, and she squawks over her back at me happily, flying over the island, to where I could see the rest of the gang in the air. Zenna was finally big enough for me to ride her!

"Mara!" Astrid yells, and I look up to see her staring at me in surprise. "You're riding Zenna?!"

"Just figured it out!" I tell her happily.

"Awesome! Nice job!" Hiccup adds with a smile, and I'm glad to see that he's reunited with Toothless again.

Stormfly squawks at Zenna with what I sense to be pride, and Zenna chirps back, almost shyly. I rub her neck with a grin, which I sense makes her excited and happy as well.

"What about the Hssiss dragon?" Stoick asks me.

"We don't have to worry about them anymore," I tell them with a smile.

* * *

 _ **Isle of Berk; Ahch-To**_

 **Later that Evening - Jarik POV...**

Ahsoka, Mara and I all stood at the entry ramp to the Knight Hawk, with Stoick, Gobber, Gothi, and the Dragon Academy gang standing before us, along with their dragons. The call had just come in from Phoenix Squadron that they had found a suitable planet named Atollon for the rebel base. Which meant it was time for us to depart to pick up Kanan and Ezra, and after that...

Malachor.

"So, this is it then?" Stoick asks us.

"For the moment," Ahsoka replies. "Now that the rebels have found a base, we have to go to Malachor to find a way to defeat the Sith."

"Very well. I bid you all good luck on your mission then," he tells us sternly with a nod, although we can all sense and see the concern in his eyes.

"When will you be back?" Hiccup asks us, and then hesitantly afterwards: "Will, all of you make it back?"

Mara looks nervously at him and then us, and I let out a regretful sigh. "In war, nothing is ever certain I'm afraid, especially against the Sith," I tell them, before becoming firm with my words. "But don't think for a second we won't try our hardest."

"Oh I hope so," Astrid adds. "Kick some Inquisitor butt for me will ya Mara?"

"No problem Astrid," she replies, managing a small smile.

Zenna walks forwards with a concern squawk, nudging her head against Mara, who pats her soothingly in return, whispering promises that she'll come back for her. Sensing something, I glance up to see Morai's convor circling around us overhead, letting off a few keening wails, and I just know that Ahsoka and even Toothless had taken notice of it as well. After Mara reassures Zenna that she'll be okay, we all bid our farewells and enter the Knight Hawk, giving the gang one last look before it closed.

*:*:*

 **3rd person POV...**

As the Knight Hawk's engines started up, slowly lifting the ship into the sky, the Vikings and dragons all watched them go, the latter giving off several roars after them. While this was going on, nobody bothers to notice the green and white convor perched on a nearby tree and watching the ship take off into the sky.

* * *

 _Ohhhh man... only one more chapter to go before Twilight of the Apprentice! This is absolutely insane, and I almost can't believe that we're at this point already! I'm so excited, and nervous!_

 _(Imagine a foreboding Imperial march theme playing in the last scene of this chapter, like in the Mystery of Chopper Base)_


	94. Ch 93 - The Mystery of Chopper Base

**_Author's Note:_** _Hey there wonderful readers! Just recently as I was thinking more about the Shaniverse and the future stories all be writing (as I'm always thinking of ideas every day), I manage to stupidly pull myself into a dilemma, which has me both unsure and a little annoyed. :P Silly me._

 _So I'll just decide to ask you guys how you'd want it! Thinking about this current story, it is currently the longest with just over 400K words, and there is still a lot more planned for the 'Legacy of Jarik Shan' series. I've been a little cautious about making the story too long, and whether or not it currently is, and since Twilight of the Apprentice is fast approaching, I've been debating with myself whether I should end Volume Four with that, or just keep going until I fully complete it?_

 _I still have much to get through on this story, as the most major things I still have to do are seasons 3-4 of Rebels, Rogue One, and HTTYD 2, which takes place in the year 1 ABY of the Shaniverse chronology. And that's only the huge/main plot points, as the Legacy of Jarik Shan series is planned to end after Return of the Jedi, so there's still a lot to go through (the original trilogy itself is not included, that's in the Galactic Civil War side story, as this one focuses on Jarik, not Luke)._

 _So my question for you is, should I continue with 'A Jedi in Exile' and have it stretch all the way to the ending? Or should I stop it at Twilight of the Apprentice and have a Fifth Volume? If the choice turns out to be the latter, then that fifth and final story would be named 'Rebirth.'_ _If you have a preference, you can PM me your answer or leave it in a review, and please do so as soon as possible, so I can do so! Thank you all so much for your continued supported of this story and the Shaniverse, and I'm so happy to have been able to get this far and please all of you with my stories!_

 _Now onto the chapter already! :D_

* * *

 ** _The Ghost; Atollon_**

 **3rd person POV...**

Hera climbed down the ladder and into the cargo hold to stand by Sabine. Together they watched Kanan and Ezra practice their lightsaber combat, with their lightsabers in training mode.

"Keep your blade up! It's easier to drop it than it is to raise it!" Kanan instructs.

He pushes Ezra back with his lightsaber, and when he tries to retaliate with his own lunge he shoves an arm out and uses the Force to throw him against the wall. He then rushes forward and slashes at Ezra's head, and he barely dodges before rolling to the side and popping up, shooting his blaster mode. Kanan deflects the stun blasts with an expression of exasperation.

"You know that's my move," he remarks.

"I steal from the best," Ezra shoots back, reactivating his lightsaber.

Hera smiles in interest as the two stare each other down, tensed up. Ezra then lunges forwards and slides along the ground, lashing out at Kanan. He jumps over the strike and deflects it, and Ezra quickly runs up the wall, jumping in a backflip when Kanan whips around to slice at him. Landing behind him, he holds his lightsaber up to Kanan's neck with a triumphant grin.

"Gotcha!" he exclaims.

"And I got you," Kanan replies.

Ezra frowns before noticing Kanan's lightsaber pointed directly for his torso behind his back, a killing blow if Kanan wished to impale him in the lightsaber's lethal setting. He turns off his lightsaber with a frustrated groan.

"Ugh! Tied again?!" he complains.

"There's no such thing as a tie," Kanan disagrees. "You lose, or you die."

"Yeah, and you win by killing an Inquisitor!" Ezra argues in reply.

"No, you win by surviving," he says firmly.

"You two are getting pretty good!" Sabine comments.

"Getting good? Are you saying we weren't good before?" he demands.

"I think she just meant you're even better now," Hera corrects.

"Alright, but it's not Jarik good," Ezra pouts.

"Jarik was considered a dueling prodigy in the Temple Ezra. Don't expect yourself to reach his level," Kanan says.

Sabine rolls her eyes with an irritated scoff, causing Hera to glance at her with a small frown of concern. She still hadn't told the rest of the crew why Mandalorian's had such a hate of Jarik and his lineage, and Hera wasn't sure when she would.

"Alright well, I guess I can take the 'even better,'" Ezra replies with a grin.

Kanan suddenly whips out his lightsaber and swings down at Ezra, causing him to turn around with a surprised yell and just barely block it.

"Never turn your back on an enemy!" Kanan exclaims.

Ezra shoves him back, and they lower their lightsabers again. "Okay, but since when are you my enemy?"

Kanan sighs, but gestures to him. "Let's go again."

The two continue their training session, and as Hera watches them go at it a small frown forms on her face, which grows into a worried look, and Sabine glances at her in concern. She was really worried for them about this upcoming mission to Malachor, and worried about Kanan especially. The fear of him possibly not coming back would not leave her alone.

* * *

 **Boil POV...**

Me and Rex survey the operation going on as the Ghost came in for a landing with the newest shipment, making sure everything was going smoothly.

"Feels just like the good old days eh Rex?" I ask him with a knowing grin.

"Surveying a military base, making sure operations are going smoothly, possibility of invasion... yeah I'd say so," he replies in agreement.

"Would be nice to have the Commanders out here too, that would do it for us," I remark.

"Yeah well, we can't have everything. Kanan and the kid aren't exactly quality material but eh, they'll do," he says, smirking.

We both laugh fondly with each other at the topic of discussion, thinking back on the memories of the times spent with our brothers and Jedi Generals against armies of clankers. The Clone War wasn't pretty, but the memories and friendships we had back then can never be replaced. We approach the spectres, who had gathered together in a small circle.

"Alright, so the site doesn't look like much, I'll admit. But the good news is our scouts have found a fresh water source deep underground," Rex informs them.

"Along with that is something even better," I add with a grin. "Jarik and Ahsoka have gotten into contact with Senator Organa, and the three have agreed to bring the Munificent frigate they repurposed back here for use, now that we have a base."

The spectres all widen their eyes in surprise at the knowledge, sharing looks with each other.

"An entire Separatist warship?" Ezra asks with wide eyes.

"Yup," Rex confirms. "They'll be arriving with it once they get here."

"That'll be a very useful addition to the fleet," Hera remarks.

"Also, we're placing sensor marks around the perimeter. We'll know if anyone drops in unannounced," Sabine reports.

A few Dokma's then scuttled along the crates, and Zeb growled at them in irritation. "Hey, get away from that! How I hate those little bogens!" he complains.

"This planet may be hot, dry and unpleasant," Rex says, smiling. "But at least there's nothing here trying to kill us."

"Unless this place also has a few joopas digging around," I retort dryly.

"Oh, don't even get me started with those things," Zeb grumbles.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

Kanan and Hera were both observing as ships came in to land and drop off supplies, or leave to go pick up more things.

"I can't believe it's all finally coming together. Ships, pilots, a base..." Hera trails off.

"Everything you need," Kanan says.

"Except you and Ezra," she replies uneasily, causing him to look at her with the same uneasiness. "So, when do you leave?"

"As soon as Jarik, Ahsoka and Mara get back," he replies with a heavy sigh. "We can't run from the Inquisitor's forever."

"I figured it was something like that, with all that training," she says dejectedly, walking away.

"Hera, what you've accomplished here is important. I understand that now, the need for us to be a part of a larger rebellion!" Kanan says, following after her. "I'm behind you, but none of it will matter if we don't do what we need to do."

"All sensors on the Eastern face are in place," a pilot tells Sabine.

"Good. Have all the pilots checked in?" Sabine asks.

"Lieutenant Dicer hasn't come back yet," he reports.

Boil, Rex, Kanan and Hera all turn around and share concerned looks, and Rex opens up the comm channel. "Phoenix-6, report. Dicer, do you copy?"

After a few moments of static, he shakes his head at Sabine, who turns to Hera in worry.

"She was on the North face. We'd better go check on her," she suggests.

"Take the Phantom," Hera says grimly.

* * *

 **Boil POV...**

Rex, Sabine and I took the Phantom to investigate what could have happened to Lieutenant Dicer, and upon our arrival, things already seem a little suspicious. The sensor was in place alright, and Dicer's A-Wing was parked on the ground as if she were still here, except that she wasn't. There wasn't any sign of her.

"Spectre-5 to Phoenix-6, where are you?" Sabine asks into her comlink. "Dicer, come in!"

Me and Rex walk over to her ship, and notice her helmet lying on the ground. Rex crouches down to pick up the helmet, and a small dokma hiding under it squeaks in fright, scuttling away quickly.

"This, is not good," I state grimly.

"Looks like whatever happened, happened right after she placed that sensor," Rex observes, showing the helmet to Sabine.

"Someone else is here," she says suspiciously.

An egg-like bony mound behind her sudden starts to shake violently and rise up from the ground, several spidery legs popping out.

"Or something else," I correct her uneasily. "Behind you!"

She whips around and the three of us quickly back up, pulling out our blasters as it reveals its bug-eyed face, screeching.

"Do you think it's aggressive?" Rex asks.

"I'm not waiting to find out!" Sabine replies.

"Oh gee, I wonder what could have possibly caused Dicer's disappearance?!" I snap sarcastically, opening fire with my blaster.

Rex and Sabine both add their blaster bolts as well with their pistols, all of us hitting the spider a ton. However whatever these things were, they had a very tough exterior, as it just shrieked wildly in rage before scuttling for us, our lasers only knocking it back slightly.

"More incoming!" Sabine exclaims in alarm.

We make a circle for ourselves as several more spiders scuttle towards us, our shots seemingly having no effect on them.

"Well isn't this terrific!" I exclaim angrily.

"Get to the ship," Rex orders Sabine.

She quickly heeds the order and runs for the Phantom, however another spider jumps on top of it and leaps at her, forcing her away. Me and Rex both shoot at the spiders, but they increasingly advance without any mind, despite the two of us working like a strong team.

"This is Spectre-5. We're under attack! We need backup-" Sabine yells into her comlink, before one of the spiders slams into her.

"Hey!" I yell out, whipping around to shoot that spider, but the leg of another one lashes out and throws me to the ground.

I groan in pain, struggling to get up as the shrieks of these spiders continues to sound in my ears. I then look up, only to widen my eyes in horror as one of the spiders grabs Rex and starts forcefully taking him away.

"Get off me, you lousy crawler!" he yells furiously, struggling to beat it with his fists.

"Rex!" I yell out in worry and fear, which quickly turns to anger as I rush forwards. "Get off of him!"

"Rex! Boil!" Sabine shouts worriedly.

I aim my blaster and fire at the spider running away with Rex, hitting it's body, but it keeps going undeterred. A few more spiders then scurry forwards and cut me off, forcing me backwards over towards Sabine, who was having similar issues. I kept firing with an angry growl, this time aiming for one of their ugly, disgusting eyes and shooting. I hit a bullseye, causing it to let out a pained scream before dying.

Taking notice, Sabine does the same, and we begin to aim for the eyes more, steadily killing a few spiders. Despite our successes though, they just kept on coming, and backed us all the way up to the sensor at the edge of the cliff. Just when they were about to strike, they suddenly let out frightened screeches, throwing their legs in the air as if to keep something away.

"What are you waiting for? Come on!" Sabine exclaims.

"I'll take you all on bugs! Give it all you got!" I yell, furious at them for taking Rex.

Behind us however, the Ghost then rises above the cliff, allowing Kanan and Zeb to shoot the spiders as well. I eagerly join in on the fray, chasing after them and firing continuous bolts as we force them away. They retreat back into the side of a mound that was peppered with large holes, which I can only assume is where they took Rex.

"Agh, I hate multi-leggers!" Zeb shouts in disgust as he and the rest of the crew exit the ship.

"Where's Rex?" Ezra asks in concern.

"Those karking bugs took him!" I reply with a scowl, glaring at the nest.

"I think they got Dicer to!" Sabine adds in a panic.

"Chopper, locate Rex's position!" Hera orders.

Chopper readily complies and opens up his satellite dish, searching for a signal. After a few moments, he beeps in ready confirmation.

"He says it's this way!" Sabine says, taking off at a run.

"I'm going first!" I exclaim, dashing in front of them. "Those bugs want a piece of Rex, they have to deal with me!"

We all run up to one of the large caves in the side of the nest and come to a stop in front of it. Kanan activates his lightsaber to help illuminate the area better. Looking down, I sniff in disgust, scowling at the unpleasant memories this was drawing back up from the war.

"Well this'll be good," I grumble, marching down.

"Stay close, and stick together," Kanan tells us.

"They have tough armor. Aim for the eyes!" Sabine warns them.

Continuing down the cave made me despise the place even more, as this situation was very similar to one that I took part of... back on Geonosis.

"This reminds me of the time that me and Jarik were part of a strike force to rescue General Unduli," I remark unpleasantly. "Only that time we were fighting undead Geonosians."

"Undead? What do you mean undead?!" Zeb asks in bewilderment.

"I mean exactly that," I snap at him. "I swear, if Rex suffered the same fate as the men on that mission..."

"Hey, Rex will be fine," Kanan attempts to reassure me.

"You can't know that," I retort with a frown, pressing forwards. Out of the five of us clones still remaining, Rex is the only one who understands me the most. I lost my closest brother Waxer in the war, just like he lost his closest brother Fives. If he's gone too... I'm going to make sure these spiders get sent through a kriffing wasteland.

After several more moments, we come across several more tunnels, causing Kanan to sigh.

"We need to split up," he says.

"I don't like that idea. That's how they got us," I say in disapproval, the sound of Gearshift and his brother's screams still haunting me to this day.

"We don't have much choice in situation. Besides, these aren't Geonosians, just wild creatures," he reasons. "Ezra, go with Hera."

"No," Hera interrupts. "Ezra, stay with Kanan. Sabine, Zeb, Boil, with me."

Hera looks at Kanan with an impassive expression, and he just looks back with a slight frown before turning away. "Let's go."

"I'm leading down this tunnel," I tell the others, leaving no room for argument.

I walk forwards, holding my blaster and flashlight in front of me, keeping a cautious gaze on everything incase those kriffing spiders attempted to ambush us again.

"Shouldn't we have a Jedi on each team?" Zeb asks nervously.

"We've gotta get used to not having them around," Hera replies stiffly, causing me to glance at her for a moment.

I push her behavior from my mind and focus on Rex, keeping myself moving so that we could reach him in time, before anything else possibly happens to him. Turning down a few more tunnels, we reach a larger cavern full of large, egg like formations, along with a bunch of small dokma shells littering the ground.

"I don't like the looks of this," Zeb shudders.

"Believe me, it could be much worse," I state.

"Those big crawlers must eat them," Hera remarks, observing the many shells.

"Ugh. Even I wouldn't wish that fate on these little bogens," Zeb replies.

Sabine looks over and points her flashlight at a bunch of small orbs littering the ground, causing her to groan in disgust. "Are those eggs?"

"I could really use a hand over here!" Rex's voice suddenly yells out.

I whip around in the direction of his voice and point my flashlight, revealing him to be trapped in some sort of bone cage on the ceiling. He covers his eyes from the shine of the light, but I pay it no mind, exhaling in relief.

"Rex! Good to see you still alive brother!" I exclaim, rushing forwards.

"It's gonna take a lot more than a few bugs to get rid of me Boil," he replies with a confident grin.

"Definitely," I reply in agreement.

Zeb, Hera and Sabine each other one of the 'bars' of the cage and start pulling them open, while I grab hold of Rex's arm and pull him out of there with a few grunts. Once he's out of there, I give him a short hug, and then bump his shoulder with my fist.

"Kanan, Ezra, we found Rex," Sabine says into her comlink.

 _"Good work. We're coming to you!"_ Kanan replies.

A sudden screeching sound from the ceiling has me looking up in alarm.

"Or maybe we should just head out right now," I advise them, realizing that Rex's cage was actually the spider.

"This way!" Hera yells.

We all take off at a run as it falls to the ground, and scurries after us. Turning around, we fire our blasters at the spiders, seeing as more of them were waking up and giving chase. Scowling at them, I aim my blaster and shoot one of them in the eye for an instant kill, but the others just crawl over it without a care, seeming more mad. Sabine then pulls out a detonator and throws it at the spiders as we start running again, leaving it to detonate and kill it behind us. Coming across an intersection however, more spiders were approaching from several tunnels.

"Here, I saved it for you," I tell Rex, handing him a pistol that I had I picked up. "Aim for the eyes."

"Thanks Boil," he says in reply.

He fires several shots at the spider, but while it's knocked around heavily, hit shots don't reach its eyes. Zeb then charges forwards with a yell and begins pummeling it with his fists and feet.

"Get back, ya stinking crawlers!" he yells, shooting its face off.

"They're boxing us in!" Sabine exclaims.

"I did not survive Geonosis just to be killed by a bunch of spiders!" I yell angrily, firing off a shot to kill another one of the spiders.

One of them pokes through the roof, and Hera takes aim at it before a blue lightsaber is stabbed through it. The spider falls to the ground dead, revealing Kanan and Ezra to be on top of it, and they immediately rush to the front of our group.

"Huh, glad you could drop in," Hera comments sarcastically.

"I wouldn't stand there if I were you," Ezra warns her. "Come on, we'll clear a path!"

Moments later, more spiders start to drop through the hole, and we all follow quickly after the two Jedi, blasting at the spiders following us every so often. Thankfully, we soon reach the surface again, and it was now night out. More and more spiders were pouring out of the holes in the nest, and we made a dash for the Ghost.

"Chopper, open up! Chopper!" Hera yells.

After a few moments the door opened up, and we all ran inside as fast as possible, closing the ramp just as the spiders tried swarming it. However by the sound of scuttling legs all around us, I could only assume they were now crawling all over the ship instead.

"These bugs just don't give up huh?" I say irritably.

"They are absolutely annoying," Rex says in agreement.

We follow after the rest of the crew to the main corridor of the ship and wait for them to get the Ghost ready for take off. To our horror however, the ship wouldn't budge even when giving the engines maximum power, because the kriffing spiders webbed us down! Absurd!

"We have to go outside and cut the ship free," I hear Ezra say.

 _"Yeah, fat chance surviving that!"_ Zeb exclaims through the comlink.

"Huh? Oh, that's great, Zeb. I'm gonna get eaten, the last Jedi in the galaxy, chomped up by some crawlers BECAUSE YOU WERE TOO AFRAID TO GO OUTSIDE!" Ezra yells furiously into his comlink.

"Zeb, You were eaten by a massive joopa, yet you can't handle these kriffing spiders?!" I add, entering the cockpit.

 _"They have multiple legs!"_ he retorts in disgust.

"We're missing something. Why didn't these things attack us before?" Kanan suddenly asks.

"You're right. They could've overrun the base, they didn't come near it," Hera points out.

"Sensor marker..." Sabine says quietly to herself.

I look it the cockpit window to where the lone marker was visible in the distance. One of the spiders goes a little to close to it, and then screeches, flaring back a few steps before continuing. I widen my eyes in realization.

"Wait, that's it!" I exclaim, and Sabine nods eagerly in agreement.

"Kanan! I think I know why they didn't attack the base," she says, pointing out the window. "Look! See that marker? When we was looking for Dicer out there, the creatures wouldn't come anywhere close!"

"They don't like the markers. And the base is surrounded by them!" Kanan says.

"If we can get it, we can use it to hold them off while we clear the ship," Hera says hopefully.

"Only problem is, how do we get to it?" Sabine asks.

"We got a breach! They're coming in through the airlock!" Rex exclaims in alarm.

I rush forwards after him as he opens one of the doors, revealing the ugly spider crawling through the airlock, going crazy once it sees us.

"Lousy crawlers!" I say irritably, pulling out my blaster.

"We'll hold 'em here. Get out and cut the ship loose!" Rex tells them.

The spider screeches at us, and we both start firing at it as the rest of the crew heads off to carry out the plan. Chopper watches just at the edge of the corridor, peeking his dome out uneasily.

Somehow, in the most absurd way possible the kriffing thing actually manages to crawl and fit its body all the way into the tiny airlock space, regardless of our blaster shots. It shrieks at us again, and I kick one of its legs away in retaliation, attempting to shoot out its eyes. However it seems to be realizing that weakness, as it keeps its head away from the blaster fire.

"Will you just die!" I exclaim angrily.

"It just keeps coming!" Rex adds in aggravation.

The spider then lashes out with its legs, throwing me back onto the ground with a grunt. It charges forwards into Rex, however he shoves back hard with a grunt, gritting his teeth. Scowling, I jump back to my feet and join him, furiously shoving the spider closer towards the airlock as it crawls fiercely in protest. I kick its face several times for good measure, but just as we have it pushed halfway out, the spider throws hits us back with its legs again, attempting to charge forwards again.

"You want some? Then come get it!" Rex exclaims, rushing forwards.

He jumps into the air and then drop kicks the spiders face, sending it tumbling outside to the ground below with a fierce screech.

"Hah! That's the way to do it!" I grin eagerly.

"Now Chopper, seal the door!" Rex orders.

Chopper all too quickly moves to comply, and moments later the airlock door was shut tight and locked, allowing us to sigh in relief. Not too much longer after that, the Ghost starts to take off into the air, meaning this ridiculous nightmare is over.

"So... how does that compare to the Geonosian Queen?" Rex asks me.

"Oh, those bugs are still the worst," I say, repulsed just at the thought of them. "But this was a close second."

"Whatever gets thrown at us, we're still gonna love to fight another day huh?" he replies with a grin.

"Don't we always?" I ask rhetorically in response, grinning.

* * *

 ** _Chopper Base; Atollon_**

 **Jarik POV...**

Ahsoka pilots the ship to come in for a landing on one of the landing pads, a rebel officer guiding us down properly.

The Munificent frigate would be coming in shortly, piloted by some of Bail's most trusted men, so there was no need for us to worry about retrieving it ourselves. It's good to finally have a base to set things on, as keeping that cruiser away from the Empire's knowledge was stressful, particularly for Bail. Having a place now meant it could also help with extra space for the rebels, and with the fleet when needed.

"Well, we're finally here! And the new rebel base is on a desert world... great," Mara says sarcastically.

"Considering it's desert terrain, this place is actually very nice looking," Ahsoka comments.

"Trust me, this is an oasis compared to other desert planets," I add with a grimace.

"Whatever you say," she replies uncertainly, but shrugs. "Where do you think the rest of the guys are?"

"Guess we'll have to find out," I tell her.

We open the exit ramp and walk out, R5 coming along as well to get a good look of the base and explore around for a little bit. He certainly had the permission and authority to do so, but there was always the nagging worry that he might mess with people needlessly.

Can't believe Bail allowed R5 a rank of authority like how R2-D2 has one.

"Alright I'll admit," it's not that bad," Mara says.

"Not that bad she says," I tell Ahsoka, causing her to snicker quietly in amusement.

R5 beeps his agreement with Mara and rolls around, heading towards the communications and 'techy' areas to check them out as well. He was beeping his excitement the whole way, drawing some small smiles to our faces.

I suppose R5 does deserve this freedom considering he spends about 90% of his time on the Knight Hawk, since he firmly has no interest in strolling around Berk, and sometimes doesn't like moving around Temple Island either.

"So, where should we go first?" Mara asks us.

I wasn't paying attention however, as a chill from the Force suddenly swept through me. I thought I picked up the faint sound of an echoing chuckle in the distance, but I wasn't sure. The presence of something extremely powerful appeared in my view, lurking just beyond the range of my senses.

"Hello? Mom? Dad?" Mara asks in concern.

I snap out of the trance, and realize Ahsoka had done the same thing I just did. We share a look with each other, eyes wide before turning to Mara.

"Sorry Mara, what was your question?" she asks.

Mara narrows her eyes at us uneasily. "Are you guys okay?"

Ahsoka looks back out across the wilderness of Atollon, which was slowly brightening from the crack of dawn. I glance out there as well, connecting my thoughts to Ahsoka with the bond.

We both senses how something was calling to us...

"I don't know," she answers slowly in reply.

 _"What do you think it is?"_ I ask her.

 _"It's something powerful. Can you feel it calling to us?"_ she asks.

 _"Yeah, I can,"_ I reply. _"Do you think we should investigate?"_

 _"...I think so. If there's something powerful lurking on Atollon, we should probably figure out what it is, in case it's possibly dangerous,"_ she decides.

 _"Alright then."_

"Actually Mara, why don't you go along with R5 to check out the base, maybe find the crew?" Ahsoka suggests.

"What? You serious?" she asks in surprise, staring suspiciously. "What are you going to do?"

"Have a look around the area, check out the environment," I answer in reply.

She looks between the two of us in confusion and suspicion. "Okay seriously, you guys are acting weird right now, and I don't like it!"

"It's a bit complicated," Ahsoka replies with a sigh. "There's something we can sense out there, something we need to check."

"Well, shouldn't we all go then?" Mara asks.

"It's calling to us," I tell her. "I think it's just something we have to do alone."

A small breeze picks up around us with the feeling of that presence blowing along with it, but due to Mara not reacting, whatever is calling is not interested in her, but rather in us.

"Okay... If you say so," she replies doubtfully.

"We'll be back before you know it Mara," Ahsoka reassures her, and the two of us move to retrieve a speeder bike.

* * *

I sped us through the wilderness on the speeder back while Ahsoka was sat behind me with her arms around my waist. The environment of Atollon was dry with hard desert sand, but there were also large coral formations acting as trees, showing that millions of years ago this planet used to be an ocean world.

There wasn't much to be said between us, so we merely kept ourselves open to our bond, sensing for the presence that calls us and sharing its direction with each other. After some time we could sense the presence of this person of creature flaring with power close by, and so I brought the speeder to a halt at the edge of a hill, which surrounded a small valley.

We both dismounted the speeder back and approached the edge of the hill, looking down into it. There were a few small dokma scurrying away, and some coral formations but aside from that, there was nothing else. The Force was saying otherwise, since the presence was right in front of us. Sharing a brief look with her, we start walking down the hill.

"We sensed your presence..." Ahsoka starts.

"...do you know us? Did you call us here?" I say, finishing the sentence.

We look intently around the small valley, standing in the middle of it. The presence was right on top of us, and very powerful in the Force for sure, yet there was nothing visible.

"You have come at last," a voice suddenly echoes, booming yet gentle.

The sound of rock and coral shaping and shifting has us both turning around, widening our eyes in surprise at the sight of the massive creature that uncurled before us, having previously been one of the coral formations. The coral on its head formed horns, and a thick orange beard ran down its face as it looked down at us with gray eyes in intrigue.

It is pleasing to finally meet you, Ahsoka Tano Shan, former Jedi Knight, and Jarik Shan, last of Revan's blood," he greets.

Me and Ahsoka share a surprised look it's each other at his introduction, and then redirect our gaze up to the creature.

"You know us?" she asks.

"The Force speaks very clearly of you," he states. "The path you have traveled is very strong, walking between the Light and the Dark."

"Who are you?" I ask.

"I am the Bendu. The one of the middle. The one between the Light and the Dark," he introduces.

"So you're a Force wielder," Ahsoka says. "Being in the middle, do you know of the Father from Mortis?"

"Ah yes, I know of him. He's kept the balance between his children for as long as I can remember, although now that is no longer the case," he replies. "I still remember the unbalance I felt when Morai was killed, only to be set back once her brother fell too, lastly followed by Father. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious," she tells him. "Your role sounds similar to his."

"Why did you call us here?" I ask him.

"Ah, so you heard my call, good," he says, sounding pleased. "I sensed your presence as soon as you arrived. There is much turmoil in the two of you, and along with the power you possess, you are as a violent storm on my quiet world."

"So you mean to help us then?" I deduce.

"Not help you. Rather, to help you help yourselves," he replies.

"To help ourselves?" Ahsoka asks in confusion.

"Tell me, why go to Malachor?" he questions.

We look up at him in surprise. "You know that we're planning on going to Malachor?" I ask.

"The Force does not lie. I merely obey its will," he states.

 _"This is certainly interesting..."_ Ahsoka tells me.

 _"Certainly,"_ I reply, looking up towards the Bendu. "Well, going to Malachor is a necessity. Our mentor Master Yoda, is hoping that the planet may hold a key to how we might defeat the Sith."

"Hmm. The quarrel behind Jedi and Sith has always been needless," he states with a frown.

"Maybe..." I admit.

"...but the galaxy is ruled by an oppressive Empire, whose leaders happen to be Sith..." Ahsoka continues.

"...and to stop the cruelty and injustice dealt, we have to stop the Sith," I finish.

"Such is the natural way of life," he replies. "Cruelty is simply an expression of nature. Some beings more so than others."

"But should innocent people have to suffer at their expense? Is that not unjust?" Ahsoka questions in reply.

"Perhaps. But it is the way of things. I've lived through times of cruelty, and times of peace. They all have their beginnings and endings," Bendu remarks. "However that is not the greatest worry the two of you carry."

It's as if he could see right through, which I suppose he is a powerful enough creature to do so. Ahsoka glances at me before sighing.

"I'm worried about who I might face," she admits.

"Ah! The conflict becomes clear!" he declares with a smile. "One who worries about the future, and one who worries about their past."

I look up at Bendu warily when he says that, and he also glances at me knowingly, focusing his attention on Ahsoka for the moment.

"You fear to encounter one close to you, yet also wish to confront them," he deduces. "Who is it that troubles your mind then?"

"My old Master," she replies grimly. "He used to be someone I looked up to, yet now he has become someone to fear."

"Is it acceptance, or answers that you seek?" he asks.

"I wish to know why he would do the things that he's done. I want to be able to bring him back," she tells him.

"Ah. It is possible to do so," he muses. "Your weapon, may I see it?"

I raise an eyebrow at the request, sensing Ahsoka's confusion just as easily, but she does so anyways, pulling out her lightsaber and showing the shining white blade. He hums in approval at the sight.

"Your presence in the Force is much like moonlight. Silvery, pure in heart, and gentle," he comments. "Walking in the middle, yet still leaning towards the light, no doubt through your hosting of Morai's spirit."

"So is there a chance I can bring him back towards the light?" Ahsoka asks, deactivating her lightsaber.

"Nothing is ever certain my dear. I sense that your adversary carries much turmoil within himself. He will likely not concede," he says.

I glance at Ahsoka in concern, worrying over how she might take listening to this. I'm more than willing to help her try and bring Anakin back if we do encounter him on this mission, but the things he's done... they aren't easy to come back from. She breathes heavily for a moment before replying.

"Even so, I still have to try," she declares.

"You are set on this confrontation then?" Bendu questions.

"I have to know the truth," she replies firmly.

"So be it, but understand this, much will change of this encounter, including you," he warns.

"Isn't that true of all things, as time advances?" Ahsoka says questioningly.

"My dear, when I say change, I mean death," he states.

I freeze in alarm, whipping my head up to stare at Bendu with wide eyes before glancing at Ahsoka in terror, fearful of what might happen to her. She's just as surprised and uneasy, glancing at me nervously before steeling herself, looking back up at Bendu.

"So I will die?" she asks, too calmly for my liking.

"Will you? I didn't know that," he muses in reply, confusing us even further.

"Then whose death do you refer to? His?" I ask warily.

"Why ask me? I am not involved with the conflict that will occur on that world of Bogan," he replies, seemingly giving his own version of an uncaring shrug.

I slowly look over at Ahsoka and share a look with her, my mind racing over the fear of what might happen to Ahsoka. Bendu said that change on this mission will result in death, yet at the same time he says he doesn't know if death isn't the case...? He's even more confusing than Master Yoda!

 _"I don't like this Soka,"_ I say uneasily. _"If there's a possibility that you die..."_

 _"There's always a possibility that we may die,"_ she reasons. _"But if Anakin is there on Malachor, I need to try and bring him back."_

 _"But what if it doesn't work? What if he... if he kills you?"_ I shoot back fearfully.

 _"You brought back Barriss didn't you?"_ she points out. _"I have to at least try._ We _, should try and bring him back, together."_

I eventually concede with a reluctant sigh, knowing that she did have a point with Barriss. Still...

"And now onto your conflict then," Bendu says, turning his gaze onto me. "Your fears seem to dwell on what has been, and on your past connections with Malachor. May I ask why?"

"I've, never been to Malachor before," I tell him with a small frown of confusion.

"But you worry over your connection to it," he tells me. "In your blood runs a legacy of warriors that tasted Ashla and Bogan and found the middle in their end. Destroyers and defenders, conquerors and liberators, and now only one remains," he says, looking thoughtful. "It was the first, who turned the dark worlds of Malachor into what they have become today. Your thoughts dwell on this."

I furrow my brow uneasily, giving the Bendu a wary gaze before slowly nodding my head.

"I... I suppose so," I reply in agreement. "Revan's mistakes killed so many people, corrupted Malachor irreversibly, and also set loose the Sith Lord Darth Nihilus. Not to mention he only turned closer to the Sith after this."

"And you fear that fate may befall you?" Bendu asks.

"Yeah, I do," I answer grimly.

"As your companion shines like moonlight, you shine much like the sunlight. Strong, full of life and light, and full of goodness for what is needed in life," Bendu starts, getting my interest. "Yet much like a sun it can also sometimes be unpredictable, with powerful flares."

I front at him, not very pleased with his words. "I'm not sure how that helps me in this situation."

"You worry too much for what can or cannot be within the grasp of your power, rather than lets the events play out over time," he tells me. "The actions of your ancestors do not define your spirit today."

"Even so, you said yourself that I can be unpredictable," I remind him. "If I do follow a dark path away from what I want, how am I supposed to bring myself back from it?"

"You already have the answer," he states.

I raise an eyebrow, glancing at Ahsoka, who just shrugs.

"As the sun provides a moon with light and power, the moon will also provide the soothing light to balance the harsh brightness of the sun," Bendu says, looking between the two of us. "The two of you are as the Sun and the Moon, working in tandem with each other. Your destiny is interwoven to each other through the Force, and it is together when you are most powerful, though even this is yet a small inclination of what you will reach."

We both listen intently, our hearts fluttering a little bit about how he describes our connection, about how we need each other, and how we are at our most powerful when together. Yet his words about how there is so much more power than what we've felt already makes me wonder what that could possibly mean. And from what I'm hearing, it sounds like Ahsoka is the light that keeps me anchored in the goodness I wish to remain in, while I provide her with the strength and life to continue, or at least that's what it seems like.

"I think I understand..." I finally say in reply.

"So do I," Ahsoka adds in agreement.

"In order to face conflict, you must understand yourself," Bendu says in finality, smiling down at us. "Goodbye Ahsoka Tano, former Jedi Knight, and Jarik Shan of Revan's blood."

We share a smile with each other, but when we turn to look back up at the Bendu, we blink in surprise to see that he's just vanished, not anywhere in sight! A quick outstretch of our senses through the Force shows him to not be anywhere nearby either! Just what kind of creature is he...?

"Well... that was quite interesting," I remark, pulling myself out of my shock.

"Yeah, quite so," she agrees. "But we did learn a lot."

"A lot more than I ever imagined us learning when coming out here," I reply jokingly.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

The Separatist Munificent frigate had finally arrived at Atollon, and was being set down in a massive clearing beside the coral trees that made up the rebel base. Boil and Rex were overseeing it being brought in, and everyone was giving a helping hand except for two others.

Ezra and Mara were both sitting on the ground near the fence of sensor markers, watching as one of the krynka walked by, the name of the spiders which was soon identified. Seeing it crawl along the ground, Mara grimaces a little.

"Yeah, those things sure are ugly," she says quietly.

Ezra scoffs in amusement, readily agreeing. "I'm gonna see if I can try this again," he tells her.

Reaching a hand out to the krynka, he closes his eyes and focuses on the Force, seeing if he can connect to its mind with the Force. The krynka immediately turns to look at him, and Mara glances between the two curiously. A moment later, the krynka charges forward with a shriek, causing the two teenagers to let out yells of alarm and stumble onto their backs. It stops at the fence before crawling away again, no longer interested.

"Fine! I guess we won't be friends!" he grumbles in exasperation.

Mara sits back up as he puts a hand behind his head to lay on the ground more comfortably.

"Well, at least you tried. Not all creatures will be the same," she comments.

"I guess," he replies.

The long call of a bird has the two teenagers look up into the air, where a green and white convor was circling around them. Ezra watches it with some confusion while Mara manages a small smile, recognizing the convor. The sight of the convor is soon joined by both Ahsoka and Jarik, who look down at the two with smiles on their faces.

"Ahsoka? Jarik?" Ezra asks excitedly, and they both get to their feet.

"I see the base is coming along nicely," Ahsoka observes.

"It's actually kind of cool now," Mara admits sheepishly, causing Jarik to roll his eyes.

"Yeah, but these creatures almost ruined it though," Ezra replies, gesturing towards the krynka crawling around. "No matter what I do I can't seem to connect with them."

Everyone looks out at the horizon as the krynka start to disappear behind the hill, but only Jarik and Ahsoka hear the echoing chuckle of Bendu through the Force, along with the small breeze that blows past them.

"In our experience, just when you think you understand the Force, you find out how little you actually know," Ahsoka says.

"I don't think I ever understood the Force to begin with," Ezra admits.

"No one can ever know all of it's mysteries," Jarik adds, causing Ahsoka to smile briefly at the two teenage Jedi. "We should get going."

Both he and Ahsoka then turn around and walk off, Mara and Ezra following after them, although not without giving one last look towards the horizon. On a ledge above them, Morai perches on a coral branch and lets out another long call, which Jarik and Ahsoka both hear.

Everything would change after this mission.

* * *

 _Well, this is it. The time has finally come for the Twilight of the Apprentice._

 _We got to see some more Boil action in this episode, yay! If you noticed I've also decided to have him included in the mission on Geonosis in the episode Legacy of Terror. Waxer would've been with him as well of course. I'll be updating that chapter in V2 when I reach that point._

 _Also did you like the Bendu in this chapter? Writing characters that are supposed to be as wise and knowledgable like Bendu is honestly really hard lol. (Thanks to Shadow Solaris for the idea of one of his comments though)_

 _And with the question I gave up top at the start of this chapter, please tell me which you would prefer through a PM or review if you wish too, it would really help. Thanks so much for your continued support of this series, reading your reviews and positive feedback is so fun, and I love writing this!_


	95. Ch 94 - Twilight of the Apprentice Pt 1

_To the reviewer commenting about the Separatist cruiser if you have a name suggestion for that I'd be happy to hear it and decide if I like it! :)_

 _ **Author's Note:** After going through some reviews, I've decided on an answer! I hear all of you, and I think I'm going to change the original plan of everything Empire Era being in V4, and split it between this and a new fifth volume. Originally I never planned on having a fifth volume until this question. So that means that _'A Jedi in Exile' _will end with the Star Wars Rebels season 2 finale._

 _I also feel like a couple people might have misinterpreted what I meant, because Volume 5 was never originally planned, it was just going to be from Revenge of the Sith all the way to after Return of the Jedi for Volume Four, which is admittedly quite a lot. Which is why I'm deciding to split it into two volumes instead._ _I read all the reviews, and it's nothing against those of you who wanted me to just continue doing it in V4, but I feel that it works better this way. The new story will be title_ 'Legacy of Jarik Shan: Rebirth.'

 _Now onto the chapter! This gets intense!"_

* * *

 _ **The Knight Hawk; Hyperspace**_

 **Jarik POV...**

"Once we drop out of hyperspace, we'll be going dark," Ahsoka says.

The two of us were in the hall just outside the cockpit of our ship, where Mara, R5, Kanan and Ezra were all sitting as the ship continued through lightspeed for Malachor. We were both talking to Boil and Rex through a transmission feed.

 _"Are you sure about this?"_ Boil asks.

"We are," I reply.

 _"Ahsoka, Jarik, you don't have to go to Malachor alone. I could be there in two rotations-"_ Rex starts to say.

"We aren't alone Rex," she replies with a smile.

 _"You know, I could've ordered you to take us along,"_ he says.

"You, don't exactly outrank me anymore Rex," she retorts.

"You never outranked me to begin with," I tell Boil with a raised eyebrow, noticing he was about to make a witty comment.

 _"Haha, very funny,"_ he deadpans.

 _"In my book, experience outranks everything,"_ Rex says meaningfully.

"Hmph, then we definitely outrank you," she tells him.

The four of us all share fond smiles with each other, being Clone War veterans and reminiscing our friendships.

 _"Tell the kid to watch out will ya?"_ Boil asks me, referring to Mara.

"Of course," I reply.

 _"May the Force be with you,"_ Rex says in farewell.

We both nod our heads before turning off the communicator, and head back towards the cockpit, where the rest were seating in their seats. Ahsoka sat down in the pilot's seat while I stood beside her chair, the rest of the other three having been taken already. Ezra looks at us quizzically.

"Why is Rex so worried? What does he know that I don't?" he asks with a frown.

"Malachor has always been off-limits to Jedi," Kanan replies.

"Why? I get that Malachor V was destroyed but, what does that have to do with the rest?" Ezra questions.

"Revan's super weapon wasn't the only reason the place is off-limits," Kanan says, and I grimace at the reminder of what he did, Mara and Ahsoka both glancing at me. "There were also old legends. Stories told to us as younglings in the temple," Kanan tells him.

"There's always a bit of truth in legends," Ahsoka advises them, and I nod in agreement.

"If Malachor is off limits, why would Master Yoda send us here?" Mara asks curiously.

We halt in our answers as the Force suddenly grows dark, and moments later the Knight Hawk comes out of hyperspace in the Malachor system. Already the Force seems to converge around me, sensing familiar, in a way I can only assume is due to my connection with Revan.

"I don't know, but I trust Master Yoda," Kanan finally answers after a moment. "There's something here for us."

"Yeah, something to help us stop the Inquisitors," Ezra says firmly.

"Knowledge," Ahsoka states.

As she leads us further into the Malachor system, closer towards the inner ring of the planets, we see what looks to be a barren field of large rocks and debris. Upon getting a closer look however, we notice how it's more collected and confined to a certain area... along with ancient ship parts. There were even large flickers of green energy lightning flashing every so often through the debris field. The worst thing though was the feeling we were getting from it, as it didn't feel only like the dark side, but something else... like a Wound in the Force.

"What is that?" Ezra asks with wide eyes.

"That, Ezra Bridger, is what remains of the planet Malachor V," I state grimly with haunted eyes. Ahsoka reaches up to lay a comforting hand on my arm with a meaningful look, and I send her my gratitude through the bond. R5 lets out a long whistle of nervousness.

"Even knowing what happened... I didn't expect a debris field to be this horrible," Mara says quietly, unsettled by the Force.

"It just feels... off," Kanan says uneasily. "Wrong."

"Revan's Mass Shadow Generator not only destroyed the planet, but turned it into a Wound in the Force," I inform them.

Malachor V slowly passes by us, having our gazes all transfixed as we try to shake off the horrible feeling. Ahsoka brings herself out of it and speeds the Knight Hawk further forwards.

"We should keep moving," she says quietly.

The further away we got from Malachor V, the less dense the Force's wounds became in our minds, allowing us to exhale in relief. Still, I can just see the memories of how this devastation occurred, with so much death, so many screams, and so much darkness...

"So which one is Malachor I?" Ezra asks.

"Right ahead," Ahsoka tells him.

She was right, as directly in front of us was the pale gray world of Malachor I, shining coldly from the star it rotated around. While it was still tainted with the dark side, it at least didn't feel like like how Malachor V's remains did. Ahsoka guided the ship through the cloudy atmosphere when R5 beeped up in alarm, having detected something on the radar.

"A ship?" Mara asks in confusion. "What type?"

R5 beeps again, and I narrow my eyes in suspicion and concern at the knowledge.

"He can't tell," Mara says with a sigh.

"Track it R5. Let's so who else has an interest in Malachor," I say firmly, my mind racing at who it could be.

My first thought was Snoke, but I immediately tossed the idea away. Snoke may have an interest in Malachor, but he didn't seem like the person to come investigate an ancient Sith world on some lone singular ship. And even if he did, me and Ahsoka at least would be able to sense his presence, due to how powerful he is. No, it's gotta be someone else.

"Woah, what's that?" Ezra asks.

The clouds part to reveal a flat, glassy plain in the middle of Malachor's wasteland, along with several large pillars set up in it.

"I don't know, but I'm betting the ship we're tracking went there," Kanan theorizes.

"Landing here is probably the best place then," Ahsoka decides.

She guides the Knight Hawk in for a landing, and carefully sets the ship down. Exiting down the ramp, the five of us, along with R5 head outside to get our first good look at the surface of Malachor. All around us was nothing but a flat, glassy landscape, with several large pillars scattered across the surface. The pale sun illuminated the planet well enough, but the lack of any wind or sound whatsoever gave me a sense of foreboding. It didn't help that the dark side was very strong here, just as I expected it to be. Whispers echoed quietly in my ear, from ancient spirit's or something else, I don't know.

 _...the blood of Revan..._

 _...power beyond compare..._

 _...he's returned..._

 _...embrace the darkness..._

 _...join us Prodigal Knight..._

 _...kill them all..._

 _...blood of a Sith Lord..._

 _...you belong to us..._

 _...kill..._

 _...embrace it..._

 _...you are darkness..._

 _"Leave at once!"_ Ahsoka's voice suddenly cut through my head, and a burst of light side energy through the Force sends the voices shrieking away, wailing all the while. I blink my eyes and look over at Ahsoka gratefully, and she smiles back at me.

"-gotta be around here somewhere," Kanan was saying, and I realize I missed part of the conversation. "R5, see if you can track its location," he says.

R5 beeps back irritably, and Mara rolls her eyes at him. "Oh for Force's sake R5 just do it."

He sends one last grumbling beep before heading back into the Knight Hawk to do his assigned task, closing the ramp behind him. We then start walking towards one of the pillars, me and Ahsoka leading the group as the still quietness of Malachor continues to sound in our minds. Getting a closer look at the massive pillars, they start to seem more like obelisks, and there's writing on them.

"What are these things?" Ezra asks with wide eyes.

"This writing... I think it's in the Old Tongue," Ahsoka says, analyzing it with narrowed eyes. "The language of the Sith."

"Can you read it?" Kanan asks, and Ahsoka glances at me.

"I think I can," I say, kneeling on the ground in front of it. "This form is really old though, I can barely make out many words."

"Anything could be helpful," Ahsoka says.

I run a finger along some of the words as I try to read them. "Nw kash zo tash... uh... antai kash tik sh... Pro sh, nu gauti ty... Pro ty, nu gauti midwan..."

As I was reading I didn't notice that Ezra was walking towards the obelisk as if in a trance, but the others did, especially Ahsoka, as he reached a hand out to touch it.

"No! Ezra don't!" she exclaims in warning.

It was too late however, and I glance up in alarm as Ezra lays his hand on the obelisk, leaving a glowing red imprint in the stone. He backs up nervously, coming out of his trance as the red glows spreads down the obelisk and into the ground, forming large cracks in the surface along with harsh whispers from dark spirits. The ground suddenly gives way beneath us, and we all fall down into the darkness below with yells and screams of alarm.

The surface fast approaching, I use the Force to prepare myself before hitting the ground with a roll, softening the impact and springing up in a crouch, hand against the ground for balance. Ahsoka does the same, although the rest are not as graceful in their landings, although are unharmed, which was good. Sighing in relief, my mood completely changed as I looked forwards, widening my eyes along with Ahsoka at the sight of the massive pyramid structure before us, radiating the dark side in huge waves.

"Nice going Ezra," Mara groans irritably.

"Hey, I didn't know the ground would crack apart," he retorts, before approaching us, mesmerized. "Woah... what is that?!"

"A Sith temple," Ahsoka states grimly.

Ezra stands at the edge of the hill while the rest of us all gaze at the temple with wide eyes, full of surprise, worry, fear, nervousness, and a strange mixture of awe. After a few moments, I shake off the feeling and starting walking forwards, Ahsoka close behind me.

"We should get moving," I state quietly.

We begin walking down the hill and into the decimated ruins all around us, giving wary looks to everything. The ceiling of the surface far above us looks just like a starry night sky, only whatever is causing the effect is letting pale beams of light flow down, being the only thing illuminating the place and allowing us to see anything. The red glow at the top of the temple also helped lighten the area up, but there was nothing 'light' about. Everything here was tainted with the darkness, pulling at me, calling to me.

I'd like to imagine I'm doing well at holding the darkness at bay, but I have no real clue whether or not it's me or Ahsoka defending me, since she holds the life force of Morai, the essence of the Light Side. Mara's comlink then turns on, and R5's voice filters through.

"Oh, we might fall through the surface huh? I never knew that R5!" she says sarcastically.

"Has he found any sign of that ship?" Kanan asks her, and Mara relays the message, receiving an answer.

"He says he's picked up a trail, that way," Mara says, pointing in the direction.

The coordinates also get send to my comlink, so I start leading the group in the direction of the ship, pulling us further into the ruined city and closer towards the temple. Ahsoka followed directly behind me, along with Kanan, and then Mara and Ezra.

"I bet whatever we're looking for is inside that temple," Ezra remarks.

"Seems likely," Kanan says in agreement as we come to a stop. "Just remember, if there's a ship, we're not alone down here."

"Ahsoka, you said we're here to find knowledge. What kind of knowledge?" Ezra asks.

"The forbidden kind," she replies grimly. "To defeat your enemy, you have to understand them."

"No better place to learn about the Sith, I guess," Kanan remarks, shrugging.

I lead the group along again, but after a few moments when crossing a bridge lit up by the ceiling lights, I sense a presence nearby and bring us to a stop, holding up a hand.

"Wait," I say quietly, looking off to the side with narrowed eyes.

"What is it dad?" Mara asks in concern.

I look intently at the landscape to our left, seeking for whatever I could have sensed, but eventually turning up with nothing. I let out a tired sigh, dropping my hand while Ahsoka glances at me in concern.

"It's nothing. This place must be messing with me," I say quietly, continuing forwards.

The others all share concerned looks before following. Soon after cross the bridge though, we came across a sight that had us stopping. Before us, scattered around the area were petrified bodies frozen in battle stances, looking like sculpture's made of ash.

"The ground looks scorched," Ezra says quietly, glancing off to the side. "Whoa, Kanan! Look, a lightsaber. And another!"

He rushes over a few feet away and crouches down to the ground. He picks up an ancient, rusted lightsaber and holds it up, pressing the button to activate it. A green blade shoots out, following by two more on its guard before fizzling out, to worn to be used properly again. A cross-guard design, which was an ancient version of the lightsaber. Kanan kneels before one of the petrified statues with a deep frown.

"This was a battlefield," he states uneasily.

"What happened here?" Ezra asks.

"The Great Scourge of Malachor I," I state grimly.

"And what was that?" he asks.

"At one time, several thousands of years ago during the Old Republic, Jedi knights attacked the temple," Ahsoka explains.

"And the Jedi won, right?"

"From what I can tell, nobody won," Ahsoka says with grim sarcasm.

"The legend is that some ancient or powerful artifact was used by the Sith at the height of the conflict, as a final desperate attempt to defeat the Jedi," I recall, looking at one of the petrified warriors. "However it backfired, and instead killed everyone."

"That's an understatement," Mara scoffs, glancing around with an uneasy look.

"What could've caused devastation like that?" Ezra asks with wide eyes.

"Originally it was thought to be a massive kyber crystal, but that was later disproven, as no kyber crystal was present in the temple during the attack," Ahsoka states with a frown. "Some thought that it was caused by another, more powerful artifact, but nobody knows the full story behind it."

"I hate to break up this history lesson, but we should keep moving," Kanan advises. As we continue walking closer to the temple, Ezra decides to comment about the place again.

"Well if you ask me, this whole planet is a riddle," he remarks.

"So if it's a riddle, what's the question?" Kanan asks as we come to a stop.

"Why is Kanan such a-" he starts, before the sound of a lightsaber activating gets our attention. "AHH get down!"

Ezra shoves Kanan away as an unfamiliar figure leaps through the air for him, a red double bladed lightsaber spinning in his grip. He slams his blade down as Ezra activates his just in time, before shoving him away. The figure backpedals with a few flips, tensed up and holding his lightsaber in a hunched position. The rest of us all activate our lightsaber, me using both this time, and he glances between us.

"Five Jedi?" he questions, his voice like a hiss but still alarmed.

"An Inquisitor!" Mara exclaims, rushing forwards.

We all make a beeline for the Inquisitor, and he backs up nervously before jumping back, releasing several quick torpedoes from a slot on his chest armor, much to our surprise.

"Take cover!" Ahsoka exclaims, pulling me and Kanan back.

Mara and Ezra screech to a stop and quickly scramble behind a petrified statue just as the missiles hit the ground, generating an explosion. The ground beneath them cracks and opens another hole in the ground, sending the two kids tumbling down with startled yells.

"Ezra!" Kanan yells.

"Mara!" I yell out too in worry.

The Inquisitor starts running away, while we dash towards the hole in the ground, looking down in concern.

"Ezra, Mara, are you two okay?" Kanan asks worriedly.

"We're okay!" he calls up, and Mara groans slowly helping to pull Ezra to his feet.

"He's getting away!" Ahsoka exclaims, giving me a meaningful look.

"Don't worry about us Dad, we'll catch up!" Mara reassures me.

Deciding to agree, me and Kanan both follow after Ahsoka to chase down this new Inquisitor, who was standing on top of a column. We then watch as he raises his saber again, and a few strange mechanisms on it are activated, releasing small blue jet plumes. The saber also begins to spin, allowing the small jets to lift the Inquisitor up and fly through the air, giving the appearance of helicopter blades, much to our bewilderment.

"Oh that is just not cool!" I exclaim incredulously.

"How can he even do that?!" Kanan asks with wide eyes.

"It's gotta be those weird jets on the sabers! Force knows that lightsaber blades themselves can't create that affect!" I deduce.

"Obviously, they're weightless!" Ahsoka adds in exasperation.

We continue our chase after the Inquisitor, watching him continue to fly off through the air, much to our annoyance.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

"Sure, we'll catch up," Ezra says sarcastically, dusting himself off. "Soon as we figure out where we are."

"Relax, I've been in much worse situations than this," I reply casually.

"I suppose so," he admits with a shrug. "Where do you think we are right now anyways?"

"I know where you are," an old man's voice suddenly calls out from the darkness. "You're with me."

We both look over cautiously, just barely able to see the hunched over figure of an old looking man approaching, walking with a cane, a hood covering his head. However, looks can be deceptive, and considering this is a world of the Sith, there could be many deceptive people around. Me and Ezra both activate our lightsaber and point them in his direction, a fierce frown on my face.

"Please put your weapons away. I- I mean you no harm," he attempts to reassure us, stuttering a little bit.

"Stay back! I'm warning you, old man!" Ezra says warningly.

"Forgive me, it- it's just, I've been alone so long. It's been years since I've spoken to anyone," he says feebly, slowing approaching despite Ezra's warning.

"You live here alone? In the dark, next to a Sith temple?" I ask doubtfully.

"Not by choice!" he retorts helplessly. "My ship crashed. I'm trapped, marooned! I've had to scrounge and scrape to survive."

"I'm.. I'm sorry sir. I wish we could help you, but we have to get back to our friends," I explain regretfully, looking back up at the roof. Maybe I could jump high enough to reach there...

"Well, perhaps I could help you," he offers.

"I doubt that," Ezra replies with a scoff.

"Why are you here?" the old man questions.

"We're not gonna tell you that," Ezra says.

"You came for the same reason I did, years ago!" he replies excitedly, and I glance at him. "You seek knowledge!"

We both widen our eyes and look back at him, hearing him say the exact same thing that Mom said we were looking for: knowledge. I share a look with Ezra before turning back to the old man.

"Is is inside the Sith temple?" I ask him.

"It is young one, and I know the secret way to get inside, but- but I'm too old. I- I- I need help to open the door," he says with a scoff.

"What's inside?" Ezra asks, sliding down the small decline towards him, and I swiftly follow.

"Help me and find out," the old man replies.

Me and Ezra glance at each other again for a moment before nodding our heads lightly, deciding to go along with it. He hasn't done anything to us so far that could be threatening, and while I'm still wary of him it would be helpful to have a guide around here.

"Show us this doorway," Ezra says.

"Please, this way," he says, gesturing behind him.

"You first," I tell him, making a brief gesture with my lightsaber.

"Do you not trust me?" he questions with a frown.

"We don't know you," Ezra retorts.

"W-Well, then let's change that," he says. "Call me, 'Old Master.' And you?"

"Call me 'Jabba,'" Ezra replies, and I almost roll my eyes at him.

"You can call me Arica," I add.

"Hmm," he hums in reply, sounding almost amused. "Come then, Arica and Jabba."

I watch him walk away warily before following after him, Ezra moving forwards a little bit more eagerly than me. I still didn't think this man was trustworthy, as I could feel something off about him, but until it presented itself we would just have to go along with it.

Old Master led us deeper through the caverns beneath the surface of the... underground? There were several large pillars and broken ruins surrounding us. If it wasn't for the light of my glowing purple lightsaber, and Ezra's blue lightsaber, we would be in absolute darkness down here.

"How much further is it?" I ask him.

"You worry about your friends," he replies.

"They need our help," Ezra states.

"Yes, and with good reason," he answers with a sigh. "The Inquisitor is powerful, even for Jarik Shan."

I come to a stop with my eyes wide in surprise and wariness, Ezra soon doing the same thing, and I glare suspiciously at Old Master.

"Wait... you know about them? And about the Inquisitor?" Ezra questions cautiously.

"He is my enemy," he replies. "All Inquisitors and their masters are my enemies!"

"And what about Jarik huh? How do you know about him, or the fact that he's even here right now?!" I demand, raising my lightsaber in warning.

"I- I've come across him before, some time ago," he says defensively, taking a couple uneasy steps back. "And with his reputation, it's hard not to know about him."

"Were, you a Jedi?" Ezra asks.

Old Master hesitates, and I narrow my eyes at him even more suspiciously.

"No, no no..." he says, faltering with a shake of his head. "But I was once a Force wielder! Long ago- long, long ago."

"So then you're a Sith," I say accusingly.

I hold my lightsaber up by my side as Ezra tenses up as well, glaring at the old man. He looks back at us with a passive expression, but I can sense some anger growing in him at my accusation, and possibly even a slight gleam of yellow flickering in his eyes.

"The Sith... the Sith, took everything from me. Ripped me from my mother's arms, murdered my brother, used me as a weapon, and then cast me aside! Abandoned me!" he growls angrily, and I falter for a moment at his sad story, sensing it to be true despite my caution of him. "Once I had power... now I have nothing! Nothing..."

Ezra looks at him apologetically. "I know how you feel. The Empire, it took away my home, and my mother, and my father!" he states angrily.

I glance at him sadly, since my parents suffered a similar fate, dying at the hands of the Second Sister. However I don't fail to miss the look that Old Master gives him, further conflicting me about how to feel about him.

"And what of you Arica?" he questions.

"My parents... they also died at the hands of the Inquisitors. Cut them down right in front of my eyes when I was merely a toddler," I say slowly, shutting my eyes tightly with a grimace at the reminder.

"And you want revenge?" he asks us.

"I want justice!" Ezra declares.

"Yes, yes! And you shall have it!" Old Master says eagerly.

"I'm not sure," I say uncertainly. "I'm still hurt by the loss of my parents, but without that... I wouldn't have met my new family either."

Old Master glances at me with an unreadable expression. "I suppose one could see it that way... but the injustice of the Empire's crimes will be corrected, for I have discovered the key."

"The key to what?" Ezra asks.

"The key to destroying the Sith," Old Master declares walking forwards again. I look at him in surprise.

"Wait, that is the knowledge inside the temple?" I ask uncertainly, raising my lightsaber for more light.

"Yes, that temple holds secrets of the Sith, secrets that have been buried with the dead for thousands of years!" he tells us.

"And you'll share this knowledge with me?" Ezra asks eagerly.

"You must us..." I remind him with a frown, worried a little bit about Ezra.

"Yeah, sorry," he replies, giving me a sheepish smile, to which I merely nod with a small grunt.

"Yes. Yes, of course," Old Master promises quietly.

Ezra walks forwards up the stairs after that, and while Old Master looks back at me I still gestured for him to move forwards with my lightsaber. He just shrugs and starts walking up the stairs, while I keep an eye on him. I know his story was sad and awful, but while he's no longer a Sith I can sense that he stills retains the darkness within him.

Ezra was being too trusting of him.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

The Inquisitor continued to run away from us as fast as he could, occasionally flying into the air with his saber jets, while we continued to give chase.

"I've never had an Inquisitor run from me before," Kanan remarks.

"Maybe it's because he's outnumbered," Ahsoka offers.

"Five against one is pretty difficult," I add in agreement.

"He did seem surprised. I don't think he was looking for us," Kanan suggests.

Ahsoka comes to a stop with a frown on her face, and then deactivates her lightsaber. "Then who is he tracking?"

We both come to a stop as well, deactivating our lightsaber and looking back at her. That is a good point, since why else would he be on Malachor? My comlink then starts to beeping, R5's voice filtering through it.

"You found the ship? Where is it?" I ask him, and he beeps a quick reply. "You know what, just forget it R5. find it, and disable it or something, Don't let him take off!"

The three of us reactivate our lightsabers and continue our pursuit, while R5 beeps back in protest of my order.

"No, disobeying me is going to be dangerous, now get to it R5!" I exclaim irritably, cutting the transmission before he could grumble back at me again.

"Your droid reminds me of Chopper!" Kanan says between breathes.

"Believe me, he's much worse," I grumble in reply, causing Ahsoka to snort in amusement.

Continuing our chase, the Inquisitor ran further up ahead, but I notice R5 flying in a certain direction on his thrusters, and so directed the three of us in that direction.

Stopping on top of a ledge, we saw the Inquisitor glaring at his ship where R5 was sitting inside the cockpit, much to my amusement. He turns around upon noticing us and we rush straight for him, getting into a ready stance with Ahsoka and Kanan flanking me. The Inquisitor activates his lightsabers spinning feature, deeming the confrontation impossible to escape.

However, the TIE Fighter suddenly lifts off the ground, causing me to raise an eyebrow in bewilderment and amusement. The Inquisitor whips around in surprise, and R5 eagerly opens fire with the laser cannons. The green laser bolts impact against the Inquisitor, sending him stumbling backwards from the force behind the re-deflection.

He's eventually overwhelmed and sent tumbling to the ground, his lightsaber clattering nearby. He quickly scrambles towards it but the three of us leap down, and Ahsoka places her boot on it, causing him to glance up. We all point our lightsaber at him, five glowing plasma blades in total, and he groans in defeat, lowering his head.

"You know R5, sometimes you can be annoying, but you always manage to do something pretty cool," I remark with a grin, and he beeps triumphantly.

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

At the top of the stairs was some sort of entrance hall, with a tall roof and large triangular shapes in its design. At the other side of the spacious room was a large door, also fashioned like a triangle.

"Whoa," Ezra says in awe. His lightsaber was deactivated now because we were no longer underneath the surface, but I still had mine out because it was still fairly dark. Plus, I didn't really trust the Old Master yet.

"A place of worship for some. To others, an engine of destruction. But at its heart, our prize," he tells us.

"How do we get inside the temple?" I ask him as we stop at the doors.

"Two must lift these stones. No more, no less. That is the way of the Sith," he explains.

"You seem to know an awful lot about them," Ezra says suspiciously.

"To defeat your enemy, you must know your enemy," he replies, a gleam coming to his eyes. "Even practice their beliefs."

I roll my eyes with a mistrustful glare. "The last part, absolutely not. The way my masters have taught me does not include that. Knowing about your enemy, understanding them? Sure. But doing the same things they do? No."

"Yeah, my master wouldn't approve of that last part either," Ezra adds.

"Then he is doomed to fail," he shrugs carelessly. "Now, young Jedi, help me."

I look at Ezra uneasily, and he also looks back with the same expression. However we decide to go for it, and taking a breathe I shut off my lightsaber and start trying to focus on the door along with Ezra. The stone starts to shake as we try lifting it with the Force, grunting in exertion. Even after a few .oments it wasn't budging, and eventually Ezra stopped with a heavy breath, requiring me to stop too, since only two could do it. But that was... way too hard.

"I can't. It's too heavy," Ezra says sadly.

"Your anger is a wellspring. You must use it!" Old Master urges.

"But a Jedi is never supposed to act out of emotion," he replies.

"Your passions give you strength. And through strength, you gain power. You have seen it. You feel it. You must break your chains," Old Master insists.

I glare angrily at him, shaking my head. "That sounds an evil like the Sith Code," I accuse.

"It is needed to enter these doors Arica," he retorts with a frown, turning to Ezra. "Go on, you can accomplish this."

"Ezra, we can do it, but not like that. It's okay to use emotions, that's what I've been taught, but to use anger like that requires focusing solely on the dark side alone, which is dangerous!" I warn him.

"But what if he's right Mara?" he replies uncertainly. "This is a Sith temple. What if it was made only for those solely using the dark side?"

"It is the only way through these doors," Old Master adds. "The way of the old Jedi Order will not work, it is too weak."

"I don't follow the old Jedi Order," I retort, focusing on Ezra again. "Ezra please!"

He glances between the two of us nervously, not sure what to do before sighing. "Please don't be mad, but I think we should follow his way. At least just to get through these doors, it'll only be for a moment."

My face falls, and Old Master grins triumphantly at me, making me shoot him a brief glare in return.

"Fine, do it how you see fit," I say angrily, crossing my arms. "But I'm not helping like this."

I briefly notice him flinch, but he turns to Old Master. "You're a Force wielder, you should be able to help me too right?"

"Of course Jabba," he says, smiling.

"Look, if I go to far, you'll be there to help me out, alright?" Ezra asks me.

I sigh before replying. "Sure."

After a few moments, he turns towards the door and outstretches an arm, calling on the Force. Only this time he uses some of his anger to do though, with Old Master helping him along the way. I grimace, shutting my eyes for a moment as the dark side swirls around Ezra, but the door does start to open, raising up completely. We walk through, Ezra grunting and grimaces from the effort, only to come across another wall.

"It's a dead end!" he exclaims.

"Focus!" Old Master snaps, making me glare at him.

Old Master gestures towards the wall in front of us, lifting it up as another door, and we continue walking forwards again just to find another door in front of us. Kriffing Sith and their doors, honestly.

"What do we do?" Ezra asks.

"Release the one behind you!" Old Master orders.

Ezra does so, immediately, exhaling in relief at the burden being dropped, while Old Master gestures towards the next, and together they both lift it up. We step through, only to once again come across ANOTHER kriffing door!"

"Ugh, how many of these things are there?!" Ezra exclaims angrily.

Old Master narrows his eyes at him, but continues on to lifting the next one. I watch silently, withholding my frustration at Ezra for going along with using the dark side in this dangerous way, but I couldn't stop him without making things even more difficult. Old Master was getting to him. Finally though, it seemed we came to the last door, and Ezra dropped it with a grunt before kneeling to the ground. I came over behind him in concern, when Old Master then comes up to us and lays a hand on his shoulder.

"Unless you take risks, do what must be done, there will always be limits to your abilities. Seize the knowledge. Seize the power," he states, helping him to his feet. "Do not become like me, Jabba."

"My name's Ezra," he corrects after a moment, making me shut my eyes with a hidden groan. "My real name."

"Real name? Yes, I once had a real name. So long ago, I don't remember," Old Master says, pulling down his hood. "Now, now I am called... Maul."

I look at him to see a red and black colored zabrak with horns on his head, staring down at us with yellow eyes, filled with a wildness of the dark side.

This is not good.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

"You're the fourth Inquisitor we've seen! How many are there?" Kanan demands.

"More than enough for the three of you," he scoffs in reply.

After capturing the Inquisitor and placing him in Force binders, we decided to do some interrogating to see what he had to know. So far he was being most uncooperative, which I suppose is to be expected.

"Well, lets do a headcount shall we?" I say casually, holding up a hand. "Grand Inquisitor, committed suicide. Sixth Brother, blew himself up. Second, Fourth and Seventh Sisters, a Third Brother and Fifth Brother, and then you! Big fella," I count off on my fingers. "If my math is right, I would assume that makes you the Eighth Brother."

"Hmph," he scoffs in reply.

"I'll take that as a yes then," I say.

"Oh but there are plenty more than that, I assure you," he sneers, glancing at me, and then Ahsoka, releasing a brief chuckle. "Nothing can save the two of you."

I glance at Ahsoka, who narrows her eyes with a concerned look of her own. I think I know just what, or who, exactly... the Eighth Brother was referring too.

"Why are you on Malachor?" Kanan questions sternly.

"Hunting," he replies.

"But you were not expecting us," Ahsoka points out. "Who are you after?"

Eighth Brother releases an amused chuckle and looks up at us.

"A Shadow."

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

Maul led us deeper into the Sith temple where we eventually came across a large open room, which was bathed in red Sith light. At the center of the chamber, cut off from the walls by a deep pit was an altar shaped like a pyramid, from which the red light was originating from.

"Behold, the key!" Maul declares.

"It's a holocron!" Ezra exclaims in recognition.

"You know of them?" Maul then asks warily, making me narrow my eyes at him.

"Yeah, my master has one too," he replies.

"So does mine," I add slowly, staring intently at the strange holocron. "But this one is different."

"That is because this is a Sith holocron, one that holds all their secrets," he explains. "It is said that the ancient Sith Lord Darth Traya created this holocron to hold her knowledge."

My gaze was set firmly on the holocron, as I could hear some strange, eerie whispers coming from it. Upon hearing that this was made but an ancient Sith Lord, one I think I've heard of before from my Mom and Dad, surprises me.

"Well, how do we get to it?" Ezra asks.

"It is a test," Maul states. "Only someone with the courage to risk oblivion is worthy to claim it."

I look over the side of the ledge, only to see a black, bottomless pit far below with no end in sight. My face contorts into a grimace, not interested in facing that kind of fate. Ezra however...

"Throw me," he tells the two of us.

"What?" I ask in bewilderment. Even Maul was surprised.

"Yeah, throw me! I'll jump, and then you use the Force to throw me! My master and I do it all the time," he explains, faltering when I raise an eyebrow at him. "Well, a few times anyway. Look, we can do this."

"Are you sure about this Ezra?" I ask him uneasily.

"Definitely," he says determinedly.

After a few moments I reluctantly nod in understanding, and Maul also does so as well. Ezra then moves to take a few steps backwards, and giving me a firm nod, he runs forwards as fast as he can. Reaching the ledge, he uses the Force to jump over the abyss with a yell, but I can tell that he wouldn't make it. Acting immediately, I thrust my arms out to give him a shove with the Force, and Maul does the same thing. Thankfully, Ezra manages to reach the platform and land on his feet, skidding perilously for a few moments before regaining his balance.

I let out a sigh of relief, smiling. With a confident smile back at us, he approaches the pyramid shaped altar in the center of the platform, where I could see the holocron floating in the middle. Hesitantly, he reaches out before grasping the holocron, although several whispers seem to flare up before dissapating at the action. Nothing seems to happen, so he smiles and holds out the holocron to us triumphantly, causing me to smile in return. However that suddenly goes away when the chamber starts to shake a little bit, small amounts of dirt crumbling down from the ceiling as everything starts to shift and come to life.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

Our interrogation came to a halt as the ground around us suddenly started rumbling and shaking, the sound of something powering on ringing in our ears. I looked up at the temple, widening my eyes in surprise and alarm as red lights starts running up its sides and glowing, reaching the top of the pyramid, where a massive structure at its height glowed brilliantly with dark energy.

"We need to find Mara and Ezra," Ahsoka says worriedly.

"Get back to the Knight Hawk and get ready to leave," I tell R5, who beeps in understanding before activating his jets to fly out of there.

Ahsoka grabs the Eighth Brother roughly by the arm before shoving him forwards. "Come on, let's take a walk!"

"Why do I know Ezra's involved in this somehow?" Kanan asks in exasperation.

We start rushing closer for the temple as the ruins of the Sith city come to life around us with dark energy, voices and echoing shrieks sounding in my mind. What was more worrying was not the fact that the temple was waking us... but that something else was.

Beneath the Sith temple I could feel the energy of some artifact full of immense power starting to rise, with power levels reaching that completely equal to the stone underneath Vader's castle on Mustafar that I've felt. I have no doubt that this is the artifact that Snoke told me about... but what is it? What sorts of things in the universe can reach this level of power, and if there are two, are there more?

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

The temple was groaning as everything came to life around us, and the platform Ezra was standing on suddenly changed. The altar started to rise up on a tall pillar, followed by the rest of the platform slowly afterwards, heading up towards the ceiling. Looking upwards, I widened my eyes in alarm at the sight of some strange, powerful energy at the top, swirling with black and red glass and dust in an angry energy ball that let off horrible echoing shrieks. And Ezra was headed right for it!

"Jump!" Maul exclaims.

"I won't make it!" he yells back nervously.

"Yes you can Ezra, come on!" I yell up at him.

"I- I can't!"

"Trust me!" Maul shouts.

"Trust US!" I add loudly, and we glare daggers at each other for a brief moment. "We'll catch you!"

Ezra continues contemplating, glancing between us and the swirling mass of red energy which was quickly growing closer, before mistaking his decision. With a yell, he jumps from the platform and starts to fall down quickly, screaming all the way. I watch him anxiously with worried eyes as he falls, and as he starts to get closer, I raise my hands to catch him with the Force, Maul doing the same. He still continues to fall though, so I add more power, and he finally comes to a stop just several feet below us, floating in the air.

Ezra grunts nervously with fear in his eyes as he continues to glance nervously down the chasm, holding tightly onto the holocron. With a grunt of exertion me and Maul help to pull Ezra closer, and he reaches out an arm: the one with the holocron. Maul reaches out as well and grasps onto his hand, also grabbing the holocron, the Force being let go.

As Ezra continues to hold on nervously with fearful eyes, Maul narrows his own, staring down at him. I slowly bring a hand to my lightsaber, ready to whip it out if Maul tries anything, but after a few moments and a glance in my direction, he pulls Ezra back onto the ledge. Ezra pants heavily from the experience, and I rush forwards, helping to steady him.

"There was nothing to fear. You were wise to trust me... us," he forces out, giving me an irritated look before walking off.

I stare at him coldly as he moves away, not having missed the contemplating look he was giving Ezra and the holocron while he very life lay in his hand in that moment. I'm worried about what would've happened to him if I wasn't here.

"Are you alright Ezra?" I ask in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he breathes out with a smile., holding the holocron. "Thanks for the save."

"Anytime," I reply softly.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

The Force of us rushed up towards the side of the temple, coming across a thick and massive door, bringing us to a stop.

"They're inside I know it. But there's no way they lifted that door!" Kanan exclaims.

I frown, taking a few steps and giving the door a hard and critical look with narrowed eyes.

"No Jedi could've lifted these doors," I state, concern coming across me. "Not without help from... other means."

"Or help from someone," Ahsoka agrees grimly.

I share a concerned look with her, wondering who could've possibly helped the kids get through doors so thick that only a Sith could open? The Eighth Brother then starts to chuckle, drawing our attention.

"What's so funny?" Kanan questions with a frown.

My comlink suddenly blinks on, and I answer it to hear R5's panicked beeping coming through. "What is it R5... What do you mean we're going to have some company?!" I ask in alarm.

Eighth Brother chuckles again.

"Hey what're you laughing at?!" Kanan demands angrily.

The sound of several lightsabers spinning at high velocity has the four of us drawing our attention towards the sky in surprise. We could see Vifi and three other Inquisitor's all soaring in on their lightsabers just like the Eighth Brother, with jets blowing from the handles, led by the Second Sister. Ahsoka, Kanan and I all activate our lightsabers in preparation for a battle, and the Second Sister jumps down in front of us with a warcry, flanked by the Fifth and Third Brothers. She slashes at us, and I deflect her strike while the other two duke it out with Ahsoka and Kanan.

I glance over in alarm as Vifi flies right overhead to drop down before the Eighth Brother, easily cutting through his restraints. He immediately thrusts an arm out to rip his lightsaber from Kanan's belt and into his hand, activating it gleefully.

"An excellent days hunt," Vifi states gleefully, turning to look at us. "Wouldn't you say so old friends?"

The Second Sister, Third Brother and Fifth Brother, all shove me, Ahsoka and Kanan backwards respectively and allow the five Inquisitor's to form a circle around us. We glance at each other in concern before glaring back at the offending Inquisitors, and I pull out my second green lightsaber, entering a Jar'Kai stance just like Ahsoka.

"This is where you end Jedi," Second Sister promises with a snarl.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

Maul continued to lead Mara and Ezra through the Sith temple, only to come across another large door of stone. Ezra was fiddling with the Sith holocron, attempting to open it but to now avail.

"How do you open this?" he asks.

"One must be a Sith. Or think like one," Maul states. "But it has... other uses. Give it to me. I will show you."

Mara and Ezra stare at Maul warily but he eventually hands over the holocron to the former Sith Lord, although Mara was still mistrustful. Taking it calmly, Maul places the holocron into a slot on the wall, pressing it in with a satisfied glare. The door in front of them starts to open up with a shudder.

"Sith holocrons are keys, that can open many doors," Maul states, handing the holocron back to Ezra.

Mara and Ezra both share a look before following after Maul as he walks up to the rising door. Once the door was risen high enough however, they widened their eyes in horror to see their friends and family battling five Inquisitors. Jarik was striking and defending against the Second Sister and Third Brother, Ahsoka was slashing and parrying against Vifi and the Eighth Brother, and Kanan was in a fierce duel with the Fifth Brother.

With fierce glares on their faces the two teenagers both activate their purple and blue lightsabers and rush forwards towards them, while Maul watches in interest. Jarik swings his blue saber at the Second Sister, who dodges, while raising his green saber to deflect a strike from the Third Brother, before shoving them both back. Ahsoka raised both silver blades to block Vifi and the Eighth Brother's strikes, and then shoves them back at well. Kanan does the same with the Fifth Brother, causing him to stumble briefly. Glancing behind them, the three light side warriors notice their missing companions.

"Ezra? Mara?" Kanan calls out.

"Kanan, Jarik, Ahsoka! We brought help!" Ezra exclaims, gesturing behind him.

The stone door slams shut as everyone turns to look at the new arrival, who stares back at them in return with yellow Sith eyes, resting his hands on his cane. Jarik and Ahsoka both widen their eyes in recognition at the red and black zabrak.

"Maul!" Ahsoka exclaims in astonishment.

"The Shadow," Eighth Brother states with a scowl.

"What fun," Maul grins gleefully, throwing his head back to laugh. "What fun!"

"So, it would seem that the rumors are true then: Darth Maul lives," Second Sister states in disgust, standing at the front of her pack and spinning her lightsaber.

"Formally Darth," he replies casually, striding forwards with a grin. "Now just Maul."

"Is that so?" Jarik says with deadly calm, and Ahsoka glances at him in concern, sensing his hidden fury quickly building.

"Ezra, Mara, step away from him!" Kanan exclaims in alarm as Maul comes to stand beside them, mostly Ezra.

"Kanan, I swear he's on our side!" Ezra insists, although Mara gives him another suspicious glance.

"Is he now Ezra?" Jarik says rather coldly, glaring furiously at Maul. "He doesn't have some, other agenda of his, to fulfil?"

"Ah Jarik Shan! A pleasure to meet you once again," Maul states with a delighted grin.

"Hardly, you kriffing lowlife," he seethes in reply. Even Vifi was a little surprised at the amount of anger held in Jarik's voice.

"Jarik-" Ahsoka starts to say.

"Hmph," Maul interrupts with a thoughtful frown. "Well, I suppose you have a point. So, perhaps my actions will speak louder than words?"

With that rhetorical question out of the way, Maul takes a step forwards and separates his cane, revealing a broken Inquisitor's lightsaber hilt that he activates with a gleeful grin, lighting his face in red. Jumping forwards into the air, he lands in front of the Second Sister and slicing at her feet as she attempts to dodge, before kicking her away. Eighth Brother charges in with his saber, which Maul deflects.

The others are watching warily, although a dark frown was on Jarik's face as he watched Maul go to work. Ezra held up his lightsaber eagerly.

"What're we waiting for?" he asks.

Maul continued to battle all five Inquisitors, shoving the Third and Eighth Brothers away before focusing on the Fifth. He swings at his feet but Fifth Brother jumps over the attack, only to grunt in pain as a cane was smacked into his face before being kicked in the gut. Maul then glances behind him as Vifi charges forward, and backflips over her attack. She slashes her lightsaber only to be parried and kicked back, and Third Brother twirls into the fray against him, only to be blown away by a Force push from Maul. Eighth Brother jumps in from the side with a strike only for Maul to evade backwards, and enters a blade lock with him.

He then gets quickly kicked away when Second Sister launches herself furiously at Maul, entering a blade lock with him. "Why would you come here Maul?!"

"He knows of the artifact!" Fifth Brother realizes, dashing forwards.

Kanan moves up to intercept him with a blade lock, and the other three Inquisitor's rush forwards as well. Jarik, Ahsoka and Mara all move up to meet them in the middle for five consecutive blade locks. Jarik slashes at Third Brother to enter his, Ahsoka raises her lightsaber to deflect a twirling strike from Eighth Brother, and Mara raises her lightsaber to block Vifi's attack.

"The holocron! do you have it?!" Eighth Brother demands, pressing his lightsaber down harshly.

"You will find out soon enough," Maul states with a grin.

Second Sister separates from Maul with a scowl, turning to her allies. "Fall back!"

Heeding her order the other four Inquisitor's all break off from their opponents, and they jump into the air, activating the jets on their saber hilts and flying away while Maul attempts to slash them one last time. With the threat gone temporarily, the Jedi step forwards to confront the former Sith Lord.

"Maul. What game are you playing?!" Ahsoka questions sternly.

"The end game Lady Tano," he replies, casting away his cane piece. "The end game."

All five of them deactivate their lightsabers, although Jarik is reluctant to put his main saber away, clenching it tightly in his hand. Maul turns to face them, observing the group with a grin.

"Well, firstly I would like to reacquaint myself with old friends," he states while smiling at them, Jarik in particular. "How do you do?"

"I don't need to answer questions for you Maul," he retorts coldly.

"But you are a Jedi aren't you not? I thought they were all for diplomacy and introductions," he questions in reply.

The other four all glance uneasily between the two, Ahsoka especially worried since she could tell that Maul was attempting to provoke Jarik. Speaking of which, Jarik glares harder at Maul, a flicker of gold passing through his eyes.

"In your case? Absolutely not! Now what are you doing here?!" he demands hotly.

"Tsk tsk tsk, focusing your hatred on someone? Whatever would your Master say?" Maul questions mockingly, before a smirk spreads across his face. "Or your parents?"

Ahsoka widens her eyes in absolute shock and horror. The others weren't sure of the context behind that phrase, but they had widened their eyes in disbelief as well. Jarik shook his head and sighs, letting loose a cold and sarcastic chuckle. Then without warning, he lashes out with his prosthetic arm and punches Maul square in the face, causing him to stumble back and hold a hand up to his face with a grunt of pain. Mara, Kanan and Ezra let out a few startled gasps.

"Jarik! Jarik!" Ahsoka exclaims quickly in alarm.

She rushes forwards and grabs his arms, pressing a hand to his chest and struggling to forcefully holding him back before he could do more. Maul slowly removes his hand from his face, noting the blood coming from his nose and looking over at Jarik who was, seething furiously at him with gold flickering through his eyes, raising a warning finger.

"You ever mention my parents again, and I'll send you to be judged by them personally!" he threatenings.

Dispute the injury, Maul just smiles at Jarik, who roughly turns away from him at Ahsoka's gestures, stomping away several steps. Sending a furious glare at Maul, Ahsoka follows after Jarik in concern, who was standing a few feet away with his arms crossed, trying to control his anger.

"What was that?" Ezra asks quietly.

"My Dad's never been that upset before..." Mara whispers in shock.

Kanan slowly turns his head to glare at Maul, who didn't look concerned at all. "I think it has something to do with the mention of his parents," he says suspiciously.

* * *

 _Ohhhhooohooo my goodness... Jarik is_ PISSED! _I think you can all guess the very obvious reason of why he is so upset... Anyways, s_ _o much fun stuff in this chapter! Quite long too, because I didn't want to skip over anything at all, but use every single frame of it! But it only gets worse in Part 2..._

 _Points to those who know what Jarik read in the Sith language._

 _Ancient Sith spirits recognizing him as Revan's descendant?_

 _How about that Malachor V moment? Or the reference with Mara's cover name?_

 _I also changed how the Inquisitor's lightsabers so that it realistically makes more sense on how they can fly. Lightsaber blades are entirely weightless so they obviously can't provide lift. To account for that, I made it so that their lightsaber hilts actually have small jet thrusters in them that allow them to fly. There's no real way for the plot to continue in this if they aren't able to fly with their sabers so, for those he wanted it gone completely, sorry!_

 _To be fair there are much worse things to complain about in Star Wars haha. (The Last Jedi...)_


	96. Ch 95 - Twilight of the Apprentice Pt 2

_Oh my goodness... **Vader: Shards of the Past**_... _The fan film by Star Wars Theory was absolutely spectacular! So much depth and emotion to it, the effects and acting were brilliant, and it just felt like Star Wars! Something that The Last Jedi or Solo failed to accomplish! All of you have got to go and watch it if you haven't already! This was just Episode 1, and in order to do Episode 2 he needs to raise $200,000 approx. which we the fans can do by supporting his Youtube Channel! As far as I'm concerned, I am considering it to be canon to the Star Wars universe._

 _Now on with the Shaniverse! :D_

* * *

 _ **Sith Temple; Malachor I**_

 **Jarik POV...**

*:*:*

 _Mama, daddy, what's happening?_

 _It'll be alright sweetie, nothing will happen to you..._

 _...get our son out of here safe!_

 _WHERE IS THE CHILD?!_

 _Out of your reach._

 _Marcus._

 _Lara._

 _MAMA!_

*:*:*

I clench my fists tightly, glaring furiously at the ground as if it was the source of all of my agony. However the true source stood several feet away, smirking at me despite the bloody nose I gave him. I slowly raise my metal fist and note the small amount of blood staining it, glaring darkly with golden eyes.

"Jarik..." Ahsoka whispers, laying a comforting hand on my back. "Jarik, please..."

"What're you asking me to do Ahsoka?" I ask coldly. "Forgive him?"

"No!" Of course not!" she tells me in angry astonishment. "What he's done to you is unforgivable, and that is not what I'm asking you to do!"

"Then what are you asking me to do for him?" I demand, whipping my gaze around to glare at her.

"Not for him," she replies sharply while glaring right back, switching over to our bond. _"For me!"_

I remain quiet, glancing at Maul for a brief moment before she holds a hand to my face to focus my attention on her.

 _"Jarik... You can't let him get to you. That's what he wants,"_ she tells me. _"Remember we're here to find a way to defeat the Sith. To look for answers, and if possible... bring Anakin back."_

 _"HIM being here changes things,"_ I retort.

 _"Killing Maul won't bring them back little Jari,"_ she shoots back.

Little Jari...

That's what my mother used to call me.

 _"He knows things about the temple that we don't. I don't like it either, but he can help us,"_ she reasons. _"Don't kill him out of hate Jarik. Stay with the light, stay with me! I don't want to lose you, so please don't do something you might regret."_

Closing my eyes I softly breathe in and out to try and control my blinding rage, and Ahsoka helps out as well, attempting to soothe me with her presence and wash away the darkness that grew in me. Reopening my eyes, they were no longer golden.

 _"Alright... I'll go along with it,"_ I promise her.

She smiles at me in relief, and leads me back over to where the rest of the group was standing. They all glance at us in concern, although Maul had his eyebrows raised in contempt and amusement.

"Are you alright dad?" Mara asks me worriedly.

"I'm better now Mara," I tell her with a soft smile.

"Dad?" Maul muses, making my gaze harden. He gives me and Ahsoka a critical gaze, stopping for a moment upon noticing Ahsoka's ring, and hums to himself with a grin. "It would appear you are just like any other Shan."

"What does that mean?" Ezra asks.

"Enough with the taunting Maul," Ahsoka snaps at him, keeping hold of my right arm with her hand, constantly keeping the anger within me at bay. "Now what are you doing here? Why help us?"

"Well, straight to the point then," Maul shrugs. "If you must know, I am the enemy of your enemy now and I have my own reasons for wanting the Empire to fall, but we have little time. The one they call Vader will be here soon."

"How do you know this?" Kanan questions.

"His dogs will tell him where we are," he states, giving the five of us a glance-over. "Three Jedi and a part timer. Not to mention a Shan."

Ahsoka frowns in concern and a little bit of sadness at the comment, while my stare at Maul remains cold and harsh. Mara frowns as well, but nobody really comments as he approaches. Ahsoka and I knew by now that with five Inquisitors hunting our large party on Malachor, Vader coming would be inevitable. Might as well send the Emperor while they're at it too.

"Oh he will come. He will not be able to resist us," Maul states with a grin.

"Ok, hold on. There is no us!" Kanan interrupts with a frown. "Dealing with Inquisitor's is one thing, Vader is another. And I'm not convinced we're all on the same side," he says while giving me a concerned, but understanding look.

"Kanan, we should trust him!" Ezra urges, and I roll my eyes in contempt.

"Fat good that did for Pre Vizsla," I mutter, yet to my surprise Maul actually shrugs in agreement!

"Jarik, please just hear me out!" Ezra says. "Look, he, Mara and I took this from the temple together!"

At the sight of Ezra pulling out a Sith holocron, I widened my eyes in surprise and wariness, sharing a concerned glance with Ahsoka and Kanan, while Mara looked a little more subdued and wary.

"This is why we came here right? To find out about the Sith. To figure out a way to beat them?" he continues. "Ahsoka, you said we came here for knowledge!"

"Ezra, there is no way a Jedi can unlock that holocron!" she chides in concern.

"Maybe not a conventional Jedi, but perhaps a man of your talents, Shan?" Maul asks me.

"What are you talking about?" Kanan asks while I just narrow my eyes at him, and Ahsoka glances at me in concern.

Maul feigns a look of shock. "He didn't tell you? None of them did?"

"Tell us what?" Ezra asks.

"I highly doubt any of that's important," Mara scoffs, although she was a little worried.

"Your friend Jarik Shan here, is the last living member of the Shan bloodline, descending all the way back to... Darth Revan himself!" Maul states with a grin, his eyes gleaming.

Kanan and Ezra both widen their eyes in shock and surprise, whipping around to face me, while I stare coldly at Maul, who smirks at me in return. Ahsoka lays a reassuring hand on my shoulder and Mara looks between us nervously. I breathe out slowly, controlling the emotion I was feeling.

"Why- why didn't you tell us?" Ezra asks with a frown.

"Because it was never important for you to know," I reply quietly.

"So, you're descended from THE Revan? The Prodigal Knight?" Kanan asks warily.

"The very same one that became a Sith Lord, leading a massive campaign against the Jedi!" Maul adds gleefully.

"Hey, don't forget that he's also related to Satele Shan, one of the greatest Jedi Masters in history!" Mara retorts in my defense.

"I can't believe you didn't tell us that!" Ezra says in upset.

"Now is not the time to talk about who Jarik is descended from," Ahsoka interrupts firmly, shooting warning look at Maul. "Right now we have bigger troubles. Vader is on his way, and we need to know more about how to learn from this holocron."

"Master Shan?" Maul questions with a raised eyebrow.

"I am not delving into the dark side just to satisfy you with opening it," I snap at him firmly. Why doesn't the kriffer just open it himself?!

"Why not?" Ezra demands.

"Very well Shan," Maul says with a disappointed sigh. "If you will not open the holocron, then perhaps we may unlock the temple itself."

"How? Tell me how!" Ezra asks eagerly.

"At the top of the temple is a chamber. Connect the holocron to the obelisk within and you can unlock the ancient knowledge of the Sith," Maul informs us, and we look up to where we could see the glowing chamber at the top.

"Why are you working so hard to keep us here Maul?" I demand.

"I cannot defeat Vader alone," he replies grimly.

"I say we stay with him," Ezra tells us.

"Yeah? Well I say we go, and that settles it!" Kanan retorts.

Maul scoffs in disgust, turning around to scowl at us. "Are you such cowards that you would run from this chance to defeat your enemies!? Who will slaughter your friends..."

I narrow my eyes at him, sensing immediately that he's influencing Ezra to his advantage. Glancing at Mara, I'm relieved to see that she doesn't seem to be taking his advice any further than me or Ahsoka are. From the look she gives me she can sense the same thing.

"Kanan?" Ezra asks.

Kanan frowns, looking at Ahsoka and I. Ahsoka glances at me with a subtle nod, and I sigh reluctantly in defeat, nodding to Kanan.

"Fine," he grumbles.

I raise my arm and activate my comlink. "R5, we're staying for a while _[_ _...beeps...]_ Yeah I know it's a kriffing bad idea, but there are some things we have to take care of first. Keep the Knight Hawk out of sight, and scan for any ships coming in, or out."

After R5 beeps back his reluctant agreement, I close out the transmission, and Maul sidles up beside me with a grin. "How exciting! We're all on the same side!"

"Just show us how to get to the top before I show just how strong my prosthetic arm is," I snap at him.

"This way..." he trails off, walking away.

* * *

 **Vifi POV...**

Some distance away from the base of the temple where the Jedi and Maul were, my group was camped in a small ruined structure, with the Eighth Brother perched on top of a broken column. One of my probe droids was providing invaluable surveillance on our enemies, which we were all listening to.

 _"Look, he, Mara and I took this from the temple together!"_

 _"This is why we came here right? To find out about the Sith."_

 _"...last living member of the Shan bloodline, descending all the way back to... Darth Revan himself!"_

I frwon thoughtfully, surprised and intrigued to hear this information. "So, my old friend Jarik is a descendant of Revan himself?"

"Isn't that quite an interesting development," Third Brother muses.

"More importantly however, the boy holds possession of a Sith holocron," Second Sister states with a hiss.

"We cannot allow him to use it!" Fifth Brother exclaims.

"I will reclaim it!" Eighth Brother states.

With a twirl of his lightsaber jets, he soars off into the air in the direction of the temple, and not long afterwards, both the Fifth Brother, and Third Brother's follow after him. Pulling out my lightsaber I raise it into the air, eager to join in on the fight and _reunite_ with my old friends, when Second Sister stops me.

"Wait. Let the boys thin them out. Then we will retrieve Lord Vader's prize," she tells me.

I think about it for a moment before smirking in agreement, putting my saber away.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

Maul continued to lead us along the outside of the temple, eventually stopping at one of the corners next to a wall.

"Now what?" Kanan demands.

In response, Maul raises a hand and presses it against the side of the wall. A section of it immediately lowers down into the ground like an elevator of stone, which has Ezra annoyingly fascinated.

"Wow!" he exclaims.

"I've seen cooler," Mara says in dismissal, pulling a small grin of amusement to my face.

The platform lowers down to our level, and immediately Ezra and Maul both step onto it. Kanan moves to follow before being stopped by Maul, causing him to frown in annoyance.

"Only two. No more no less," Maul states smugly, covering it with false pity.

"Yeah? Well these two come as a set!" Kanan retorts, shoving Maul off of it and stepping on beside Ezra, who glances at him irritably. "Either of you okay riding with grandpa?"

"We'll be fine," Ahsoka assures him with a smile.

With that being said, Maul presses the hidden button on the side of the temple, and allows it to rise further up the side. As we wait there was no talking between us, Mara shifting uncomfortably every few moments while I had my arms crossed. Eventually the pillar reaches the top, and so Maul brings it back down to our level. I gesture for Ahsoka and Mara to get on the next one.

"You two go next," I tell them.

"I'm not so sure that's such a good idea," Ahsoka says in disagreement.

"Why not Lady Tano?" Maul asks innocently, causing her to glare at him.

"You're just asking for Jarik to kill you," she states in annoyance.

"Ahsoka, I'll be fine," I reassure her. "It's just a simple elevator ride, no more than a few seconds."

"There is another ascension stone a few feet away if we want to rise at the same time," Maul offers, surprisingly.

Ahsoka glances to where he was pointing, and then at Mara before nodding. I stare warily at Maul and follow him to the other platform, stepping on it beside him. Satisfied, Maul reaches out and presses his hand against the wall, causing a soft red glow to appear before our two platforms began the ascent. Ahsoka and Mara were in a quiet discussion, no doubt questions from the latter, while me and Maul stood stiffly beside each other.

"So how did you survive?" Maul finally asks.

"I escaped the temple. Rescued another," I reply stiffly.

"Hmm," he hums in reply.

"You however have not changed a bit," I state with a frown. "I'm going to guess that the Crimson Dawn is your handiwork?"

"In fact, it actually is," he replies, sounding a little surprised. "You are a perceptive one."

"Perceptive enough to know you're messing with Ezra," I accuse, glaring at him.

"What could you possibly mean by that Master Shan?" he replies in mock disbelief.

I was about to answer with a retort, before widening my eyes at the sight of the Eighth Brother suddenly swooping in from the air. At the level the platforms were taking us Kanan and Ezra were still standing up there, the former being kicked out of view by the Eighth Brother, and they soon disappear from view.

"Ahsoka!" I exclaim, pointing to it.

"On it!" she yells back, whipping out her lightsabers.

"Behind us!" Maul warns.

I whip around to see the Third and Fifth Brother's charging for us, just as our platform reached the top. Jumping backwards, Maul and I both whip out our lightsabers as the two Inquisitor's swoop in, Third Brother flying past me in attempting for a kick. He quickly spins around to slash his lightsaber at me, which I quickly deflect and retaliate with a horizontal swipe of my own. Fifth Brother slams into Maul in a fierce blade lock, attempting to shove him back with his own brute strength, but Maul scowls and presses back harder, swinging around to kick him in the gut.

Third Brother charges for me again in another quick series of upward and downward slashes and swipes, and I lean my head out of the way, dodging or blocking his strikes, dashing forwards. He vaults over me however in a move that has me surprised, and lashes out with his saber. I just barely deflect it, although he had cut through a part of my Jedi cloak. Scowling, I quickly pull the entire cloak off and throw it at the Third Brother's face, blinding him for a moment. He cuts it apart just in time to see me perform Obi-Wan's signature battle stance with pointing fingers, and then kick him in the chest.

He stumbles backwards into the Fifth Brother, who was having his own troubles with Maul, barely able to keep up with the former Sith Lord. Then out of nowhere the two Inquisitors thrust out their hands with a Force burst, shoving the two of us back. We weren't sent flying, as we were prepared for it and managed to block the wave, but it gave them the chance to recover, and Third Brother jumps for us. Maul and I both duck underneath the attack, and go back to back for a moment to face the Inquisitors on either side.

"Perhaps we can work together as a team hmm?" Maul comments.

"This is temporary," I shoot back.

Right afterwards, me and Maul both thrust an arm out and blow the Inquisitors away with powerful Force pushes, knocking them off the side. At the same time, Ahsoka also pushed Eighth Brother off the side, and the three Inquisitors all flew away in retreat on their lightsabers. Me and Maul watched them go, deactivating our lightsabers while Ahsoka pulled Ezra back onto the cliff and Mara checked on Kanan, who was slowing getting to his feet. We walked over to them, rejoining once again as a group of six.

"Are you guys okay?" I ask them.

"We're alright," Kanan says with a sigh.

"I'm pretty sure they know Ezra has the holocron," Mara says uneasily.

"Vifi," I say with a sigh. She always had an interest in probe droids.

*:*:*

 **3rd person POV...**

While the rest of the Inquisitors flew around the temple to get into position in various spots for their ambush, Third Brother managed to sneak away, having sensed something of great power. He could tell instantly the moment he sensed it what the power he felt was.

But how did it get onto Malachor?! How?

Well, that's something that carried little meaning to him for right now. His true master would be most pleased if he brought him another one, and once the stone beneath Vader's castle was retrieved, he would have two. Best part is, nobody knew about the stone hidden beneath the Sith temple that drew his attention. No one!

With a smirk on his face, the Third Brother angled his lightsaber to carry him further down the side of the temple, so that he may recover what his true master seeks.

*:*:*

 **Jarik POV...**

Sensing something, the six of us all look up to see Vifi and the Second Sister flying high above the temple, soaring towards the backside with their spinning lightsaber jet thrusters. Once again, that is just simply not fair.

"Looks like they figured out your plan," Kanan observes with a frown.

"Then we shall alter it. I recommend that we split up and scale the Pyramid from two sides. They will also have to divide their forces," Maul advises.

"And let me guess, Ezra goes with you? No, thanks," Kanan shoots down immediately.

"It is the logical choice," Maul replies.

"For you," I add with a frown, displeased by the idea.

"I say we split up," Ezra interrupts, eager to go with Maul. "Trust me!"

My face was set into a heavy frown, bordering a scowl as I had my arms crossed in displeasure. Kanan also wasn't happy, but he eventually sighed in defeat, giving in too Ezra's wishes.

"Excellent, excellent," Maul says in satisfaction, walking towards the lift. "You will find another lift on the far side, we will meet again on the next terrace."

"Hey, why don't I tag along with them too?" Mara asks me, Ahsoka and Kanan.

"No way," I shoot down immediately.

"Only two can travel on these lifts at one time girl," Maul adds with a frown.

"Hey, I wasn't asking you," Mara retorts, before looking back at us. "Please? I can make sure they don't delve into any... bad decisions."

I wanted to keep her from going with Maul at any cost, but Ahsoka shared a brief glance with me, giving a subtle nod. I eventually gave in to her wish, reluctantly nodding my head.

"Great!" she says happily.

"Again, I will have you know that only two can travel on these lifts," Maul adds.

"That's fine," Mara says, pulling out a grappling hook from her belt and grinning. "I'll just use this."

"I suppose that'll be fine," Ezra comments.

"Very well," Maul growls. He presses the button on the side of the wall, allowing the lift to quickly ascend to the upper levels of the temple. Mara shoots her grappling hook into the side of it and then jumps into a side-standing position on the pillar, allowing herself to rise upwards fairly easily. I watch her go uneasily, feeling like this is a bad idea.

"They'll be fine," Ahsoka reassures us.

"Yeah? How do you know that?" Kanan questions with a frown.

"Because you taught Ezra," she replies with a smile. "And we taught Mara."

Kanan glances at me, and I shrug in response, accepting my wife's wisdom with a small smile. We began our walk towards the other side of the temple for the next lift, when I stop with narrowed eyes, glancing back down the side of the temple. Someone was traveling down below... instead of upwards... it was the Third Brother.

"Jarik? What's wrong?" Kanan asks me.

"I can sense him to," Ahsoka says with a frown.

"The Third Brother is going further down the temple, instead of upwards..." I say slowly.

"Why would he do that?" he asks.

I glance at Ahsoka, nodding at her. "I'll go and figure that out. You two keep going to the top."

"You sure about this Jarik?" Ahsoka asks.

"Yeah. There's no reason for him to not come after us unless he was after something really important," I state intently.

"Well, good luck then," she says.

"You too," I reply with a grin.

With that being said I jump off of the terrace and fall further down the temple, following after where I could sense the Third Brother was going. He was headed deep inside of the Sith temple, at it's very roots. And the closer I got to the bottom, the more the sense of power increased in my mind. I don't have any doubts that what I am sensing is the artifact that woke up along with the rest of the Sith temple.

And Third Brother was eager to get it.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

Mara pressed a button on her grappling hook and it pulled her all the way to the top, where she flipped onto the terrace just behind Maul and Ezra. They gave her a glance as she stood to her feet, but soon continued along once she joined them, standing beside Ezra. Not a few moments later however, several of Vifi's probe droids came out of nowhere and flew towards the trio, prompting them to pull out their lightsabers.

The probe droids all shot laser bolts at the group, which the three swiftly and easily moved to deflect, redirecting some of their fire back at the droids. Mara swiped her lightsaber at an incoming laser to deflect it, and it soared through the air back at one of the droids, destroying it with an electrical explosion. Ezra deflected another laser bolt back at a probe droid, and Maul jumped through the air to slash down at another one. The final droid shot one bolt at Ezra, who evaded it, before Mara threw her lightsaber through the air to stab it through.

As she was calling her lightsaber back, a red spinning saberstaff zoomed directly towards Ezra, who just barely managed to block it, sending it back to its owner. Vifi caught her lightsaber and opened her mask, letting out a dark and triumphant laugh. With a scowl, Ezra and Maul charged for the Inquisitor, the latter spinning his own lightsaber in challenge. Mara made to follow before another lightsaber was sent hurtling towards her, which she batted away with a surprised shout, before being called back by the Second Sister, who was charging down the steps on the other side.

"Mara!" Ezra exclaims in alarm, noticing the Second Sister approaching.

"I've got this, keep going!" Mara yells back, raising her lightsaber in challenge and charging for her worst enemy.

"Ezra!" Maul shouts at him, gesturing him to keep going.

"What's wrong child? Worried for your friend?" Vifi taunts with a sickening smirk.

Scowling, Ezra charges back up the stairs with a loud yell, angry at Vifi and determined to take her out for good.

*:*:*

Ahsoka and Kanan were ascending higher up the temple on another one of the lifts when they heard Ezra's yell.

"Well that doesn't sound good," Kanan says worriedly.

Ahsoka however was focused on something above them.

"Look out!" she exclaims in alarm. Above them, the Fifth Brother was standing at the terrace with his lightsaber activated.

He slashed down furiously at them but the lift was already lowering downwards again, causing him to miss and hit the ground instead. Activating her own lightsabers, Ahsoka leaps high into the air and flips over him, deflecting a strike on the way while Kanan jumps to the ledge and struggles to pull himself up. Ahsoka lands on the terrace and turns to face the Fifth Brother, blocking an attack with her left lightsaber blade. Kanan pulls himself to his feet and activates his own blue lightsaber, ready to strike when the Fifth Brother whips around with his saber's spinning feature, knocking him off balance before slashing at Ahsoka again, who parried the strike easily.

He goes on the offensive with powerful swings that are blocked or deflected by Ahsoka, and Kanan moves to attack again. Before he could however, the Eighth Brother had charged up the side of the terrace with his spinning blade and kicked Kanan in the back, sending him stumbling. Ahsoka gasped in alarm when she saw the Eighth Brother about to strike Kanan's unprotected back, and so she leaped underneath the Fifth Brother's next swing and brought up her lightsabers to block the Eighth Brother's attack.

Kanan glances up, and the Eighth Brother scowls before shoving at Ahsoka, who slashes at him with her other saber. Seeing the Fifth Brother storm forwards, he raised his lightsaber and went on the attack, causing them to get into a fight with hard brutal slashes and swings. Ahsoka and the Eighth Brother also get into a fierce duel, the agile and speedy Inquisitor proving to be a contender against Ahsoka's own skills.

*:*:*

Mara flipped over the Second Sister, who whipped around to deliver a hard strike against her in response. She blocked it with her own violet blade, deflecting and dodging the next few strikes before entering into a blade lock with her.

"Well isn't this nice," Second Sister says with a smirk. "You'll get the chance to join your beloved parents very soon!"

Mara scowls, shoving the Second Sister backwards before delivering an upward slash. Second Sister bats it aside and advances forwards with a few quick attacks, spinning her lightsaber every so often in an attempt to unbalance her. However Mara had been training hard for the last few weeks since their last encounter, and had improved much since then. She dodges or deflects the Second Sister's attacks in quick succession, backpedaling towards a staircase. Standing a few feet above her, the Second Sister scoffs in response.

"You might as well give up now Jade," she says.

"Force, do you ever shut up?" Mara retorts with a grin.

Scowling, the Second Sister marches up the stairs with her lightsaber spinning, and slashes up at Mara, who parries and deflects her blows while allowing herself to be backed further up the staircase.

*:*:*

 **Jarik POV...**

The ground fast approaching, I tensed up and used the Force to soften my landing on the ground. Standing back up to my full height, I stare down the dark triangular doorway leading further inside with a frown, sensing the powerful artifact to be far within, as well as the presence of the Third Brother. Warily, I start walking down into the dark depths of the temple, pulling how my blue lightsaber for some light.

Whispers seemed to surround me as the darkness grew, and the light faded the deeper I went into the temple. Glancing around the sides of the walls warily, I took note of the red glowing lines marking up the walls with a dim glow. The further I went inside, the more the power of this artifact seemed to be growing in strength, feeling so similar to the stone underneath Vader's castle, as if it was connected... yet also different... Dark spirits whispered around me, but I kept them at bay, sensing Ahsoka's presence subconsciously doing the same over the bond despite being in combat currently.

 _But one never knows for sure..._

The moment I hear that deep voice I come to a stop. Turning around, I widen my eyes to see that I'm suddenly not in the same corridor that I entered.

 _...can be whatever I want._

Turning back around, I gasp quietly to see that I was suddenly standing in a massive cavern, with the darkness swirling all around me. The only light in the cavern came from a bright white glow at the far was completely quiet, aside from the sound of my footsteps and the groaning of stone, echoing throughout the chamber. But it was what lay in the center of the cavern that had my attention, and it was where the immense source of power I've been feeling came from.

Set on the rocky pathway stretching over an abyss was a tall black monolith, rectangular in shape, that had an opening towards the bottom. Inside that opening I could hear voices whispering in my mind, shrieking and echoing darkly. Leaning down to look, I saw swirling red and black energy that radiated the source of power and the whispering echoes. And the amount of power this swirling matter gave off, it felt... _infinite_.

Not even Mortis could compare to its might.

"SHAN!"

I stood back up and turned around to see the Third Brother standing at the entrance of this massive cavern, staring me down. I couldn't see his face due to the mask, but the fury and disbelief behind his glare was something I could easily feel.

"Stand aside from the artifact!" he demands.

I glance between him and the swirling matter glowing red inside the monolith, and stare back at the Third Brother.

"I don't think so," I reply, quoting my old Master.

Third Brother scowls, activating both blades of his lightsaber and charging forwards with a war cry. I respond by pulling out both of my lightsabers and dashing towards the Third Brother, determined not to let this source of power fall into the Empire's hands.

*:*:*

 **3rd person POV...**

Ezra dashed up the stairs and immediately started slashing his lightsaber hard at Vifi, pressing her back. She deflected his strikes with a flashing twirl of her red lightsaber, grinning at him. During the confrontation, Maul watched gleefully with a smirk on his face.

"That's it young one! Use your anger, use your pain! Let it fill you, fill you!" he encourages.

Ezra heeds Mauls advice without question, too caught up in his rage at Vifi to fully understand what it is that Maul is telling him. Slamming his lightsaber down, he enters a blade lock with Vifi for a few moments before shoving her back. She spins around from the shove, facing Ezra agin with a frown on her face before widening her eyes in alarm. Behind Ezra, Maul was raising his arm, clenching his fist and grabbing the Inquisitor in a choke hold.

Vifi gags as her throat was constricted by an invisible force, lifting her into the air helplessly. Her lightsaber was turned off, and she grasped at her throat as Maul continued to choke her while she stared down at the pair with terrified eyes.

"No! No!" she whimpers in fear.

"Strike her down!" Maul shouts with a growl, turning his saber off. "You want to end this? Finish her!"

Ezra glances uneasily at Maul, raising his lightsaber towards Vifi. She whimpers in fear with terrified eyes at seeing Ezra raising his lightsaber to strike with a determined gleam in his eyes. However, seeing the look of fear in her eyes made Ezra falter in his decision. She was genuinely terrified... of him! How could he end someone's life so ruthlessly like that, even an Inquisitor? And what about Ahsoka and Jarik... Vifi was their friend.

Would they want to see Vifi dead?

"I- I can't!" Ezra admits helplessly, shutting his lightsaber off and looking down.

Vifi's gaze slowly turned into a sly smirk upon seeing Ezra falter in his decision to kill her. Maul however, was not pleased. He grunts in anger, activating his lightsaber and then lets out a yell of fury and rage, throwing his lightsaber at her. The spinning red blades hurtle directly towards Vifi, and she screams in terror, raising a hand in a futile attempt to block it. In her last moments, she subconsciously stretched out her fear and terror to the last two people she was close to.

 **AHSOKA! JARIK!**

* * *

 _Ahsoka slashed her lightsaber at the Eighth Brother, knocking him a few feet away when something hit her. She widens her eyes in horror, feeling the long since dormant clan bond with Vifi flare to life one last time with her terror, before breaking forever. Despite knowing all the things that Vifi had done, she couldn't help the choked sob that threatened to break._

 _She was dead._

*:*:*

 _Jarik vaulted over the Third Brother's back and swiftly turned around, Force pushing him to the ground when it hit. He'd almost forgotten about it, but the clan bond with Vifi that's been dormant ever since the formation of the Empire spiked one last time, broadcasting her fear, before breaking apart and going dark forever, as she was snuffed out. He was frozen in place with shock, saddened despite knowing what she's done in service to the Sith._

 _The Third Brother charged at him again with a furious yell, breaking him from his momentary brief and resuming their battle._

 _*:*:*_

 _Halfway across the galaxy, Rylla was sitting in the cockpit of her and Hayden's ship, listening to him prattle on and on about this new job they were taking with a soft smile of amusement on her face. She then widened her eyes and gasped as the dormant clan bond she hasn't touched in years suddenly flared to life. She could feel the terror of her old friend, Vifi, moments before she was snuffed out, breaking it forever._

 _Rylla began to quietly cry as Hayden was looking over at her in concern, immediately trying to figure out what was wrong._

*:*:*

Ezra gasped in horror as the lightsaber cleaved Vifi in two, from her right hip to her left shoulder. Vifi's corpse fell to its knees, the metallic sound of her lightsaber falling ringing loudly in his ears, and the remains of Vifi collapsed onto the cold stone with a thud in two separate pieces. Ezra breathed hard with wide eyes, struggling to comprehend what he saw as Maul slowly leaned down beside him, speaking quietly into his ear.

"The next time you hesitate like that, it might cost you your life," he growls, before speaking more softly. "Or the lives of your friends."

"...But Vifi was Ahsoka and Jarik's friend," Ezra replies quietly, still in a state of shock.

Maul frowns at him. "You felt your anger against, Vifi, did you not? She made her choice."

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

I delivered a horizontal strike against the Second Sister a she continued marching up after me, and she blocked it before lashing out with her own attack. Leaning away from her swipe, I flipped backwards onto the top of the flight of stairs, holding my lightsaber in a Shien handgrip as she charged up the staircase, slamming her lightsaber down. I blocked and parried, continuously backing up as the Second sister kept advancing with her angry slashes and strikes, attempting to bat my lightsaber away.

The biggest mistakes I've made in previous encounters against the Second Sister is that I kept fighting too much with my anger and pain at what she did to me, something she exploited to perfection. Now though, I was much more calm as I kept up the defense against her attacks, whereas she was obviously more frustrated.

"Why do you continue to persist girl? Your friends will soon die, as will you!" she declares, striking the ground after I dodged out of the way. "It is inevitable."

"Yeah, it's as inevitable as you looking like a total doofus," I retort, charging forwards and swinging my lightsaber heavily, causing her to stumble back briefly.

"Your attempts to insult me will get you nowhere Jade," she snarls.

"I don't know, they work pretty well for my dad," I remark wth a careless shrug, grinning.

Seething, she dashes forwards for me again, suddenly attacking with a series of furious blows and catching me by surprise. She swung vertical, horizontal, left, right, up down, and this time I was stumbling backwards more than I wanted to. With an enraged yell, she slams her red lightsaber down onto mine, entering the two of us into a blade lock as she forces me against a wall, leaving me trapped.

"There is nowhere to run, and this time your precious adopted father is nowhere nearby to save you!" she exclaims.

I grit my teeth nervously, noting how the two sparking and sizzling lightsabers were slowly being forced closer and closer to my face. I groan angrily as I start shoving the two lightsabers back in the opposite direction, calling upon the Force to give me more strength. Second Sister growls angrily, pushing back once again as I keep trying to get past her. Finally, with a determined yell I slip underneath the two blades and roll back to my feet on the other side, pushing off the ground in her direction.

My blade fell heavily against hers, causing her to stumble back uncontrollably. As she attempted to regain her balance, I shut my lightsaber off and brought back both of my arms, and then I thrust them out with all of my power in the Force. Second Sister was blown clear off the side of the temple and into the air with a furious yet fearful scream, falling down into the darkness of the ruined city far below. I had no idea if she survived or not, as I couldn't see her flying with a lightsaber, but I had no clue.

Sighing in exhaustion, I collapsed to my knees with heavy breaths, a little bit surprised that I've actually beaten her for once!

The surprise went away as a sudden chill in the dark side had me looking up, sensing a terrifyingly familiar presence approaching. If I looked closely, I thought I could see several of the lights in the underground ceiling disappearing briefly for a moment, as if something was passing over it. Whatever it was, it made me shiver in fear. Glancing to the side suddenly, I spotted Ezra ascending to the top of the temple by himself determinedly.

I quickly move to follow after him.

* * *

 _ **Moments earlier -**_ **3rd person POV...**

Kanan's yell accompanied by lightsaber slashes broke Ezra out of his horror and shock, both he and Maul glancing up in the direction of the sound.

"We must hurry, I fear our companions are in danger," Maul says urgently.

Giving one last look of regret and horror to Vifi's corpse, Ezra quickly rushes up the stairs after Maul. Reaching the top of the staircase, they could see Ahsoka and Kanan fighting against the Eighth and Fifth Brothers below them, slowly pushing the Inquisitors back.

Maul then frowns, sensing something else. Looking up towards the dark starry surface roof far above them, he could sense a powerful force of darkness approaching, quickly deducing who it was. He could sense Darth Vader himself drawing ever closer, some of the spotlights disappearing for a moment to show that Vader's TIE Fighter was flying above the surface, looking for them. Ezra noticed Maul's stare and followed his gaze, only to see nothing.

"What is it?" he asks.

"Nothing," Maul says, tearing his gaze away. "We must not delay. I will handle this. You take the holocron. Place it in the obelisk, activate the temple, gain the knowledge you seek!"

Ezra looks down at the battle going on before nodding to Maul. "I'll meet you at the top."

Once Ezra rushed away, Maul turned to look down at the ongoing battle and activated his lightsaber, jumping down. The Eighth and Fifth Brothers momentarily paused in their attack upon noticing him jumping down, and backed up nervously. Maul then landed in front of Kanan and Ahsoka and swiftly went into action, wasting no time in slashing his lightsaber at the two Inquisitors, kicking the Fifth Brother in the gut and striking again.

Ahsoka and Kanan glanced at each other before nodding, the latter moving forwards towards the Fifth Brother. Maul swiped at his head and the Fifth Brother ducked, but was unable to avoid Kanan as he slashed his blue lightsaber through his own, sending it clattering to the ground in a shower of sparks. Fifth Brother widens his eyes in alarm and looks up in fear as Maul comes charging forwards, slicing his double-bladed lightsaber through his torso, ending his life with a pained cry.

Ahsoka swiped her lightsabers at the Eight Brother, deflecting and parrying his own attacks before twirling past his guard and damaging his lightsaber, shoving him back. The Eighth Brother stumbled backwards, his lightsaber sparking for a few moments, and turned his gaze back to his enemies. Ahsoka, Maul and Kanan all stood before him, readying their lightsabers in challenge if he so dared to try and take all three of them on, Ahsoka standing in front as a clear leader, appearing quite dominant.

WIthout a moments hesitation, the Eighth Brother decided to cut his losses and get out of there as fast as he could. Twirling around, he activated the jets of his lightsaber and jumped into the air, beginning to fly away. However, the damaged lightsaber couldn't handle the use of the jets and immediately broke apart in a sparking explosion. The Eighth Brother fell several hundred feet down the side of the temple with a terrified scream, while the victors of the battle watched.

With the threat over, Maul turned around and looked up the side of the temple with a grin on his face.

"Where's Ezra?" Kanan demands.

"You mean, my apprentice?" Maul asks gleefully in reply.

Ahsoka and Kanan both widen their eyes in alarm, glancing at each other. Without a seconds hesitation, Maul whipped around like a flashed and dashed forwards with a blazing lightsaber, headed directly for Kanan. The Jedi Knight only had a moment to widen his eyes in alarm before the red blade cut through them causing him to scream in agony, dropping to his knees.

"Kanan!" Ahsoka yells in alarm.

All Kanan could see was red, his senses on fire as the agony of a lightsaber slashing his eyes burned through every section of his body like lava being pored on his head. He held a hand tightly to his face, feeling the charred skin and small amounts of smoke rising from where his eyes should be. All he could feel was the pain on his face.

Maul grinned fiercely, dashing forwards to finish him off, but Ahsoka leapt in between them, blocking his lightsaber with her own white blades, scowling angrily at him. She shoved him back, standing protectively in front of Kanan.

"My apprentice is activating the temple, or more precisely, this battle-station! Which I shall use, to exact my revenge, on ALL my enemies!" Maul declares gleefully.

"What have you done to Mara and Ezra?" Ahsoka demands.

"Oh, not much," he replies with a smirk.

*:*:*

 **Mara POV...**

I finally reached the top of the Sith temple, seeing Ezra slowly approaching a floating obelisk in the center.

"Ezra!" I call out.

He turns to me, surprised. "Mara? You're okay!"

"Yeah, I blasted the Second Sister off the side of the temple, but I don't know if she survived or not," I explain. "What about Vifi and Maul?"

"Maul went to help the others, and Vifi..." he says, hesitating and making me narrow my eyes. "I'll tell you later. Right now, I'm trying to activate the temple with this holocron so we can learn the secrets of the Sith."

I eye him suspiciously for a moment before letting it go, deciding we have more important matters.

"Alright, so how do you do that?" I ask him.

"Well... Maul said to place the holocron in the obelisk," he says, gesturing to the floating obelisk behind him.

"Alright, then do it," I tell him.

Ezra nods before pulling out the Sith holocron and we slowly approach the obelisk, hearing evil whispers echoing around it. He holds the holocron up to the obelisk, and it starts to float in the air for a moment, before moving into the center of the two obelisk stones. Immediately, purple lightning is generated from the obelisk and runs through the holocron, which glows a bright red in response.

 _"Who comes forth, before the holocron of the Lord of Betrayal?"_ a woman's voice demands of us.

"Uhh Ezra? Ezra Bridger!" Ezra says.

"And Mara Jade Shan!" I add.

 _"Shan... how interesting..."_ the voice whispers. _"What do you seek here, daughter of Shan?"_

"We were told this holocron is the key to knowledge!" Ezra informs the voice.

 _"Indeed Ezra and Mara! And do you know what knowledge is?"_ the woman asks.

"What is it?" I ask her.

 _"Knowledge... is POWER!"_ she declares.

The holocron suddenly glows with power, and an immense energy burst of red swirling energy radiates off of it, exploding outwards into the air, and shooting a concentrated beam of pure red matter directly above it, breaking through the surface and shining like a spotlight into the sky.

*:*:*

 **Jarik POV...**

I spun my lightsaber around, twirling past one of the Third Brother's attacks and striking at his back. He quickly holds up his lightsaber to block it, and then turns to face me with his spinning lightsaber, jumping at me wildly. I backpedal, deflecting the strikes he sent my way while backpedaling closer and closer to the monolith carrying the powerful artifact. I raise my blue lightsaber to stop his overhead strike, and then lash out for his chest, to which he quickly backs away from.

"Make it easier on yourself Jedi! I will have that monolith's power!" he hisses.

"I'd give it my all before I let Papa Palps wield power of this magnitude," I retort sarcastically.

He chuckles to himself. "You think I plan on giving that to the Emperor?"

I frown at his response in confusion, when activity from the monolith suddenly halted the two of us in our attacks. Looking at it, its spike in energy was increasing, pulsing like a beating heart as glowing red lines ran across the surface towards the monolith. It the surged into the swirling matter inside of the monolith, which let out a shriek before glowing a bright red. Immediately the chamber around us began to shake and groan, the surge of power being sent out by this artifact absolutely mind boggling. I quickly came to realize that this swirling matter is what powers the Sith temple, the weapon that wiped out all of the Jedi and Sith several millennia ago, leaving them as petrified husks of ash and stone.

"Oh Force..." I say quietly. Who was activating the temple?!

"And now you will die!" Third Brother exclaims.

I whip around to face him just as he jumps into the air and comes crashing down on top of me. I raise both my blue and green lightsabers to block him, but the force behind his strike left me tumbling to the ground, holding my lightsabers just above my face to keep his from cutting my head off. He growls, pressing down as hard as he could while standing over me, my head just barely hanging over the abyss far below. He continues to press down harder and harder, but with a determined scowl, I push back even more with newfound strength, shoving him back and kick him in the shin.

He yells out in pain, as being kicked in the shins is never fun, and I deactivate my green lightsaber, grab the Third Brother by the shirt with my metal arm, and then throw him out and down the abyss. He lets out a furious yell as he falls down, disappearing into the darkness below. I breathe out heavily, deactivating my blue lightsaber as well and laying there for a moment, glancing at the monolith. The swirling red matter within continued to glow and let out haunting shrieks as it provided power to the temple. It's here that I'm deciding that no one should ever know of power like this, lest they use it for the wrong purposes.

 _"Jarik! Maul's turned suddenly on us and blinded Kanan! Make it back up soon will you?"_ Ahsoka suddenly says over our Force bond.

I slowly get up, widening my eyes in alarm at hearing what happened to Kanan, before narrowing them angrily.

 _"On my way,"_ I tell her. giving one last look to the artifact, I rush out of there as fast as I could, ready to finally give Maul a piece of my mind.

*:*:*

 **3rd person POV...**

The activation of the temple, along with the large explosion of energy it gave off has the two fighters stopping our battle for a few moments, although Maul was grinning gleefully.

"The power will be mine! Ezra will be mine! And there is nothing you or Shan can do to stop me!" Maul declares triumphantly with a wild growl.

He dashes forwards towards Ahsoka again and she renews the fight, deflecting and blocking his attacks before spinning around, unleashing her own fast paced offensive to try and throw him off. Having send a message over the bond to Jarik, Ahsoka could only hope he made it there soon. As the two combatants were dueling however, Kanan was slowly crawling along the ground, managing to pick up his lightsaber, and then picking up an old worn temple guard mask.

Ahsoka bats Mauls attack to the side and then vaults gracefully over his next slash, coming up on his other side and blocking his lightsaber. Breaking apart, she then jumps back several feet up onto the flight of stairs.

"Running away again, Lady Tano?" Maul asks mockingly.

Ahsoka just smiles at him. "If you wanna finish our fight, you'll have to deal with him first."

Maul frowns in confusion, turning around to spot Kanan standing firmly in front of him, wearing the mask of a temple guard.

"Go get Ezra and Mara!" he tells her.

Ahsoka nods at him before rushing up the stairs, while Maul scoffs mockingly at him.

"I, will make this quick," he chuckles.

In response, Kanan activates his blue lightsaber and holds it in a reverse grip, holding his ground. "You had your chance!"

Maul frowns at him before slowly walking forwards, moving towards the left. Kanan tenses up, sensing Maul's movements through the Force along with his sense of hearing. He could make out the clanking of Maul's robotic legs, and practically see him through the Force. He could see clearly as Maul swiped his lightsaber through the air and then dashed forwards.

Raising his lightsaber, Kanan calmly blocks Maul's attack, blocking and deflecting his next series of strikes and then catches Maul's attempted punch, twisting around and yanking him towards the edge. Hitting the statue, Maul stumbles off the edge of the terrace with a scream, tumbling down to the lower levels. Kanan sighs in relief, collapsing to one knee when his comlink beeps. R5's urgent voice filters through, and he picks up the comlink.

"R5? How did you _[...beeps...]_ Okay fine! We need a pick up!" he asks, before R5 once again beeps frantically in alarm. "A TIE Fighter? Are you sure?"

*:*:*

 **Mara POV...**

The activation of the entire Sith temple with this immense power has us enraptured, and quite honestly not sure what to do yet, when the woman's voice speaks again.

 _"I have been waiting,"_ she states.

"What is going on?" I ask her.

 _"The power to destroy life and change Reality, is at your command!"_ she states, much to our shock.

"What?!" Ezra exclaims. "No! No no that's not what we wanted!"

 _"Then perhaps the other who approaches, will claim it instead!"_ she states in contempt.

I whip around in alarm, sharing a concerned glance with Ezra, whose eyes were wide in surprise and dread.

"Maul," he realizes.

"No wonder my dad didn't trust him," I state angrily.

Together, we both rush out of the center of the chamber and towards the ledge to try and warn the others.

"Kanan! Ahsoka, Jarik! Maul trick us! This temple's a weapon!" Ezra yells.

Once we came to the edge I couldn't see anyone nearby, however the Force suddenly grew as I could sense a familiar being enveloped in darkness approaching. I widened my eyes in horror upon sensing who it is, Ezra slowly sensing it as well. A bright light suddenly flashed into our vision blindingly for a few moments, causing us to raise our arms. Once we got over the light, we both looked up to see Darth Vader soaring down closer to us on top of his TIE Fighter, lightsaber already ignited.

His cold mechanical breathing was audible to me even across the crackling electricity and the engines of his TIE fighter, as he stared down at me and Ezra. I swallowed nervously for a moment before hardening my gaze, laying a hand on my lightsaber, prepared to fight with every ounce of power that I've got.

* * *

 _Wow, what a cliffhanger huh! Yeah I'm evil! :)_

 _Lord Vader has finally arrived on Malachor, yet everyone is currently separated right now! This can't be good... cannot be good at all! And by the way... MERRY CHRISTMAS! :D_


	97. Ch 96 - Twilight of the Apprentice Pt 3

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! :D (kinda late but this is so I can let everyone know lol)

* * *

 _ **Previously, on A Jedi in Exile...**_

 _The activation of the entire Sith temple with this immense power has us enraptured, and quite honestly not sure what to do yet, when the woman's voice speaks again._

"I have been waiting," _she states._

 _"What is going on?" I ask her._

"The power to destroy life and change Reality, is at your command!" _she states, much to our shock._

 _"What?!" Ezra exclaims. "No! No no that's not what we wanted!"_

"Then perhaps the other who approaches, will claim it instead!" _she states in contempt._

 _I whip around in alarm, sharing a concerned glance with Ezra, whose eyes were wide in surprise and dread._

 _"Maul," he realizes._

 _"No wonder my dad didn't trust him," I state angrily._

 _Together, we both rush out of the center of the chamber and towards the ledge to try and warn the others._

 _"Kanan! Ahsoka, Jarik! Maul trick us! This temple's a weapon!" Ezra yells._

 _Once we came to the edge I couldn't see anyone nearby, however the Force suddenly grew as I could sense a familiar being enveloped in darkness approaching. I widened my eyes in horror upon sensing who it is, Ezra slowly sensing it as well. A bright light suddenly flashed into our vision blindingly for a few moments, causing us to raise our arms. Once we got over the light, we both looked up to see Darth Vader soaring down closer to us on top of his TIE Fighter, lightsaber already ignited._

 _His cold mechanical breathing was audible to me even across the crackling electricity and the engines of his TIE fighter, as he stared down at me and Ezra. I swallowed nervously for a moment before hardening my gaze, laying a hand on my lightsaber, prepared to fight with every ounce of power that I've got._

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

With a swing of his crimson lightsaber, Darth Vader leapt from his TIE Fighter directly towards us. Me and Ezra both backed up nervously, and I whipped out my violet blade as he came in for a landing, and Ezra turned on his blue lightsaber as well. Vader landed right in front of us in a crouch before standing up, marching towards us menacingly.

"You have unlocked the secret of the temple," he states, sounding almost impressed, before his tone becomes hard. "How did YOU accomplish this?"

"You're a smart one," I retort with a glare. "Figure it out!"

Vader swings his saber at me and I move to block it, grimacing at the absurd power behind his attack, before he shoves me away. Ezra also swings his lightsaber forwards, being easily blocked. The two of us try slashing our lightsabers at him, but he easily blocks both of us, catching our two sabers in one blade lock before pressing down hard to shove us away.

"No matter," he says uncaringly, towering over us. "The power within will soon serve the Emperor!"

"I don't fear you!" Ezra declares.

"Then you will die, braver than most," Vader replies, raising his lightsaber overhead.

I widen my eyes and move forwards, blocking his lightsaber and shoving the blade away with a grunt of exertion. I swipe at him quickly from below and then above, but he easily deflects my attacks before swinging upwards with a heavy blow, sending me flying a few feet away. Ezra attempts to attack, but Vader retaliates with a downwards strike, stumbling him off balance, and then slashing upwards. Ezra goes flying backwards with a cry and lands on the ground, his lightsaber clattering to pieces beside him.

"Perhaps I was wrong," Vader muses.

I widen my eyes and scramble back to my feet, standing in between Vader and Ezra determinedly, the latter of which scoots back fearfully. My purple blade lights up my face with a violet glow, contrasting against Vader's blood red.

"You never give up do you Jade? Just like your mother," he states, raising his lightsaber.

I tense up in preparation for Vader to throw everything he has at me, when a voice cuts through the conflict.

"And neither do you," Mom says calmly.

Vader falters in his swing, lowering his lightsaber to turn around and face Mom, who was standing there calmly, staring intently at him.

*:*:*

 **Ahsoka POV...**

Seeing Vader for the first time had me unsure and hesitant, especially once he faltered in his attack on Mara and Ezra to slowly turn around and face me. The idea that the man underneath all of that fearsome armor was Anakin... seems almost impossible. Still, I had just revealed myself, and so I took a deep breath to steel my nerves and gazed right back at him, offering a slight nod.

"It was foretold that you would be here. Our long awaited meeting has come at last," he says, his voice sounding more machine-like, so unlike Anakin.

"I'm glad I gave you something to look forward to," I manage to reply calmly.

As he deactivates his lightsaber without sparing a glance to the kids I gave Mara a firm look, signaling her to get herself and Ezra back. She reluctantly agreed, and helped to lead Ezra away from Vader slowly.

"We need not be adversaries. The Emperor will show you mercy, if you give Shan over to the Empire, and tell me where the remaining Jedi can be found," he demands coldly.

"There are no Jedi!" I exclaim in upset. "You and your Inquisitors have seen to that!"

"Perhaps these _children_ , will confess what you will not," Vader says darkly, turning around to stare down at Ezra and Mara, who freeze in alarm. Mara raises her own lightsaber again defensively.

"I was beginning to believe I knew who you were, behind that mask, but it's impossible!" I say angrily. "My master could _never_ , be as vile as you!"

"And you believe that?" Vader retorts, turning back around to look at me, most likely glaring. " _Shan_ has told you all there is to know? You are a fool to follow him."

"Jarik is not a bad person! He wanted to help you, but he never got the chance to do so!" I exclaim sadly.

"Jarik Shan is a liar, a traitorous fool, and a war criminal," Vader says with cold fury. "You are no better than him, I see that. Especially with how you are... married to him?"

I widen my eyes, glancing down at the ring on my hand. It's not that visible, yet he could clearly see it. But this knowledge came to him beforehand, I could sense it! How...?

"How... how do you know about that?" I ask with a whisper, tears threatening to break.

"You think you can keep everything so secret Tano?" he growls mockingly. "You think that you will ever achieve happiness with Shan?"

"He and Obi-Wan just wanted to help, but the Emperor manipulated you to his advantage!" I plead with him, trying to make him see reason. "I can understand your hate for Obi-Wan, I heard what happened! But with Jarik... why? He wanted to help save Anakin Skywalker, just like I want to as well!"

"You have no idea of their crimes," he growls. "Anakin Skywalker was weak. I destroyed him!"

I shut my eyes, a tear streaming forth upon hearing how much hate he was spewing against my friends. Master Kenobi I can understand, but I know that what Jarik has told me is the truth, I could feel it! How could he say such things about Jarik, and about who he was? Can I... really, redeem him...? Maybe Jarik was right... maybe this isn't something I can do.

With a tear rolling down my face, I reopen my eyes and glare at Vader with newfound determination. "Then I will avenge his death!"

"Revenge is not the Jedi way!" he replies, almost tauntingly.

My gaze hardens, knowing how wrong that comment was. He should know as well.

"I am no Jedi!"

With those words and the firm glare on my face, I slowly pull out my lightsabers and activate them, allowing the silvery glow to light up my face. Vader does the same, letting his crimson blade flare to life slowly with a snapping hiss, and holds his lightsaber out in from of him.

After a momentary pause, I dash forwards quickly at a sprint, and jump into the air for Vader. I kick out with my feet for his head, but he leans to the side and slashes horizontally, to which I duck underneath. I swing my lightsabers up to bat his blade away, to which he raises it and slams it back down, requiring me to block with both blades. I twirl around his lightsaber and slash out with my second blade, but he brings his own to block it as my first blade comes in to join the strike. We shove our sabers around in a momentary blade lock before I separate. I backpedal and duck under his next swing, and then thrust my arms out to blow him several feet away with the Force.

"Mara, you two retrieve the holocron," I order firmly.

"But-" she starts to protest.

I don't pay any attention to her next words before jumping high into the air with my white blades raised. Vader looks up to see me falling towards him and holds up his lightsaber with one hand. I slam my blades onto his before flipping over him, ducking underneath his next swing and then raising my lightsabers to block his. He slams his lightsaber down hard onto me, pressing harder and forcing the blades closer to my face. With a grunt I shove him away before flipping backwards to avoid the next few swings he aims for me.

Vader continues to advance forwards, pushing me further outside the main chamber of the temple while I keep weaving and deflecting his strikes, backing away.

*:*:*

 **Mara POV...**

"I need a lot more training," Ezra remarks in awe.

"She is good," I reply proudly despite still being worried, when I recall the problem. "The holocron!"

We both whip our heads around the look at the holocron, where it was sizzling with purple electricity and the strange flowing red matter from before, which just gave off immense levels of power.

"We can't let him get it!" Ezra realizes.

Helping him to his feet I shut my lightsaber off, and the two of us rush over towards the obelisk, where the holocron continued to glow with harsh energy. Ezra gets closer and attempts to reach his hand out to grab it, but a flash of light sends Ezra flying back with a startled cry.

"Ezra!" I exclaim in alarm. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine," he groans, getting back to his feet. "But how are we supposed to get the holocron out?"

My face contorts to one of worry as we look back at the holocron. If it rejected Ezra, then what are we supposed to do? I have complete faith in my mom, but I still know that even she can only delay Vader for so long. How did he even know that Mom and Dad were married anyways...?

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

I dash forwards, jumping up to the next level of the temple, desperate to ascend as fast as I could. It was when I was running through a small courtyard that I noticed someone else approaching. They jumped down from the level above, landing on the ground in a roll on the opposite site. As they came to a stop, I quickly realized who it was just as they looked up to meet my gaze.

I narrowed my eyes furiously at Maul, and he scowled back at me before taking off. Growling to myself, I sprinted after him as fast as I could. He tried to outrun me, but I used the Force to quickly increase my speed and leapt for him, tackling him to the ground. He tumbled down with a few pained or angry grunts of exertion, before he kicked me off of him, activating his lightsaber. I rolled to the side and popped up with my own two blades, catching him in a blade lock.

"Why can't you stay out of my way?!" he roars furiously.

"Why can't you just die in a pit already?!" I retort, referring to how Obi-Wan first defeated him.

He yells furiously and begins slashing his lightsaber with frightening ferocity, but I dodge and evade his strikes while twirling around them with the occasional deflection, and then press off the ground in a powerful upwards saber strike. Maul stumbles backwards from the blow, and I raise both of my sabers to bring them down for a hard strike. He raises his saberstaff and blocks both of my lightsabers, before lashing out with his foot and kicking me, causing me to stumble backwards.

Maul quickly goes on the offensive again, and I move quickly to block and deflect his strikes, jabbing out with my sabers in retaliation. Unfortunately he twirls his sabers through my defense and manages to dislodge my green blade, forcing me back. I then sense him tensing up on his lower body, and quickly lean out of the way of his next attempt at kicking me. However this time I reach out with my left arm and grab his leg, causing him to grunt in surprise. With a yell, I whip around and use the momentum to slam him down onto the ground harshly, kicking him in the gut to send him rolling away.

"You've lost Maul! Just surrender now!" I declare.

"Never!" he growls, roaring and jumping to his feet again.

I backpedal while quickly deflecting his fast paced strikes before twirling around his next attack and shoving him away. Reaching out an arm, I call my green lightsaber back to me and whip around just in time to activate it and block his next attack with both of my blades. We shove against each other, scowling furiously.

"Unlike last time, I'm not a simple kid," I tell him.

"Oh we shall see Shan," he says darkly. "We shall see!"

* * *

 **Mara POV...**

I was thinking furiously about how we could remove the holocron from the obelisk, when an idea came to mind.

"Wait, I have an idea! The Sith work with the Rule of Two right?" I tell Ezra, to which he nods. "That means we both have to pull the holocron out!"

He lights up in realization, grinning. "You're right!"

Together, we both move towards the obelisk and reach out our hands, intending to grab the holocron. We were just about to lay our hands on it, when the holocron suddenly flares up violently and explodes with a burst of light, sending us flying away once again. I grunt in pain upon hitting the ground, shaking my head for a moment and then looking up incredulously at the holocron.

"What?! how could that not work!?" I exclaim.

"It takes a Master and and Apprentice!" someone calls out.

Recognizing the voice, me and Ezra both look over to see Kanan approaching slowly, being led along by R5 much to my surprise, with the Knight Hawk sitting just outside of the chamber.

"Kanan!" Ezra says happily.

We both get to our feet and rush over towards Kanan, but once we get close we begin to notice the mask of a Jedi temple guard that he was wearing on his face, bringing a concerned frown to mine.

"Wait, what happened? Why re you wearing that?" Ezra asks.

"I'll explain later. R5, get the Knight Hawk ready," Kanan says, his voice a little muffled, and R5 beeps in confirmation before rolling back. "Ezra, Mara, help me to the holocron."

"Kanan... your eyes," Ezra says quietly, guilt slowly seeping in.

"It was Maul, wasn't it?" I ask in horrified realization.

"Lets worry about that later," he says in reply, and we both get on either side of him to help lead him along. "We've got to get that holocron. Where's Ahsoka?"

Ezra glances at me in concern, and I let out a nervous sigh.

"My mom is with Vader," I inform him.

*:*:*

 **3rd person POV...**

On the large outstretch of stone outside of the massive temple chamber, Ahsoka was battling Darth Vader, slowly being forced back. He came at her with swift and heavy blows, slashing and swiping his saber to keep her constantly on the defensive. He rushes forwards fiercely with a few large swings, which she just manages to deflect, swiping back at him. He bats her attack aside and then raises his blade overhead, slamming it down fiercely, and she leans back to block the attack and backpedals further.

Vader continued to attack her relentlessly, swinging his lightsaber back and forth to continue batting her lightsabers away. The exhaustion was clearly beginning to show in Ahsoka as she kept deflecting his lightsaber strikes to the best of her abilities, having never been in a battle as intense as this before. Still she persisted, raising both of her lightsabers to block Vader's next horizontal strike, and then jabbing out with one of her own lightsabers towards his mask. Vader quickly raises his lightsaber defensively to block it, and then lowers his lightsaber before swiping it up in a powerful strike, causing her to stumble back more.

Ahsoka quickly backpedals away from Vader's next attack, and swipes her lightsabers to deflect his next intense barrage of swings and slashes. Vader bats her blades to the ground and then uses his momentum to twirl around for another powerful striking, which she blocks and holds there for a moment before he shoves her away. Vader slashes his lightsaber several more times at her, leaving her on the brink of exhaustion before brining his lightsaber back for one more powerful stroke. She recovers in time to raise both of her lightsabers, and the two enter a fierce blade block.

Ahsoka stood there with both lightsabers up to block Vader's strike, gritting her teeth intensely as she scowled up at him. However the Sith Lord remained impassive and steadfast, and separated briefly before slashing at her two more times. With one final strike he knocks her off balance and then thrusts out an arm, using the Force to blow her off the ledge with a startled cry.

Vader watches Ahsoka fall down the side of the temple, and then turns his attention towards the inner chamber, where the Sith holocron still lay.

*:*:*

 **Mara POV...**

I help Ezra lead Kanan closer to the obelisk, which was flashing furiously with purple lightning and the weird, red swirling energy that gave off freaky echoes.

"A few more steps guys!" I grunt out towards them, pushing Kanan gently in front of me so that Ezra could help direct his hand.

"Now reach! Higher!" Ezra says, grunting as he and Kanan reach out towards the holocron.

"We almost have it!" he tells Kanan encouragingly, and with one final stretch of their arms, the two wrap their hands around the holocron. Immediately, the energy within the obelisk and the temple's surroundings begins to flare violently from the tampering.

"Now pull!" he exclaims.

The two yank on the holocron as hard as they can, and manage to dislodge it. However the removal of the holocron causes them to get blown back with startled cries, the explosive energy wave also knocking me on my back too. I hit the ground with a pained grunt, rubbing my head before looking up, widening my eyes in alarm. The temple's structure was starting to crack, and the energy seemed to only grow, it's power pulsing erratically and dangerously.

"The temple's starting to collapse!" I exclaim in warning.

* * *

 **Jarik POV...**

I keep slashing my lightsabers at Maul, determined to take him down and not lose now. I was furious at him for so many different things, hurting Kanan, manipulating Ezra, hurting Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, and for hurting me, killing my parents! However I managed to keep my rage under control for this, using it just to amplify the speed and strength behind my attacks, but not my mindset.

Keeping myself on the offensive I keep slashing at Maul with quick speed, forcing him to back up defensively and deflect my fast blows from hitting him. He growls in rage like an animal and then lashes out for me in retaliation, to which I intercept his strike and twirl my lightsaber through his defenses, ripping his lightsaber from his grasp and then kicking him to the ground. I stand above him with a lightsaber held warningly to his throat, causing him to glare up at me in rage.

"You are beaten Maul! Unlike other times, there's nowhere to go," I tell him confidently.

The temple suddenly begins to flare up with violent bursts of energy, drawing our attention away from it for a moment. Then to my surprise and confusion, Maul begins to chuckle in amusement, making me whip around to glare at him.

"Oh young Shan you fool," he says in amusement, grinning widely up at me. "Have you forgotten about your precious wife? And... who she's with?"

I stare intently at him for a moments, before my face slowly contorts to horrified realization. Whipping my head up to look at the temple again, I faintly notice a TIE Fighter floating near the chamber up top... Vader's TIE Fighter. A quick check through the Force bond and I realized that Ahsoka was fighting Vader right now!

"Such a pity, the weaknesses of your love," Maul remarks in disgust.

Then without warning, he suddenly lashes out with his feet to make me stumble back, and then uses the Force to blow me away. I roll back across the ground and look up to see Maul standing at the edge of the terrace, lightsaber in hand. He grins smugly at me and offers a wave.

"Until next time Jarik Shan!" he says mockingly, and then jumps out of view.

I scramble to my feet, giving one last helpless look to where Maul had disappeared. With a frustrated scowl I turned away from him and ran towards the walls of the temple.

Reaching back, I put away my lightsabers for the time being and bring out a small grappling gun, aiming it up high and shooting the hook. Within moments it hit the height of its arc into the temple wall, and I quickly began ascending up the side of the temple dozens of feet as fast as I could. Reaching a small ledge at the end of the hook, I put the grappling gun away and then use the Force to continue to ascent, jumping up the temple to several ledges, panic soaring through my mind.

Landing at the top of one more terrace, I glance over to see Ahsoka pulling herself to her feet and widen my eyes.

"Ahsoka! Thank the Force!" I exclaim, rushing over to her.

"Jarik?!" she asks in surprise, looking up, and I quickly help her up to her feet.

"What happened? Why's the temple going crazy?!" I ask.

"No time to explain, we gotta go!" she says urgently. "Vader's up there!"

I widen my eyes in alarm and without another second to waste Ahsoka starts running up the staircase to the top, with me following quickly afterwards. We continued ascending several more staircases before finally reaching the top, and I look over the edge. I could see Vader standing there in the center near the obelisk, his hand outstretched. On the other side of the chamber I could see Ezra frantically trying to keep hold of the holocron, with Mara holding his arm and Kanan holding hers. Vader was trying to take the holocron, slowly walking towards them.

"Jarik!" Ahsoka says frantically.

"Come on!" I tell her, whipping out my blue lightsaber.

I charge into the chamber directly towards Vader with my blue lightsaber trailing by my side, Ahsoka not to far behind me. We were running at a sprint and, as we got closer, Vader could sense us coming and slowly turned around, releasing his hold on the holocron.

Using our Force bond we immediately came up with a plan of attack, and not a moment later Ahsoka used the Force to throw me forwards. Soaring through the air towards Vader, I lash out with my lightsaber as I fly over his head, but he blocks my strike as I go past him. However that was merely a diversion, and as I was still flying past him I reached out with an arm and yanked Ahsoka forwards with the Force to send her flying directly at Vader. He realized our attack too late and turned around to block her, but he only succeeded in deflecting one of her lightsabers.

With a furious yell, Ahsoka slashes her other lightsaber upwards and cuts open his helmet, causing him to fall down with a pained yell. Ahsoka and I both go tumbling to the ground while our lightsabers shut off, with me landing in between her and the rest of the group.

"Mom, Dad come on! Hurry!" Mara yells out towards us, waving a hand.

I get to my feet and quickly move after her in haste when a voice cut through through me, halting me in my tracks with a look of shock.

 _"Ahsoka!"_

Ahsoka had also stopped in shock upon hearing that voice, and I slowly turned around to see her face Vader. We both stared at him as he was crouched on the ground, his mechanical breathing sounding more like a pained wheeze. He then slowly lifts his head to show part of his mask was sliced open, revealing one glowing yellow eye... and eye that we both knew...

"Ahsoka," the voice of Anakin says, something I had not heard in a lifetime.

"Anakin..." Ahsoka whispers in reply, shocked.

We both watch as Vader- no... Anakin, slowly gets to his feet a few feet from the crackling obelisk, facing mostly Ahsoka with a stern gaze. She looks back at him while I survey the scene with wide eyes, shocked to hear Anakin once again, and also worried for Ahsoka.

 _"Jarik... please go..."_ Ahsoka whispers across the Force bond.

 _"What?!"_ I exclaim in bewilderment, whipping my head over to face her. She didn't turn to me, but a tear was rolling down her cheek.

"I won't leave you!" she tells Anakin, before softening her voice. "Not this time."

Anakin gazes at Ahsoka, his yellow eye actually softening for a few moments, considering.

 _"Ahsoka, you said we'd always be here for each other no matter what!"_ I tell her frantically. _"I promised I'd help you bring Anakin back!"_

She gives me a brief, momentary glance, and Anakin does as well, his yellow eye narrowing furiously again. Through the Force, I could sense her resignation.

 _"We can't,"_ she says sadly. _"Please tell me you can feel it... this is meant to happen."_

 _"No..."_ I plead desperately to her, a tear rolling from my cheek.

"Then you will DIE!" Vader declares, his eye widening with wild rage as his red lightsaber snaps to life.

 _"We'll see each other again... I believe that,"_ she tells me softly, and I widen my eyes in shock. I've heard those words before, but I always thought they belonged to someone else! How could I not recognize the voice as... Ahsoka? The Force swirls wildly around me in this very moment, telling me to go. I don't want to, and every instinct I have is telling me to stay with Ahsoka, with my wife, to the bitter end, but all I could feel was the opposite.

Would I... Would I see her again?

I hope so.

With great reluctance and grief, I close my eyes tightly to hold back the tears and back out of the chamber before I could change my mind. apparently I wasn't slow enough because Ahsoka slowly raises an arm to push me away with the Force outside of the chamber, where the doors were now closing.

"Mom!" Mara screams in horror, rushing forwards.

"Ahsoka!" Ezra yells in a panic, but Kanan grabs his arm to prevent him from leaving the ramp of the Knight Hawk.

I quickly reach out and grab her around the middle to keep her from going further, and she fought against me with furious protest, screaming for Ahsoka. My heart was breaking all the while, and I wanted nothing more than to do exactly what I was preventing Mara from doing.

"No, no! Mom!" she yells.

Ahsoka glances back at us, a tear rolling down her cheek as well, but she was resigned. Vader then marches forwards and raises his lightsaber, slamming it down. Just in time, Ahsoka whips out her lightsabers again to block his strike from behind her head, gritting her teeth. The doors close down in finality as Mara screams for her, sobbing.

"No! Noooo! Mom!" she yells.

"Jarik! Mara let's go!" Kanan yells from the ramp where he and Ezra stood, the latter also horrified and crying.

Shutting my eyes tightly as my heart broke in two I rush Mara towards the Knight Hawk, and she was no longer trying to fight me anymore, just sobbing hysterically at what just happened. As soon as we were on board, the ramp closed so that R5 could fly the ship out of Malachor. We were all sitting down in the common room, me and Kanan both attempting to comfort the younger kids as best as we could when it happened.

My Force bond with Ahsoka... it snapped.

I gasped in pain and fell to the ground, groaning and crying out in agony as I clutched at my head from the feeling of having the Force bond snapped apart like that. It was just like Mortis all over again, but this time there was no Daughter...

"Jarik? What's wrong?!" Kanan asks in a panic.

I pulling myself up to my knees, holding onto the wall for support while Mara kept sobbing, getting an understanding of what happened. Tears were rolling down my cheeks as I looked up to the others with wet eyes.

"My bond with Ahsoka... it- it _snapped,_ " I croak out, voice breaking.

Mara's cries only tore at my heart even more.

* * *

 _ **Chopper Base; Atollon**_

 **3rd person POV...**

The sun was low in the sky for twilight as the Knight Hawk came in for a landing on Atollon, where the rest of the rebels were eagerly waiting for their return. Once landing however, Hera's smile quickly changed to one of shock and horror as the four Jedi departed, Ezra helping to lead Kanan, whose eyes were bandaged. She rushed forwards, holding his face tenderly with her hands before hugging him tightly.

Ezra glanced at Jarik and Mara, the latter of which was holding onto her adoptive father, eyes still bloodshot with tears, while the former just looked depressed, hiding his grief. Boil and Rex slowly walked forwards upon noticing the scene, and Ezra turned his gaze towards them. After analyzing the group for a few moments, their eyes widened in horrified realization, and Boil placed a hand on Rex's shoulder. The soldiers closed their eyes in respect for their fallen Jedi commander, and Ezra does the same as well.

Jarik surveys the Spectres with a weary, depressed gaze, his mind still throbbing in pain from when the Force bond with Ahsoka was snapped. He held Mara close to him as she continued sobbing into his armor, and shares a look with Boil and Rex. They both look over at him, their eyes filled with sorrow and grief at the loss of someone they all cherished and loved.

*:*:*

 ** _Sith Temple; Malachor_**

A lone figure limped heavily out of the smoke and onto the flat, glassy surface of Malachor. His breathes were heavy and weak, the breathing apparatus causing a wheezing sound from his injuries after that intense battle between him and his former apprentice.

On a ledge far above the glassy surface, the owl of Morai watched Darth Vader's retreating figure, before taking flight with a shrill and sad cry, heading back down underneath the surface of Malachor. Flying back through the smoke, she returned to the ruins of the Sith Temple, heading directly for a triangular doorway in the side of the Temple.

Walking slowly into the doorway were two figures, both giving off their own, faint glows through the Force. The smaller, more feminine figure held her arm as her body seemed to generate a silvery glow of light visible through the Force. The larger, more masculine figure in comparison was letting off his own glow, though his was more golden in color.

To most, they would never see it, but for those strong in the Force, the dim glow seemed to shine around the two figures. The Moon and the Sun.

Then they disappeared in the darkness of the Sith Temple.

*:*:*

 _ **Isle of Berk; Ahch-To**_

Back on Berk, the gang, along with Stoick, Gobber and Gothi were all gathered in the small field just outside of the village with their dragons, eagerly watching as the Knight Hawk came in for a landing. They were all hopeful to hear what their journey showed them, and if they were able to find a way to defeat the Empire. When the ships passengers departed, their moods changed instantly.

Instead of relieved or happy, Jarik and Mara had walked slowly down the ramp, the former holding his daughter in a one armed hug. Her crying had long since stopped on the way to Ahch-To, but the signs were still heavy on her face, and her eyes were a little puffy. Zenna rushed forwards with a concerned squawk, prodding and sniffing at Mara, while the rest of the group were concerned, and confused. Mara barely reacted to Zenna's presence though, and just started walking, leaving her father's arms and heading towards the edge of the forest. Jarik watched on sadly, barely containing his grief.

"Mara? What's wrong?" Hiccup asks in confusion, but she ignores him, stopping by the tree line and slumping to the ground. Zenna sadly trots over to her, sensing the grief coming from her favorite human.

"Mara?" Astrid calls out.

Toothless rumbles in worry, and the dragons also chirp their concern, getting the sense that something wasn't right.

"What's her problem?" Tuffnut asks quietly, but Ruffnut shrugs.

"Jarik, what happened?" Stoick asks in confusion, his eyes roaming him and the ship. "Where's... where's Ahsoka?"

All eyes turned to Jarik, who slowly closed his eyes, shaking his head. It was then that realization began to dawn on the group, and Gothi's eyes were wide in shock and sadness. The rest of the gang were stunned, horrified, and in disbelief.

"No..." Astrid whispers in horror.

"Oh gods," Hiccup says quietly, glancing at Mara again.

Tears started to well in the eyes of the Vikings, and even the Twins and Snotlout could understand the seriousness of the situation, struggling to withhold tears. The dragons all let out low roars of sadness.

Stoick eyed Jarik with empathy and sorrow, understanding all too well what the Jedi Knight was going through.

* * *

 ** _Temple Outskirts; Malachor_**

 **3rd person POV...**

The Eighth Brother stumbles desperately towards his TIE Fighter up ahead, groaning and cursing the Jedi for his predicament.

When he fell off the Temple from his broken lightsaber, the Jedi must have thought him dead, but they were foolish to believe otherwise. He suffered great injuries from the fall, but he managed to soften his impact with the Force, the worst of his injuries being a broken arm and a few ribs.

Wheezing, he swore furiously to himself that he would have his revenge on Shan, the Jedi, and the Shadow once he had recovered. But Lord Vader and the Emperor certainly wouldn't be too pleased about his failure. He might have to... go rogue, to escape punishment. But if he managed to kill those Jedi and bring in their heads, perhaps he would be forgiven...

He whipped his head up upon sensing a presence approaching, and looked around wildly for the disturbance.

"Whose there?!" he calls out, trying to mask his nervousness. "It is not wise to sneak up on me!"

Nobody answered his demands or threats, but still he could sense someone nearby stalking him.

"Show yourself you coward!" he screams. "Who are you!?"

The sound of a lightsaber snapping harshly to life has the Eighth Brother whipping around in a panic, but before he could react a crimson colored blade was stabbed straight through his chest. He only had a few moments to gasp in surprise and pain, and look at his killer.

" _ME_ , Inquisitor," Maul hisses in contempt, eyes shining with hidden glee.

Maul yanks his lightsaber back out of the Eighth Brother and deactivates it, and watches as his body falls limply to the ground, dead. He spit on the corpse of the Inquisitor that proved to be a great annoyance in his quest to lay low, and then looks at the TIE Fughter he was trying to reach.

"Hmm... this will do nicely," he muses in satisfaction.

*:*:*

Second Sister sat in her TIE Fighter as she flew silently away from Malachor, cursing Mara Jade before humiliating her so badly.

* * *

 _ **Unknown Space; Classified Location**_

 **3rd person POV...**

Third Brother was shoved to the ground before the large throne, the back of which was facing him. He glared up behind him to where the witch-like pale woman and the gray, blue-hooded creature stood glaring at him. Slowly turning his head forwards he shifted his gaze towards the throne, looking more nervous.

"Why were you on Malachor?" the creature demands with his groveling voice.

"We were hunting five Jedi, which had come there seeking something," Third Brother carefully explains. "Ahsoka Tano is dead."

"You think that we care about the fate of Ahsoka Tano?" the pale woman scoffs.

"She was a powerful Jedi that could've stood in your way," he replies.

"Your mission, is to retrieve that Stone!" the creature growls. "Not to kill Jedi, or retrieve some meager Sith holocron!"

"I know that, but there is only so much I can do! I keep telling you this!" Third Brother exclaims frantically.

"I am well aware of your limitations, Third Brother," the being in the throne suddenly booms, freezing everyone in place. Third Brother looks up nervously as the massive being rises from the throne to glare at him. "When I gave you this assignment I had hoped you would've succeeded by now."

"My Lord, I continue searching for a way to enter Vader's castle every day-" Third Brother starts to explain uneasily.

"Clearly not, if you were messing around carelessly on Malachor," the Dark Lord scoffs in disapproval, making Third Brother flinch. He turns around and looks away from the Inquisitor uncaringly. "You had no reason to be there."

Third Brother waits a few moments to reply, before looking up at the titanic figure. "Actually... there is actually something there that you would be interested in."

"And what would that be?"

Third Brother manages to grin up at him. "Underneath Malachor's Sith temple... I found another one."

The titan of a man remains silent as he takes in the information. After a few quiet moments he then turns around to face him, and a wide smirk slowly starts to spread across his face as he looks down at the Third Brother.

"Intriguing..."

* * *

 _Oh man, this chapter... this was too much! So much emotional crap going on, geez!_

 _Chapter will soon be posted for the update on the next (and final) installment of the Legacy of Jarik Shan. Thank you guys for continuing to be such avid readers of my stories! I'm glad you're all able to enjoy them so much, and I can't wait to keep continuing with them! :D_


	98. Sequel Announcement!

_**Sequel Announcement!**_

 _"Legacy of Jarik Shan V5: Rebirth" is the next and final installment of the series, and is now on my profile page!_

 _"Legacy of Jarik Shan V3: Revenge of the Sith" is the prequel to this story and can be found on my profile page, and "V2: The Clone Wars" is the one before that. I would suggest checking them out!_

 _Thank you guys so much for continuing to be such avid readers of my series! :D_


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